But the good news is that, even though he is sedated, Ben was able to wake up a little and do some exercise. Specifically, Ben was able to purposefully move his right knee up eight times, and then stretch his leg out straight again. We tried to get him to move his other arms and legs, but that didn't work. I also believe that he was trying to talk again as we worked with him. He remained awake for about 20 minutes, though he didn't open his eyes much.
Ben is resting well now.
I've heard from several people that the high fever is fairly normal at this point. There are a lot of theories as to why it happens, but I recall talking to a blood pathologist once for a couple of hours, and he showed me how fevers help cleanse the body from toxins, which may include things like bits of mold, acids, and of course that might even include the painkillers that he is on.
Here is a picture of Ben bending his knee--the strongest indicator yet that he is coming out of his coma.
Hang on tight!
ReplyDeleteMy nephew went through a terrible accident that included severe brain trauma/damage and is now paraplegic. The challenges can be immense, but try not to be too discouraged. Dr.'s always give worst case answers and are sooo hesitant to offer hope. It sounds like Ben is making progress. As for his head, you may be very surprised by how resilient the brain can be, especially someone of Ben's age. We used to laugh at my nephew because he lost so much weight and had so much head swelling that he looked like a light bulb!
The recovery is slow, and you're right that it may take a year or 2 for you to feel like his personality is 'back' but have faith.
The high temp issue was VERY common with my nephew, and we were told that the medications can raise temps, and it may be the body's way of speeding up recovery by burning out toxins etc.
Best wishes, you and your family will be in my prayers each day.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Amber
I'm so sorry this happened to Ben! And to you. Ask God to send HIS doctors to heal him for He certainly has them! As a cancer patients I KNOW this...
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Ben can get Medicaid for this injury to help out $? Other minors without insurance has gotten it-
I will certainly continue to pray for Ben and for strength for your family.
Carol