Day 76 - Tuesday February 28, 2012

I called the doctors office early and explained the whole situation. I told them that I really needed to find out why she is fainting and so we can do something about it.  We need to get to the bottom of this!  So, anyway, the gal talked to the doctor who said he wanted to see Bridgett and exam her; so, we set up an appointment for 3:30.  I asked them to switch the CT scans they had ordered to Mt. Timpanogos hospital, as I recently learned that they are in network.  We will go there from now on if there is an emergency.  The doctors office gave me the scheduling number to call and get the appointment set up but when I called they said they can't make the appointment until the insurance authorizes it but they said we could make the appointment for Thursday or Friday as it surely will be authorized by then.  So, I made the appointment for Thursday.  I carefully monitored what Bridgett ate and drank and then at 2:50 Tyler and I loaded her up and headed for the doctors office.  We made it with about three minutes to spare!  Bridgett kept saying all the way in that she was about to throw up, but she made it.  We had to wait about 10 minutes at the doctors office.  I asked if they had a place she could lay down.  They got a room ready, but only about 1-2 minutes before they would have had it ready.  I took her in and she laid down on the examining table--not real comfortable, but better then sitting up when you aren't feeling good.  The doctor examined her and ordered a urine test, which came back showing infection.  He gave us a prescription for an antibiotic.  Also, I talked to him and said I didn't want to give her the Vicodin because of the whole issue with nausea and dizziness.  I said she's taken Lortab before without any problems, can we do that again.  So, I got a prescription for that.  Then we discussed the whole issue of the elevated DHEA and also why is she fainting.  He ordered a bunch more blood work and said he'd have the results on that tomorrow (Wed.).  I said, she never fainted before and it's been 11 weeks tomorrow since the accident, so you'd think that it's something else besides the brain injury.  He said, that makes sense but it's a very complicated issue so hard to know.  Anyway, I guess we are doing what we can to figure it all out and that's the big thing.  Bridgett made it home without commenting once about being nauseated.  It was at rush hour, so I went home via State Street.  So, all the way from American Fork to Provo to our apartment--we only had to stop at five red lights--can you believe it!  And actually, on the drive there the freeway had pretty light traffic.  So, we notice small blessings where ever we find them and very much appreciate each tender mercy.  During this time period since Friday afternoon--Bridgett's mind has been a little muddled in regards to her memory.  This evening she lay in bed with all of us in the room and she remembered all kinds of things that she hasn't remember yet--the names of our horses (we used to have) and random stuff like that.  It made us all feel so much better!  Jenn told me tonight that her friend Bree (with the past brain injury) said that she was fainting and was dizzy so had to wear a patch behind her ear after her injury, so maybe this is all related to the brain injury.  I need to find out who her primary care physician is as he apparently has experience--even if he gained it all while working with her.  That's a huge thing--someone who's dealt with these things before.  On the insurance front--Mark is dealing with people at our company trying to get them to relent and work with us.  He has now started dialog with the supervisor of our case manager and hopefully we can get somewhere without having to involve a lawyer.  It seems like they must realize that it's better to work things out peacefully first--better for all of us--especially for Bridgett.  We are just trying to do the best things for her and trying to help out all we can.

Day 75 - Monday February 27, 2012

Most of the day Bridgett rested.  She started feeling nauseated in the afternoon and I gave her one of the Zofran tablets.  Her primary care physician office (Dr. Hafen's) called to say that she had elevated DHEA levels shown on her blood tests and that they want to schedule a CT of the pelvis and adrenal gland.  They said they would let us know when it was set up.  I explained about the weekend and said that she was still nauseated.  They talked to the doctor and said to continue the Zofran until she felt better.  Bridgett seemed a little foggy in the afternoon and unclear about some things.  In the early evening she got up to go to the bathroom, after sitting for about 15 minutes, and she again collapsed, but this time onto the couch as we were still standing by the couch.  She was "out" for about 20 seconds.  But, she started talking and seemed OK.  I took her blood pressure--which was normal.  She wasn't dehydrated--she had been drinking and peeing normally.  So then I thought low blood sugar--which Tyler and Arrianne thought at the same time.  She hadn't eaten much because she'd felt nauseated.  We gave her yogurt, a fried egg and one of the Boost drinks.  I figured we could always go to the urgent care if necessary.  After two hours I went and bought a glucometer.  Her blood sugar was 84--so low for after eating.  We had her eat more and by this time she was actually hungry.  She had some applesauce, then peanut butter on toast and finally some macaroni and cheese (used to be my favorite food when I was a kid and is one of her favorites-although I know not too healthy).  After eating her blood sugar was 117--so still low.  But, at least she had protein to eat and some carbs.  I watched her through the night and only woke her once to talk to her.  This morning (Tuesday) I looked up info about high DHEA levels and it says this can cause Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (they already wondered if she had this because of the cyst problems she's had in the past), insulin resistance and Addison's Disease.  The insulin resistance can cause low blood sugar among other things.  The Addison's Disease says that it is frequently undiagnosed until someone has an accident or requires surgery--which makes the disease advance quickly.  I will definitely be calling the doctors office this morning.  We need to find out about this quick, because Addison's Disease can be very serious. 

Day 74 - Sunday February 26, 2012

Bridgett's bad headache continued through the day.  I finally went and got the prescriptions filled for the Vicodin and Zofran.  However, after I got them and paid, the pharmacist told me that the Vicodin would really cause nausea and dizziness and she already has both!  How does that help I wonder! The Vicodin only has a little more acetaminophin in it than the Tylenol plus the codeine--which is what makes you sick.  The Zofran has to be given at least an hour prior to the Vicodin in order to help with the nausea.  It was already time for Bridgett to have Tylenol and I decided just to give that to her again.  We will have the other stuff on hand if needed.  Luckily they didn't cost too much.  While there I got some Boost high protein for Bridgett.  When she was on the feeding tube they had her on the high protein, high calorie type.  When she was off the feeding tube, they had her drinking a Carnation Instant Breakfast with every meal.  When we left to come home they said she just needed a regular diet.  However, it seems she is losing weight still and she seems very weak after this whole episode.  So, I got the Boost and started giving that to her, at least until I can talk to the doctor.  I will call the Dr. Hafen (primary care physician) and see what he has to say.  I don't know if she's up to the drive there yet or not--he's in American Fork.  But, at least I will talk to him and see what he thinks.  Bridgett had a couple of visitors in the evening.  Jenn stopped by for about an hour and Jamie stopped by for about an hour and a half.  Bridgett was feeling a little better by then and also--she always feels better when she has people around!  She was happy and feeling a chatty.  She hummed a little before they showed up, after she heard they were coming.  It was cute.  Before everyone left, she got tired and laid down while visiting. 

Day 73 - Saturday February 25, 2012

Bridgett continued to seem OK in the morning.  I did give her Tylenol at 9:00 a.m. because her headache was really bothering her.  She said it hurt in the back of her head and some in the front.  She also complained about her back and neck.  These all could have been bruised when she fell.  She was very tired (and I was too) probably from having such a restless sleep with me waking her all night.  At 3:00 I gave her more Tylenol but by 5:00 she said the headache was worse not better.  She said on a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 5.  By 5:30 it was a 6 and I had decided I'd better take her into the emergency room.  I called the urgent care that is in network and talked to a nurse, explaining what I had done etc.  I said I don't want to drive there just to have you refer us back to the hospital for a CT.  She said I had handled everything just fine, but as a precaution they would suggest a CT because of her TBI (which is what I was anticipating they would say).  By 6:00 we were getting ready to leave and the pain was at a 7.  We drove approximately 4 blocks to the hospital and that made her sick and she almost vomited again.  They took her right in.  I like this emergency room because they take people in the order of the most urgent injury.  They took her medical history, checked her vitals, and then the doctor came in.  Tyler said this later, and it's probably true--he seemed a little rushed and like why are you here a day later after falling, until he talked to Bridgett.   Then he relaxed and sat back and asked about the accident and the extent of the injuries.  He said for sure we want a CT and they took her right back.  Afterwards we only had to wait less than 10 minutes for him to report back.  I had told him that her last CT was taken there so they could compare.  He said that everything looked fine, that there was no bleeding or swelling from the fall.  Whew!  Relief for sure!  About the pain--he said Tylenol was fine but if the pain got too bad to take Vicodin (which he gave us a prescription for).  I don't really want her on that but if the pain gets unmanageable we will fill that prescription.  He also gave us a prescription for Zofran for the nausea.  Actually, I already have some from the hospital.  I never even thought about giving that to her because when she's not in the car she's OK.  I will have to ask the pharmacist about that--giving it to her when in the car.  Of course, it probably makes you sleepy so that wouldn't be great before therapy!  Anyway, we were only at the emergency room for just over an hour and the biggest wait was for the discharge orders and prescriptions!  Impressive!  Before we left, one of the social workers from the ICU walked by and saw me.  She pointed to the bed and said is that Bridgett?  Bridgett had her knees bent so you couldn't really see her.  I went out to the hall and talked to her.  She was so excited to see Bridgett, after the concern about whether she was OK.  I invited her in to talk to Bridgett.  Bridgett said hi, how are you?  The social worker introduced herself and Bridgett said I feel as if I saw you before (yes, but it was while she was in a coma!).   Bridgett said, you're really pretty!  Anyway, the social worker was tickled to talk to her and asked if she could go straight up to the ICU and tell all the nurses how great she was doing.  I said of course.  We got home and had a pretty restful evening.  Jenn came over to visit and sat and rubbed Bridgett's feet for her.  Bridgett felt much better by bedtime.  She was even singing a little to herself.  They said to go ahead and give her the Trazodone, so I did and she slept great through the night--and is still asleep.  Her discharge orders said to keep her on bed rest for 24 hours, so it will be a quiet Sunday for us.  Also, we were asked to get an appointment with her primary care physician for Monday or Tuesday as a follow-up.   

Day 72 - Friday February 24, 2012 and into Saturday

One of the longest days ever!  First we got up and went up to Salt Lake for therapy appointments.  I gave Bridgett Tylenol and put on her neck brace.  By the time we got there she was feeling sick and her head and neck hurt even though we had taken precautions.  She sat in speech therapy, putting her head down on the table.  She said I don't feel good but I can do this.  She actually did really well (which makes you wonder how much better she'd do if she didn't feel sick).  After speech therapy she had physical therapy.  The extern decided it was nice enough to walk outside, so we spent the whole time outside.  It was sunny, but if she wore her sunglasses she couldn't wear the eyeglasses and therefore would have problems seeing to walk outside--so no sunglasses.  I'm sure this contributed to her headache on the way home. We walked across the street in Sugarhouse, past Bed, Bath and Beyond and Petco.  He had Bridgett read the large signs above the door and told her to remember which stores to pass to get back.  Then we walked on a little path down a nature area with a stream.  They path was somewhat muddy, and covered with sticks.  There were branches to miss (she couldn't see them, so I moved them as he wasn't doing that).  There was a little bridge.  There was also construction next to a fence and the path narrowed. She had to grab on the chain link fence to keep her balance.  There was some kind of a building with stone steps.  He had her walk up one flight and count the stairs (16).  He kept quizzing her on the names of the stores, but her short term memory is not good at this point, so she could not remember.  We got back to find two people on ladders outside the therapy place, and they had light mesh stuff blocking the path.  I walked on that side of Bridgett, as I do not believe that she could see it.  She missed the ladders and we made it back inside.  Sometimes its frustrating to me dealing with the student therapists, as I don't think they always know enough about brain injuries to make appropriate choices during therapy.  Anyway, we left there and headed home.  On the way back, while on the freeway just past the point of the mountain, Bridgett suddenly started throwing up.  It's kind of like when a child just starts throwing up with no warning.  I was in the carpool lane and pulled over (luckily there was a shoulder at this point).  I grabbed a sack (with our lunch in it) and she threw up in that, although she already had thrown up on herself.  I found a few napkins for her to wipe her mouth.  We sat for a bit and got calm while cars whizzed past.  Finally I got back on the freeway.  I put my coat on her lap to cover up the vomit, but she was hot and moved it.  We got off on University Parkway and I was thinking we can't do this again.  But, it gets worse.  At the intersection of University Parkway and 800 East she threw up again.  I grabbed my coat and she threw up in that.  Then she threw up again by the Olive Garden.  I called Tyler and Stephany to meet us in the parking garage with a bowl (just in case) and garbage bags for the coat etc., paper towels and sanitizer.  I took a picture of her in the car, with my coat on her lap, covered in vomit to show the insurance people.  This is why we need rehab in Provo!  It's dark in the parking garage, so it's not a great picture, but whatever.  We took Bridgett upstairs and got her showered and put her on the couch to rest.  She slept for about an hour.  When she woke up she needed to go to the bathroom.  I helped her to sitting, then we slowly got up and walked towards the bathroom.  She had gone about 12 feet when she suddenly collapsed.  I was luckily holding onto her and I yelled for Tyler and tried to let her down slowly.  She went straight back and although I broke her fall, her head hit the floor in slow motion and kind of soft. But it is a tile floor so anyway impact would not be too soft.  I thought she was going to have a seizure so told him to call 911.  However, she lay there for about 30 seconds with her mouth open then started talking to us.  We never did call 911.  We sat her up and got her steady.  We decided that she was dehydrated and perhaps her blood pressure low.  We gave her a drink while sitting.  She takes very slow sips, so it was a slow process.  Then we slowly got her up to the bathroom and then back to the couch.  We decided that we would have two people walking with her for the time being.  I begin to call everyone to find out whether or not to take her to the emergency room.  I called to the rehab at the U of U.  They said the doctors were gone for the day and anyway would not be able to advise me on the phone.  The gal said many times people get this way after a brain injury from too much excitement or commotion.  I called her primary care physician. They had me leave a message explanation and said someone would call me back.  I called the trauma unit in Provo and asked for one of the trauma team.  The nurse at the neuro shock rehab would not let me talk to them and said it was against policy for anyone to give me any advice.  Can't you just tell me what to look for?  No she said.  Finally the primary care physician's office called back with a message saying that if she was still dizzy or unsteady to take her to the emergency room.  Otherwise, if she was fairly stable it was OK.  Well, she was talking normally, drinking, asking for food because she was hungry.  She had four glasses of fluid. Initially she said her head hurt, but she also said everything hurt (as she had said earlier in the day before she vomited).  By evening she said her head felt a little better.  We kept her awake for three hours and then I "slept" by her and checked on her all night. I did not give her the sleep med as I did not feel it was safe.   I checked on her multiple times, but woke her up every hour and asked her who she was, who I was, and how did she feel.  We made it through the night.  I hate this whole insurance thing.  This hospital is not in network, although we live only four blocks from it.  If I took her in they would probably deny the charges.  Obviously she can't ride up to Salt Lake to the emergency room.  I looked at the in network providers and there are several urgent cares listed.  I will call one of them this morning.   However, she seems stable and the only thing I can figure they might want to do is a CT scan and none of these places in network here can do that.  I looked for an in network place for a CT and there are none within 25 miles.  It's so frustrating!  We'll see what today brings.  All in all a very long and scary day!

Day 71 - Thursday February 23, 2012

So our latest thing that we are dealing with is the situation with getting dental work done.  Bridgett's dentist had agreed to do it on Feb. 29, as I have already discussed.  However, I was told that there is a dental clinic which is actually around the corner from where we are living, literally, that does sedation and that they are very good.  I called to make an appointment and that was for today and I had a certificate from the person that referred me for a free x-ray and check-up.  When we got there, the dentists were running behind and we had to wait.  When we had been waiting for 40 minutes, I decided that we would leave. Before coming I had explained the situation to the gal I had scheduled with and felt that apparently they were so big they wouldn't be able to accommodate someone in a special situation.  Bridgett's neck was hurting and although she is cooperative and didn't ask to leave, she was "wilting" by the moment.  At 44 minutes after the hour I calmly told the gal at the desk that we would have to leave and we did.  About 20 minutes after we left I got a call from the office manager.  She was very apologetic and offered to buy our family a gift certificate somewhere.  I said I didn't want to discuss that--it didn't help the situation any.  I explained that I just needed some info regarding procedures, etc. and that the gal I had scheduled with had told me that they only way to get the info was to come to an appointment.  I explained the entire situation to her and she told me that they do sedate and gave me the name and phone number of the husband/wife team that did that for them.  She also asked if we would consider rescheduling, and said they could set it up and then call and say come now, we're ready so that we didn't have to wait.  Anyway, I called the anesthesiologist and discussed the situation with him.  I told him that we had already cleared with the surgeon that fixed the zygomatic arch and we were waiting to clear with the neurosurgeon.  I asked exactly what they would use so that I could clear that with them as well.  Anyway, he was very positive sounding about the situation and said as long as we had clearance that the procedure would go much quicker if she was sedated and she would be much more comfortable.  Then later on one of the dentist called me to also apologize.  We discussed the situation more.  I asked if they were able to do it, how far out would she have to wait to get it done.  I explained that we needed someone that would give us the attention we need, etc.  He said that it could be done in the next week to 10 days if we got it cleared with Bridgett's doctors.  While we were on the phone I had another call which I could not answer.  It turned out to be the neurosurgeon's nurse.  She said that the neck could not be cleared for any dental work until after she was x-rayed on March 8th and they saw her that same day.  Also, she said that at Bridgett's March 6th appointment with her neuro rehab doctor, Dr. Speed, we could get the meds cleared for sedation.  But, with both doctors, they would need to see and examine her before they gave their consent.  Fair enough!  I had actually just told the dentist that very thing, that they might want to wait until then before they gave their consent.   So, today I will cancel with the current dentist, letting him know that we have to wait to get cleared.  We still might use him depending on how things work out with this new dentist.  I will set up to see the new dentist and see what happens there and then wait for the week of March 6th to find out more.  Early this morning Uncle Justin and Grandma came to visit.  They brought some fun cards to Bridgett.  Then we had the dentist thing.  Later we went to the mall and did some walking and a bit of shopping.  Bridgett used to work at the mall so I thought it might help her remember things even though she couldn't remember the name of the store where she worked.  Actually I said, let's go to the store where you used to work and she said, I feel as if they would be angry there, let's not go.  That was funny because she quit there because the manager was so angry all the time and hard to work for!  Later on we had Aunt Debbi over for a visit.  She brought Bridgett a fun new card game to play.  Bridgett was pretty tired by time night came and got ready for bed early, although she didn't go to sleep until about her usual time. 

Day 70 - Wednesday February 22, 2012

Yesterday Bridgett's therapy sessions went well.  We love her occupational therapist Kasey!  He's just awesome.  Bridgett had improved over last session, which is always great!  After doing some reading, they did quite a bit with the Dynavision, which is an electronic board, pretty large, maybe 6' X 6' that has buttons that light up. It is run by a computer, apparently with different tasks that can be assigned.  Bridgett is supposed to find the lit up button (red when lit) and push it to turn it off.  Basically she did good in her narrow field of vision, but the longer they worked the better she did in a larger field.  It helps train the eyes to track, among other things.  He said we will spend more time doing it.  I thought back to Bridgett trying to do this in rehab with Rebecca.  She did SO much better now, probably because of the glasses mainly, but also, she is becoming more aware all the time.  I was just thinking how surprised everyone will be to see her when we head up to see Dr. Speed on the 6th of March!  I like those kinds of surprises!  During speech therapy Bridgett again did really well.  They asked her a list of yes and no questions.  I always hated these at rehab, because they could be answered differently depending on, well, whatever.  I can't think of a particular instance, but I can from yesterday.  For example....does a phone ring?  Bridgett qualified it as yes, if people are calling.  Are elephants big?  Yes, except if they are babies.  Funny!  So, she explained her qualifying.  I made a comment regarding this to the speech therapist and she said, yes, some questions can be answered differently and when a person explains the qualification it shows a higher level of thought.  Interesting!  Lisa (the experienced therapist) said that she thought that there is a lot going on up there (pointing to Bridgett's brain) and that we just need to channel ways to access it all.  The speech therapist internist gave Bridgett a page of things to go home and read and said we'd have to just do it verbally.  However, Lisa went and copied it and enlarged it so that one page fit on four pages and Bridgett could read it then.  Cool!  I said I don't think that large print book are large enough print and they agreed.  Anyway, everything was good, except the ride up and back.  I called the neurosurgeon and told the nurse that she was having neck pain.  She called back and left a message to have Bridgett wear the soft collar as needed and to take pain reliever, but not Advil. She said Advil interferes with the healing of bone and so to use Tylenol.  Arrianne said WHAT!  Why didn't anyone tell me that when I had that broken sesamoid bone that wouldn't heal.  They all knew I was taking Advil!  Maybe they just discovered this or maybe it just depends on your doctor.  One thing I have learned, that nurses all do things differently and all have different opinions on what is best.  And I was surprised at how often saw doctors ask nurses what they thought was the best thing.  So, anyway, there's always going to be different opinions I guess.

Day 69 - Tuesday February 21, 2012

Tonight one of Bridgett's friend came by, someone she met at institute this year.  He came up often to the ICU to check on Bridgett.  He never came in, because he couldn't, but he still came up often for updates from the family etc.  Anyway, Bridgett was so glad to see him.  She said I to him--I saw you twice, sitting with everyone and talking, but you couldn't see me so you didn't talk to me.  He said you mean before the accident? Or lately?  Where?  I had this feeling so I said in the hospital or somewhere else?  She said in the hospital very matter of factly.  (actually she has been talking lately about things that happened during the period she was in a coma--more on that later)  It's something we have contemplated--where is the spirit when the body is in a coma?  Does it leave the body?  I remember asking Mark about that and we decided that the spirit can leave, but remains close to the body.  Anyway, it's something to think about. We got out our phones and showed him a picture of Bridgett while she was in the ICU.  Even though I look at these pictures from time to time, it always has an impact on me.  The picture we showed him was not even one of the worst ones.  I vividly remembering that early morning, Thursday the 15th, when we all arrived to be with Bridgett.  Even though only two people were allowed in the ICU, they bent the rules and let our whole family in (minus the grand kids).  There we all were hugging and crying and praying.  I remember having this total convincing feeling that she would be fine and that we just needed to endure.  It's one of those moments in time that we will all remember.  Just a couple of days ago Arrianne told me something that I didn't know until now.  Actually she didn't know it until just before we moved to this apartment.  Jenn and Arrianne were decorating with a welcome home poster for Bridgett and putting up balloons.  Jenn then told Arrianne that she was thinking back to that night when Bridgett arrived at the ICU.  There was a time when a nurse took Jenn aside and when Jenn came back in she was sobbing and from that moment on she kept talking about Bridgett dying, like it was going to happen.  Arrianne couldn't figure out why and even when we arrived she said she didn't know why Jenn keep saying that.  In fact, other family members said the same thing later and we couldn't figure out why.  Well, apparently that nurse took Jenn aside and told her that Bridgett was NOT going to live but they hoped she would make it until we showed up.  WOW!  That explains a lot as far as what people said or did.  No one ever told me that (or maybe I just didn't let myself hear that), although they did paint a very bleak picture.  Perhaps because she had made it for 12 hours they held out a little hope.  Anyway, all along the way I know Bridgett has surprised people and she will keep doing that!!  We are living the miracle of seeing her healed! 

Day 68 - Monday February 20, 2012

We got up early and Bridgett got dressed in some of her cute jeans and a cute shirt complete with a vest and necklace.  Her pierced ears have grown shut, so will have to be re-pierced in the future sometime if/when she decides she wants to deal with earrings.  Definitely I won't be putting earrings in.  One time when Bridgett had surgery she needed help and I did help, but almost threw up.  I have a pretty steady stomach most of the time, but for some reason that really got to me.  Anyway, we went and visited Jenn and then I dropped the girls off at the apartment and did some shopping.  A few days ago (Sat.) we went to Target and did some shopping.  Arrianne and Stephany tried on some clothes.  By the time we were almost ready to leave, Bridgett was exhausted and very wobbily and the girls took her to the car while I checked out.  It not just the walking, its the noise and commotion of shopping that add up to take a lot out of her.  But, she did great actually.  She does pretty well in crowds, mostly (I think) because she normally likes being around people. Anyway, it's fun to see Bridgett in jeans and not just sweats!  Her short hair actually looks pretty cute and vogue-ish.  Speaking is "ish"--I guess I started this a few years ago.  I told someone (in the family) when I'd be there and then I was late and they were upset.  So, I started saying like 7:00ish so that it would mean "about that time".  Anyway, the girls and I have joked about it and used that term a lot.  So, since the accident, it has been one of Bridgett's favorite words--but she says she feels "ish" meaning not that great I guess.  So the funny thing is we've heard it so much, today when Tyler wasn't feeling well he told me he felt "ish" and it seemed normal to say!!

Day 67 - Sunday February 19, 2012

Mark, Tyler, Stephany and Arrianne took Bridgett down to her apartment again, preparatory to clearing out her bedroom.  She looked around again and visited with one of her roommates.  When Mark started moving things she asked what was happening.  They explained that they were moving her things upstairs to our apartment.  She said I want to live with Arrianne still.  They explained again.  She was fairly persistent that she wanted to stay living with Arrianne.  Then Arrianne explained that she spends most of her time here at our apartment and sees Bridgett all the time.  She said this will be OK don't you think.  So, Bridgett then said yes.  Sad!  She is realizing more and more all the time that things are different.  It's good, as she's more aware all the time.  At the same time, it's sad.  But, we'll focus on the good in the situation. Bridgett continues to improve all the time.  Today and yesterday we played cards with her.  I ordered some large print playing cards that have numbers that are 1-1/2" tall, yet they are standard size.  She can shuffle and deal the cards, as well as seperate by color.  We haven't tried having her seperate by suit yet.  She did take one suit and organize by number.  Anyway, she has been playing fish with us and she did well.  Also today we played old maid.  For that game I did seperate our some of the pairs so there weren't so many cards to deal with.  She did just fine. I found a website with ideas for home based cognitive stimulation ideas.  The category of cards listed activity one as dealing cards.  Two was shuffling cards.  Three was organizing in numberical order.  The levels go up to nine and that was to play a more complex games like hearts, spades, go fish, uno, etc.  So, we have played go fish and uno.  Anyway, I guess on to a new category, while still doing this one.  Another category is working with money.  We have done a little in this category, but need to try it again.  The first activity is to sort out coins by denomination.  Another category is to work with tossing bean bags.  She did this at the rehab with bean bags and balls.  We often play catch with her.  I just recently got a free bean bag toss for tic-tac-toe.  Mark is headed back to Montana today so he will bring it back.  The last activity is to teach juggling.  Bridgett used to juggle, so we'll have to see how that goes. 

Day 66 - Saturday February 18, 2019

Special note:  I sometimes forget to explain some things, because we are close to the issue....if you see Bridgett and she calls you by the wrong name or title (aunt, grandma etc.) don't be upset or worried.  Even when she was in the rehab she was sometimes calling me her grandma or sister instead of her mom and she knows exactly who I am.  She occasionally calls her sisters by another sisters name (we all do that sometimes!) and even at the rehab was not always remembering who they were, who her brothers were or who Mark was.  Sometimes she didn't remember who she was. So, don't take it personally at all!  I know that she usually knows who people are she just doesn't remember the right word.  And if she doesn't remember you, just remember how frustrating it is for her--when she sometimes doesn't even remember herself!  Since we've been home I think she has always remembered who she is but she still doesn't remember how old she is.  Maybe in her mind she is sometimes back in those days when she was younger.  We don't really know and the mind is a very complex thing and hard to understand.  Switching gears....I always seem to forget to post things that I really wanted to until later on and this is one of those instances.  On Wednesday Penny and Courtney drove down from Kaysville to meet us at the Sugarhouse rehab to deliver a special present to us.  It was so nice of them to make the trip just for that purpose!  Anyway, Penny had a get well poster for Bridgett.  It was made by a primary class in Bull Mountain, Oregon.  This class of six year olds made a poster for Courtney and then when they (the teacher) found out about Bridgett, they made one for her as well.  It is on a bright yellow poster board and covered with bright stickers and says get well Bridgett.  Also, each child has a snapshot picture with a poster with their name in front of them. So darling and so thoughtful.  Additionally they sent a kind of paper doll image of Bridgett that is about 8-9 inches tall with a magnet on the back, which is colored with her in a blue dress complete with auburn colored hair.  Also they sent an identical doll that is just white to represent her spirit also with a magnet on the back. The class has been learning about spirit bodies.  Right now Bridgett's spirit is of course well and whole and her body is a little banged up. But her spirit is strong and fighting for survival.  And survive she will.  Bridgett is strong.  Bridgett is tough.  Bridgett is not afraid of hard work.  Those of us who know Bridgett well know that.  For those of you who don't--Bridgett was a woman rugby player on a college team.  That shows she is tough.  Bridgett biked 45-50 miles (in a day) on her road bike.  She is strong and determined.  Bridgett did a half marathon and was going to do a marathon in June.  She was training for a triathlon.  Bridgett has had many challenges and she has always dealt with the pain and worked through it.  When she was 14 she was very sick for over a year with migraine headaches, asthma attacks (3 per day), kidney stones (she's passed 5 or 6), appendicitis, and other things.  She pretty much lost a year or two of any social life.  Then when she got better, she determined to make her body strong and she worked hard to get tough enough for high school soccer and then college rugby.  She is a runner and loves working out.  In fact, she was studying to be a personal trainer.  In the summer of 2008, she totalled her car while driving on the Swan highway, headed home from Utah.  She was life flighted to Missoula and released only hours later.  She was of course banged and bruised.  In December of 2010 Bridgett went to the emergency room (one week before Christmas) thinking that she was having appendicitis pain again and going to finally have the appendix removed only to find that she had a tennis ball sized ovarian cyst.  The doctor was going to send her home on birth control but Bridgett (who has a high pain tolerance) said you need to check this out more; something is seriously wrong.  The doctor got our permission and opened her up to find that she had a torsion and the ovary and fallopian tube had already had the blood supply cut off and needed to be removed immediately.  She has a nice 4.5 inch scar from that surgery (and she had passed a kidney stone about three days prior to this).  And so Bridgett is no stranger to pain and she has a great attitude in spite of the challenges she's had to face already in her life.  Bridgett, we love and respect you and know that indeed you have a strong spirit and you will survive!  So many people are praying for your recovery and so many people love and respect you!

Day 65 - Friday February 17, 2012

Today was kind of a quiet day (thank goodness).  We had some morning visitors--Aunt Susie and Heather and her baby.  Bridgett got a kick out of seeing cute baby, Ellie.  Afterwards, I changed the peg dressing and it was completely closed and looking great.  Getting that tape off was a challenge and very painful to Bridgett.  I don't know why they use that bad tape to tape dressings.  I did have one little packet of an adhesive removing pad and I used that.  There was so much tape it was worn out before we were done, but I used alcohol pads then.  Not great, but better than nothing.  Mark held Bridgett's hands and had her squeeze while I did the tape thing.  Her peg looks great, but the area covered with tape looks yucky!  Oh well.  At least it's done!  I was going to just use a bandaid but Mark said let's put on a little gauze for one more day so I used two bandaids to stick the gauze on.  Later on that afternoon we saw Uncle Jon and Aunt Shana.  Otherwise, it was quiet and we just tried to push fluids and let Bridgett rest up a little from the long week.  In the evening Arrianne and I went to an opera, La traviata, in Provo.  She had two of the teachers from UVU as lead singers plus one of her friends performing.  It was my second time to get away for a couple of hours (both times to the opera) and it was relaxing.

Day 64 - Thursday February 16, 2012

Today Bridgett got the peg removed!  Originally her appointment was for 3:00 in the afternoon and she wasn't supposed to eat after midnight.  That seemed challenging to me since with the TBI it might be hard for her to understand that she shouldn't eat. I asked them to let me know if there was a cancellation.  They called back later on and said she could have clear liquids until 9:00 a.m. which would help a little.  Then yesterday they called and said they had a cancellation at 11:30, which was during her appointment with the primary care physician in American Fork.  I took a chance and said we'd take it, then called and cancelled the appointment with Dr. Hafen in American Fork, explaining why.  They said they had a cancellation for 2:00 so we could come then.  So, basically we just flip flopped appointments!  Since I kept her up late, I let her sleep in until 10:15, then woke her up and got her showered and dressed.  She mostly does these things, I just assist since she can't see well and also, for safety in the shower.  Most of her clothes don't have tags, just printed info on the back.  With her low vision, she can tell which was is front or back to get dressed.  Rebecca at the U of U rehab told me that although she needs to be independent, until they get some of her vision challenges out of the way, I need to hand her clothes to her ready to put on.   Anyway, we headed to the hospital to meet Dr. Bodily to have the peg tube removed.  We got there early and did lots of paperwork (11:15), put some lidocaine ointment (topical for pain) on the peg site and waited until they called us back at 11:30.  They got her vitals and reviewed the paperwork, explained the procedure and prepped her.  They told us that she was his first appointment and he'd be in about 12:00.  He showed up at 12:10 and again explained the procedure, telling her that it would hurt badly and feel like she got kicked in the stomach by a horse.  He placed his hands around the peg tube and said do you want me to warn you or just do it.   She started to say just do it and he did it--pulled (yanked) hard and it came out.  She didn't make a noise.  She just looked at him and said that really hurt.  He said I know but it will feel a little better in 30 seconds.  He waited for a bit and asked does it feel any better.  Yes, she said, but it still hurts.  No crying, no whimper, no tears. YES!  Also, celebration because in nine weeks she didn't pull out any tubes or wires!!  Whew and woohoo!  They said it would be good if it bled, so the body knows to start repairing right away.  It did bleed and then the dressing they placed got some blood on it but not enough to change the dressing before the 24 hours.  For those of you wondering, yes the stomach will stay anchored to the abdominal wall forever.  That's one of the bad things about the peg (I think).  They still insist that there are no negative long term problems, but she's had pain for the past four weeks at the peg site, so we'll see.  They instructed her to not eat for an hour.  We went home for about 45 minutes, and then it was time to leave to American Fork to see Dr. David Hafen.  We took a yogurt and a piece of toast with us, as she didn't feel like eating.  When we got to the waiting room, she ate the yogurt and 1/2 of the toast.  We brought her medical records with us which consist of 159 pages from Provo and 57 from U of U (these are not comprehensive, just a summary).   Also, she has seven cd's of imaging (MRI, CT's and x-rays).  Dr. Hafen asked for a copy of her records which we offered and he declined.  Too much to review for sure!  He asked just for the summary pages from each hospital.  We had a good appointment there and he ordered some blood tests.  We took Bridgett downstairs to the lab.  The first gal tried both arms and couldn't get any blood.  I told them before they tried that she had been fasting and was very dehydrated.  They still tried.  She called in a second gal who tried the back of both wrists.  Then we made them stop and said we'd come back next week on the way to or from Salt Lake.  We bundled Bridgett up and brought her home to rest and relax.  Her stomach continued to hurt so she had a little soup for dinner and hit the hay early.  Hopefully by tomorrow she will be feeling better.

Day 63 - Wednesday February 15, 2012

I was so frustrated today I was about in tears--mostly because of insurance companies.  It seems so difficult working with all the "rules".  Of course, Mark reminded me that we're very glad that they're paying for things. Still, it seems that things could be a little easier.  It's almost a job that you need to hire someone to do (if you could afford it!).   Someone to make sure everything is authorized correctly, to sort through all the bills and make sure they are paid correctly, someone to notify all the providers of the insurance coverage, someone to call and be the advocate etc.  Anyway, today's frustration--we were all set to leave to our rehab appointments when we got a call from Sugarhouse saying that the insurance hadn't approved our second speech therapy appointment, so if we came we would be personally responsible.  Why I asked because Bridgett's insurance has unlimited outpatient rehab coverage.  She was very vague, so I got on the phone to the insurance company to see if things were still messed up about the premium payment, but no--everything was fine there. They gave me a direct number for the rehab to call to verify coverage.   I called Sugarhouse back and they said that Bridgett's first appointment was an evaluation appointment.  Then the evaluation had to be sent to the insurance company for approval of the number of visits.  Sugarhouse had sent this evaluation to my policy, even thought I had VERY clearly told them to send to Bridgett's and told them that my insurance WOULD NOT cover her at this point.  I had given them a copy of Bridgett's etc.  And then she told me it could take up to TWO WEEKS to get approval, during which time Bridgett would not be able to come unless we personally paid for the appointment.  I said look, she already missed a week of speech therapy since her release because you didn't have any available appointments.  Now you are saying she might miss two more even though we are covered.  Can't you just know we have coverage and let us come.  No, she said.  So I said fine I'll just pay for the appointment.  How much will it cost?  She said over $300.00.  You must be kidding!  So, twice a week for $300.00 for two weeks!  Crazy!  Of course, they reminded me that we still needed to come up for the physical therapy appointment, since if we missed without 24 hours notice we would still be charged. I said to them that I had called and made a big stink about payment of the policy and the insurance company was extremely accommodating when they heard the situation, even bending their rules and letting me pay over the phone.  I said you need to call them and tell them the situation and get this authorized right away.  I mean this is vital for Bridgett to get speech therapy.  She told me this is not my fault.  By the way, this is the lady I first met when I visited the rehab and I didn't like the place just because she was so unfriendly towards me.  But, they are in network and we are having to choose in network places.  And, the speech therapist is supposed the best.  Anyway, we did have the physical therapy appointment still and we still had occupational therapy at the low vision clinic so we still went up. By the way, the occupational therapy clinic is not giving us any flack about the insurance. They said, it will be covered and there's no problem here so no worries.   However, before I left I called and left a message with the U of U hospital rehab social worker and said that I was frustrated with Sugarhouse and it just wasn't working out and I wanted the name of another speech therapist.  By the time we got to Sugarhouse, the speech therapist came and interrupted our physical therapy appointment to talk to me and apologize.  She said she had personally faxed the evaluation to the insurance company and they had talked to them and explained the situation.  Apparently the insurance company had agreed to approve therapy in three days.  She said they would set up the appointments for next week on and she would stay late to accommodate us so that we got the appointments in.  The lady out front (who had called me that morning) set up everything and even rearranged a couple of appointments to accommodate us.  The lady up front actually acted kind of civil to us.  Maybe the social worked called and got after them--who knows.  Anyway, also before I left home this morning I called Bree's father (the girl in Jenn's ward that had a TBI).  Bree had told me that he had problems with in network/out of network coverage etc.  He works in the health care arena.  He said that the insurance company is supposed to do what's best for the patient, not just what's best financially for them.  He said, you need to play hard ball with them.  He told me exactly what to do.  He said we can get them to cover out of network providers and here's how.  Anyway, I so much appreciated his input.  Of course, we have a fight on our hands, but we can do it.  It would be so much better for Bridgett to see therapists here in Provo, with the exception of the low vision clinic.  Even traveling up for one appointment would be easier on her.  Right now, she gets a headache and neck ache traveling up, even though I did give her Advil before we left.  She gets carsick.  And, its so much to do three therapy sessions in a day, each lasting an hour.  And, they have to be scheduled close together so that we can get on and off the freeway without hitting rush hour traffic.  Anyway, there's lots of factors.  So, to work we go--fighting the insurance company!  As a note, she did great at the physical therapy evaluation.  They were amazed at how strong she is.  Also, occupational therapy went great as usual.  The optometrist came in and talked to us first about the glasses, and made an adjustment to the eye patch.  Also, he helped guide Kasey in some eye exercises for Bridgett.  They told us to do these at home as well.  Bridgett had a couple of friends come visit in the evening and that was so exciting for her.  One of them was Jacob and it was so funny because in the hospital she kept talking about her friend Jacob.  I couldn't remember anyone named Jacob so just passed it off.  He was the one that put her name in so many temples and tonight he said he would finish up the few that he didn't do so that her name had been in all the temples in the US.  Cool!  The other one was the boy she was dating previous to the accident.  He came to the ICU all the time and visited her at the rehab weekly.  She was so very glad to have them come and wanted them to stay longer, although it was late. She asked both of them to stay and play games with her and this was after they had visited and were ready to leave.  Actually, we let them come up late because we wanted to keep her up late because they will remove the peg tomorrow and she has to be fasting and sleeping in late seems like a great way to pass the time fasting.  That's another long story, but today's post is already too long!  More on that whole situation tomorrow.

Day 62 - Tuesday February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!  Bridgett had an appointment to see the dentist today for a panoramic.  When we got there he examined her mouth and determined that it would be OK to just get x-rays of the front teeth.  Everything else was looking fine and although she has pain in another tooth besides the front four, he thinks it is referred pain.  So, apparently the latest in x-ray is a "gun" type thing.  He just held a shield thing around the teeth he was x-raying (she didn't even have to bite down) and used the gun thing and got the x-ray directly on his computer screen.  Cool!  He said the two front teeth will need root canals for sure.  He will plan enough time to get a third if necessary, but he's not sure until he removes the composite placed by the other dentist.  So, right off the bat he said that he had talked to many different people and they all advised against sedating her during the process.  They said that the risks to her are too great. So he advised doing them right there in his office.   He said that he would block out a whole morning just for her and see no other patients so she would never be waiting for him.  Of course, he won't be able to work the whole time.  But he will work, then break for 10 minutes, etc until he is done.  On the breaks he will be making the temporary crowns so that when she leaves, he will have the temporaries on and she will be set to go.  He will crown all four teeth.  The permanent crowns will take 2-3 weeks to be finished. Then he will pop off the temporary crowns and put in the permanent crowns.  As a side note--since we got her to the apartment and Bridgett is in a more normal setting--one night after brushing her teeth Bridgett asked for her "something (her word)" and I said what is it.  She said that thing that holds my teeth in place.  Oh, her retainer.  So, the habit is strong to wear the retainer!  I said we aren't using it right now.  I did ask the dentist if she will be able to wear a retainer later on and he said yes.  He knows Dr. Peacock who came up to the hospital.  After leaving there I thought that I would call Dr. Peacock.  I was calling Bridgett's dentist because he was going to do it surgically.  Perhaps Dr. Peacock will be able to do just the same thing at his office.  I will check it out.  He was REALLY nice.  I got a call from trauma Leslie about bringing Bridgett up to the Provo hospital for a follow-up next week.  She was calling because she heard Bridgett is coming to get the peg removed.  She said it sounds like she's doing great so they don't need to examine her in that case, but they would like to just see her.  I said go ahead and cancel the appointment and I will bring her up some time to visit.  I was actually going to cancel the appointment anyway, because the other appointments she is having will be checking on the same issues.  So, no sense is spending the time or money for the same thing we will already be doing.  I did get a call from the neurosurgeon.  They want to do neck x-rays but not a CT.  I said that's fine to do the neck x-rays; she needs a follow-up there for sure.  But, we also want to know what's happening in the brain.  The nurse said, she's already had so much radiation, if the last one looked OK they won't do another unless she clinically starts to do poorly.  Yes, she's had lots of radiation.  Remembering that she had CT's every night for quite sometime and then every other night plus the MRI.  Lots of radiation.   Anyway, they will call us tomorrow and let us know the final word on the CT.  Tonight we took Bridgett down to her old apartment.  We asked if she remembered it and she said yes (who knows!).  She talked to both of her old roommates.  She went in her room and Arrianne's.  We have moved a few things out of Bridgett's room, but it's mostly intact right now.  We were only there for a short time and then left.  Soon we will have to remove everything.  I asked Arrianne to get a hold of a few of Bridgett's friends and ask them to come and visit, just for a few minutes each.  We will have to space the visits out, but she is starting to ask about her friends.  Living here is really great for us, but she is surrounded by college kids that are all busy doing things and she's not.  More and more she will be realizing it.  Yesterday she asked Arrianne about institute--when they were going to go.  She also asked Arrianne if she would be driving her to school now.  She apparently thinks she will be going back to school soon.  This apparently is normal at her level of rancho.  Arrianne has been careful to not discuss her social plans in front of Bridgett, like the fact that she was going to a Valentine's party last night.  I really appreciate her doing that. 

Day 61 - Monday February 13, 2012

Today was a good and busy day.  In the morning I called all around about the peg tube removal.  I finally talked to the nurse of the doctor that placed the tube.  She explained that the tube is meant to be removed by traction.  It is much more dangerous to do it endoscopically because of the sedation and because of the endoscopy.  She said it will hurt--more than a bee sting but less than having a tooth pulled.  The pain will only be for about 10 seconds she said.  Since I already have lidocaine that we are using on the site, she said to put it on just before we come in (it will be done at the hospital) and then again just before they do the procedure.  This will numb it and hopefully help with the pain.  She said the pain that Bridgett has been feeling is related to the tube not being used.  Right away after the tube is removed, the site will start healing and the pain will start getting less.  As an added bonus (making me glad that I called the doctor that placed the tube) they will remove the tube free of charge.  If we had used the doctor they had scheduled, then we would have had to pay for the removal.  So, all good.  The tube will be removed Thursday instead of Wednesday.  One draw back--no eating or drinking the day of removal and it won't be until 3:00.  However, we had not received these instructions from the other doctor, so we would have showed up on Wednesday without fasting and had to reschedule.   We had speech therapy and occupational therapy today (at the low vision clinic), so we drove to Salt Lake.  Note to self--the drive gives Bridgett a headache and neck ache.  So, take Tylenol before we leave and take the soft neck collar just in case.  Anyway, we showed up to the Sugarhouse rehab and there were problems with insurance right off the bat.  However, Bridgett was able to see the speech therapist anyway for this appointment.  Lisa has over 20 years experience as a speech therapist and many years with TBI patients.  I especially requested that she work with Bridgett.  One thing--most of these people seem to have students doing their internship.  That can be frustrating to me--I want the best for Bridgett. However, Lisa sat in on the appointment and gave direction as needed.  At the end she took over.  If I feel that Bridgett  is not getting the help needed, I will address that later on.  The appointment went well I thought.  We discussed the vision problems.  Lisa said she has a great understanding of TBI and the challenges faced with language, but has not had to deal with many vision problems.  So told us to be sure to let her know if she asks Bridgett to do anything that she is unable to do.  However, the evaluation went well and she knew just how to have things presented so that vision was not an issue.  She was asked yes and no questions, sequencing, identifying pictures (they used very large pictures) and writing down words (they gave a description of an item and she wrote the name of that item).   I thought Bridgett did amazing. Of course, she used many of her own words, but when cued, she remembered the correct words.  We have our second appointment on Wednesday. Next we headed to occupational therapy, stopping for a hamburger in between.  Actually I brought Bridgett some yogurt and a banana, but a hamburger sounded better.  She hasn't had one yet since the accident.  She had  a Wendy's cheeseburger and ate about 2/3 of it.  Occupational therapy went well.  First Kasey checked her strength (with instruments).  He checked range of motion with both arms, hand strength, finger strength and thumb strength.  Then he did some assessment on identification of objects that he showed her and then placed in her hand under the table.  He had cards to point to so that she could identify without remembering the right word.  The key she just told him the word.  The marble and the dice she pointed to the card, after first using a word we don't know.  The screw she couldn't identify with the right word, and couldn't find the picture (it was on the far left).  So, he substituted a clothes pin and the card was still on the left and she couldn't find it.  I said, is it a brain problem or a vision problem.  He said he wasn't sure at that point.  But, the next test I think told us for sure.  He had large print words for her to read.  So, picture this--four large print, three letter words (with only four to a line, you can guess how big they were.  He asked her to read the first line.  She skipped the word to the far left, even though he was pointing at it and read the letters of the second word.  Then when he pointed to the second word, she again read those letters.  OK on the 3rd and 4th word.  Same thing happened on the second and third line.  So, he tried drawing a dark red line down the left edge of the paper to have her look at that first then try the word.  In the end, he realized that by moving the paper to the right of her vision, she was able to read the 1st word.  However, she couldn't read the 4th word.  So, this confirms the fact that her field of vision is very narrow.  She can get three of four large print words without moving the paper to see the other words.  And the thing is, she wouldn't know to move the paper.  So, right now, we know her field of vision is limited on both the left and right.  She needs to slightly move her head, but it's hard for her to tell how much to move her head.  It's something we can work on in any case.  Oh, by the way, when I pointed to each word while Kasey watched, she read each word in her field of vision. Then we discussed this with Kasey: it seems to us that her left eye is slightly more to center than last week.  He said this confirms their belief that the cranial nerve is trying to heal and that hopefully it will continue to heal.  Please continue your prayers for Bridgett and continue putting her name of the prayer rolls for us!  We appreciate so much every one's prayers in her behalf and KNOW that this makes a huge difference in her healing.  By the way, I was able to finally sort out all of the insurance problems (at this point) and so we will be able to schedule more therapy for her.  Bridgett's new policy has unlimited out patient rehab benefits so that's a big plus.  Otherwise, she has the same coverage that she had on our policy, and seamless conversion, with no lapse in coverage and no pre-existing condition exclusion.  This way though she has a Utah policy so that their are providers that are in network.

Day 60 - Sunday February 12, 2012

We went to Jenn's ward today.  Including travel time and just going to sacrament meeting, we were gone over two hours.  Bridgett did great!  She made it through the whole meeting.  She sang some of the songs, etc.  There are a lot of babies and children, so when she made a random comment, no one could hear but us!  She was very tired by the time sacrament meeting was over so we headed home.  There is a small young womens group, so hopefully Stephany will be able to do something fun with them.  Jenn knows all of the young womens leaders and says they are great.  We were able to meet Jenn's friend that had a TBI previously.  I think she was engaged at the time.  Her sweet fiance waited while she recovered (about a year I believe) and they were married.  They now have a baby (hopefully I am relating the story somewhat correctly!).  It was fun to meet her.  She was so sweet and cute with Bridgett.  Bridgett was too tired to visit long, but we will talk more later.  Otherwise, it was a nice day of rest.  We played a little UNO with Bridgett and that was fun. She did much better than when she played in the hospital a while ago.   I tried to do a little bit with coins with her.  She remembered what the coins were worth (initially) but sorting them was frustrating for her.  Some of this probably still has to do with vision.  Anyway, by the time we stopped, she was mixing up the value of the coins. I've been stressing a little about the removal of the peg tube.  Narges at rehab got it scheduled for Wednesday at the Provo hospital.  She said the doctors in Salt Lake said the people that put it in should take it out.  It is a different kind than they use at the University of Utah hospital.  Anyway, Penny mentioned that when they took Courtney's out she screamed, indicating to me that she was not sedated.  I found the papers that they gave me in Provo about insertion and removal.  They said that the peg can be removed by traction with the patient not sedated, but that can cause trauma to the tract and associated complications.  Otherwise, it needs to be removed endoscopically.  I need to call in the morning and find out what is planned, and get it scheduled endoscopically.  She has already had quite a bit of pain at the site and we don't want to complicate things even more. Also, we still have that whole question about insurance coverage for out of network.  The insurance company said that if the in network doctors said we needed to use the doctors that placed the peg and they are out of network, the insurance will still pay in network.  But they might require a note from the doctors stating that.  I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it.  For now, we just need to get the peg out and in the safest way possible for Bridgett.

Day 59 - Saturday February 11, 2012

Since leaving the hospital we are starting to actually live like normal people.  I mean, eight weeks of living at the hospital was a little taxing on everyone.  Now we have an apartment and we can all sleep together, at night!  We can shop and cook and do our laundry like normal people.  Everything is much better!  We've even had two days with no doctors or appointments.  Monday things start up seriously again, but at least we are kind of settled, unpacked, etc.  Bridgett has lived at this complex for two years.  This apartment is set up exactly like her first apartment and the same as this years, only flipped.  She can remember things about the apartment naturally (we can tell).  She is finally remembering that it is 2012 (almost all of the time).  It was confusing since the year changed while she was in a coma!  Initially when they tried to cue her on the month by saying it was the month with Valentines, she didn't remember.  Now she remembers that Valentines is in February, although she doesn't remember it's February. So, I have mentioned that all the time in the hospital they would ask the month, day and year (sometimes the day of the week) and where she was including the city, state and the building.  Often the doctors ask if she remembers their names etc.  On the day she was released Dr. Speed asked her if anything exciting was going to happen that day and she said no.  He looked around her room and said look at your things.  She said yes they are all in here.  He said they are all packed--what does that mean and she said I must be going somewhere.  That's right he said, you're going home.  He asked where do you live and she said Provo.  Then he asked her for the year and she said 2012.  He asked the month and she said April (her standard answer, probably since she was born in April).  Then he gave her the cue that it's the month of Valentines and for the first time she remembered February.  He said it was one week from February 14 and asked if that gave her a clue on the day, but she didn't know.  Then he asked the building she was in. She said one of her fake words--something like cassity.  I don't understand you he said.  Are you in a grocery store, a hospital or a library?  She said that same word again.  He said what's that and she said a place for people that have hit their head.  Interesting!  Anyway, I never cease to be amazed at the complexity of the mind.  I mean it's such a complex and complicated thing and a brain injury is so complex.  Everyone is different.  Over and over people ask how long until she is better etc.  I am now sounding just like the doctors!  We have no way of knowing how long it will take for any part of the healing process and everyone heals in their own way and their own time.  No matter how long it takes, as long as there is progress, that's the important thing. However, in my mind, with the severity of the injuries that Bridgett sustained, she is doing great in her healing process.  So, we know a couple of people going through a similar healing process at the same time.  A young man from our stake had a TBI just about 2-1/2 months before Bridgett.  He had a hematoma (I believe) but no shearing.  The young woman I have spoken of before, Courtney, had a TBI about two months before Bridgett.   She had shearing and no hematoma.  Bridgett had a hematoma plus shearing. Some of the shearing was in the frontal lobe--here and there a little.  There was also apparently scattered shearing elsewhere in the brain.  However, the main shearing was close to the brain stem in the corpus callosum, which is responsible for communication between the left and right side of the brain.  Because of the proximity to the brain stem and because of the importance of the function of the corpus callosum the doctors were very guarded in the prognosis.  Well, it's probably fair to say that the doctors are always guarded in their prognosis regarding a TBI.  One doctor told me he's seen terrible imaging on a patient who had very little symptoms and also great imaging on a patient who had terrible symptoms.  So, it's so difficult to predict the outcome.  However, we are seeing great progress in Bridgett's recovery and we are very hopeful and optimistic about her continues recovery. We daily thank the Lord for all our blessings and for the blessing of having our Bridgett here with us.

Day 58 - Friday February 10, 2012

We were able to pick up Bridgett's glasses about 1:30 today.  I was so excited to have her put them on!  Immediately Mark had her try to read and she read a headline at the store.  However, she could not read the letters that were printed in red ink.  Maybe not enough contrast.  Also, I had to remind him that even with the correction, she can only read 18 font, so the other print was too small.  Anyway, we happily headed home and then we got the realization that it was going to take a bit of time for her to get used to things.  First of all, they are bifocals, which takes getting used to and secondly they have the bifocal part up higher then normal. She was frustrated with them and would take them off often. Since that bifocal part is so high I think that she is looking right at the change in lens, so seeing a little crazy.  We kept showing her to look higher for distance and lower for close, but with a very short term memory right now, we have to keep reminding.  Throughout the day she'd have them on one minute and the next time I'd look they would be off.  Additionally (remember when you first got glasses) she has a headache and she said I feel so tall (the sensation of having the glasses on as well).  Anyway, I'm glad we got them today so that she still has Saturday and Sunday to get used to them before we go to therapy. If she's still having problems by then, the occupational therapist will maybe have a suggestion for us or the optometrist that she saw.  It will all work out!  There are a lot of things to get worked out besides the obvious.  Our insurance agent spinning Bridgett off of our insurance policy to her own policy with Utah coverage.  This would also give her unlimited outpatient benefits.  The effective date would be 1/1/12 and we have been trying to get this accomplished since then.  She obviously could not sign her own paperwork at that point, as she was in a coma.  So, we applied for guardianship so that we can take care of this and any other legal issues.  We just were granted temporary guardianship this week (it takes a while!), and the lawyer got the info to the insurance company and she finally has her own policy!  Those guardianship papers are in the mail to us so that we can use them for other things--getting her medical records, etc.  The rehab doctor gave her papers so that we can get a handicap parking sticker, but we need the guardian ship papers for the signature since Bridgett is over the age of 18.  Even though we are her parents, we can't do things for her or request things unless we have legal guardianship.  Anyway, at least the papers are on the way and we can take care of a few things when we receive them.  Oh, I always forget neat things--yesterday when we went to the eye doctor, I said, hey let's get Bridgett dressed cute; it will help us pick out glasses easier.  I always ask her what she wants to wear (and have from the start).  I give her two choices and she picks things out.  Anyway, we asked, do you want to wear sweats (what she's been wearing for rehab) or jeans.  She said jeans (her first time wearing jeans since the accident)!  Then her sisters let her pick out a shirt from her closet.  She picked out a really cute shirt.  She got all dressed including a cute belt and a cute little hat and we were ready.  Before leaving I said let's get a picture.  She posed all cute and we got several really fun pictures, although she moved almost every time right when we were snapping the pic and so they are somewhat blurred.  But, in any case, she looked cute and more like the regular Bridgett we all know and love!  Oh, about posting her pictures online.  We have all discussed this and this is what we think at this point.  When Bridgett is ready, we will let her pick out what pictures she wants posted for all the world to see.  Online is a big community!  Until that time, we figure that she might not want pictures of her as a bald woman, with facial cuts, and teeth broken, all swollen etc--online for the world to see.  In a bit, I figure she'll pick some out and we'll post some from the ICU, some from rehab and some current (maybe we'll even post some video). Most women would agree with me on this!  It should be her choice! I've always told my kids, don't text or email or post anything that you don't want the world to see, because once it's left your domain, it's any one's guess as to where it will end up!

Day 57 - Thursday February 9, 2012

So I called around to get Bridgett's glasses and everywhere I called they said it would take 1-2 weeks.  Then I called Pearle Vision.  They said 3-4 days.  I took Bridgett in and went in ahead of her and plead my case.  I explained about Bridgett's accident and how important it was for her to get in glasses right away.  I asked if there was anyway that they could rush them and have them in time for therapy on Monday.  So, he told me he would rush them and have them by tomorrow afternoon!  YES!  It was hard to pick out frames since Bridgett isn't really able to pick what she might really like, and she can't really see good enough to really tell.  But, we tried out a bunch of frames and narrowed it to three.  No matter what order we went in, she picked the same pair every time.  I like them.  They are cute.  It's hard to picture what they will look like when her hair grows back.  But, in any case, the important thing is that we have the glasses and later on she can decide to get new frames if she chooses.  We are getting situated in the apartment and into a routine and everything is going very well.  Bridgett is sleeping good and eating better then she had been the last week in the hospital.  She remains very fun and happy and daily we can see small improvements.  I just can't wait for the glasses!  I got an appointment for her to get a panoramic at the dentist on Tuesday.  Then they will be able to see exactly what is going on in her mouth. 

Day 56 - Wednesday February 8, 2012

Eight weeks since the accident.  We made it through the first 24 hours home from rehab.  Actually things went really well.   The only hang up was the sleeping pill situation.  Usually she gets trazodone and seroquel at night.  When we were getting her meds at release it cost $67.00 after the insurance for 9 meds. Just for the seroquel, it was $125 after insurance.  They asked if we really wanted the seroquel.  She used to get it at bedtime and then again later on during the night.  It is for agitation for her.   So, we decided to wait on the seroquel, but it was ordered if we needed it.  We gave her the trazodone about 8:45 (like normal) and at 12:30 she was still awake.  She fell asleep shortly thereafter.  So, back to the pharmacy for the seroquel!  This morning she had the BEST appointment at the lifestyles clinic for low vision occupational therapy.  This appointment was to get her prescription for glasses.  The occupational therapist sat in on the entire appointment, which lasted two hours.  The optometrist  has special training and is one of only two people in the state that does this.  It was amazing!  So, her prescription for distance is 20/60 right eye, 20/200 left eye.  Additionally she needs correction for reading, so she will get bifocals.  With the correction, she will be able to read stuff in 18 font or larger.  She needs prisms for the double vision, but the correction she needs is so much, they can't make a lens that thick.  So, we will get the glasses and they will add a film prism to the left eye.  She sees double starting at about 12 inches.  They gave her a patch that can be clipped on the glasses.  Then, they told us that she will need probably about five different changes of prescription before her eyes finally settle down, in about eight months.  She could need the new prescription in as soon as two weeks.  We said we would do it as often as needed for her to be able to rehab.  Having the occupational therapist there was awesome.  He made suggestions to the optometrist, based on his experience with TBI patients.  For instance, when testing the left eye, he said to give her 3-5 seconds to respond, and then she could correctly identify letters she couldn't previously.  So, some exciting news--with the corrective lenses on--she can read!!!  That's huge in regards to where we are for cognition!  Of course, we knew before that she could spell--but this is great!  Another great thing--her eyes are starting to respond to light!  And they are starting to work together!  So, the dr. said he sees great potential here!  We are just thrilled to say the least.  Bridgett was so cute and fun while being tested.  They really enjoyed her too.  When the dr. had her prescription right and put the "glasses" on Bridgett to try out--she gave this big sigh and said that's SO GOOD!  The dr. said she was very consistent while testing her and he felt very positive about how everything went.  The occupational therapist was supposed to do an evaluation today, but the testing took so long he didn't.  However, he said that much of his evaluation was done while helping with the vision testing.  Next appointment we will just be doing rehab.  Now, to be sure to get glasses right away.  I had hoped to go out to pick out frames today, but Bridgett was pretty tired, so we just rested.

Day 55 - Tuesday February 7, 2012--RELEASE FROM REHAB

Today was the big day when Bridgett got released from inpatient rehab.  There has been so much going on in preparation for this time.  I gave the doctors my long list of questions yesterday and by today we got them all answered.  I found a primary care physician, who Bridgett needs to see in two weeks.  Narges got appointments with the Provo hospital to remove the peg next Wednesday the 15th. Also, an appointment on the 22nd to check on the broken bones for follow-up.  She made all of the initial therapy appointments, as well as follow-up appointments with a neurosurgeon and the neuro rehab doctor for one month.  We got a 30 day supply of the ten medications Bridgett is now taking.  We got a hard copy of all of the records from this hospital.  Also, we will get a hard copy of the records from the other hospital.  It took a bit to get everything packed up, but we did most of it last night and put that stuff in the car.  I remembered to bring Bridgett a coat, as she didn't have one here at the hospital.  Her jacket that she was wearing was cut off of her when she was intially picked up by the ambulance after the wreck and then a month later she was transported by ambulance with no coat to this hospital.  I gave Bridgett a shower before we left and she had breakfast.  All of the discharge stuff took until about 10:45 and then they wheeled her in a wheelchair to the car and we left.  We are now at the hotel and Bridgett is worn out from everything.  She ate a few bites of lunch and is now sleeping.  We are instucted to keep visitors to a minimum for a bit.  No large groups and not too much noise. A brain injury is complicated and there are factors that don't exist for other injuries. She is to be careful with her neck for another month.  SHE'S HOME!!!!!  We are just so grateful for all our blessings!  Thanks to everyone for the great care and help in learning so that she could progress to this point.  Bridgett, you worked hard and you're great!!  Our appointment with the low vision clinic is tomorrow at 9am.  They will assess her and this is where she will have occupational therapy for the time being.  She has physical therapy on Thursday and Speech therapy on Monday.  After these first sessions, she will have 2-3 sessions per week of all of the therapies.  They said the amount of therapy is dependent on what the insurance company will approve.  Our health care is really directed by insurance companies, as we have learned.  

Day 54 - Monday Februay 6, 2012

So, in preparation for going home I have been learning how to care for the peg site.  I have been changing the dressing since Friday.  Yesterday I asked a nurse to come and help me learn how to flush the tube (which is done daily).  It's all much easier then I thought.  Initially when they placed the peg it was so tight it was actually sunk into her stomach. Everyday they would clean under it and it looked so much like it was really hurting her (she never complained).  Anyway, it is looser now (don't know if that's good or bad) but anyway easier to lift and clean under (without making me feel sick!).  She will have it removed next Wednesday, so I won't have to take care of it for many days.  That will be the last of many tubes coming out of Bridgett.  It will feel so nice to have everything gone--for Bridgett and for us!  So, today the occupational therapist, Rebecca and the recreational therapist took Bridgett for an outing to see how she did transferring to a vehicle, out in public, etc. before she is discharged.  She could pick any place to go that she wanted--to eat, whatever.  She chose to go to the art museum.  However, the museum is closed on Monday so they asked her if she wanted to go to the church history museum and she said yes.  So, off we went.  Apparently they do this to make sure there are no big problems that arise, like problems getting in or out of a vehicle, freaking out in public etc.  Bridgett did just great loading and unloading in the van.  Riding in the van went well also on the way to the museum and even better on the way home.  We took her in the wheelchair from the parking spot across the street and into the museum.  The bright sunlight bothered her, but Rebecca happened to have sunglasses for her to wear.  From there, she walked through the museum. She didn't get tired until the very end.  A bus of children came to visit the museum about 10 minutes after we arrived.  On the way home Rebecca asked what was the hardest thing--the people Bridgett said.  It was so noisy.  What was the best thing?  The people.  You mean it was great to see people but too noisy I said and she said yes.  Rebecca told me that for a while we may need to have her wear ear plugs to block the noise when we are in groups--or wear ear buds with calm music on the ipod.  Anyway, the trip was a success.  I took pictures of Rebecca and Ashley with Bridgett.  Speech went well.  Afterwards we took pictures with Jessica and Kristen.  Jessica is a student and close to Bridgett's age.  Physical therapy went well.  Libby gave Bridgett a test.  She had Bridgett walk by herself and from time to time asked her to stop to see if she kept her balance.  She did great.  Then from time to time she pushed on Bridgett's hips to see if she lost her balance.  She said I'm being mean and Bridgett said I don't like it.  Libby kept on.  After a bit, Bridgett took the end of her belt and every time Libby tried to make her fall, Bridgett flicked Libby with the belt.  Libby laughed and said I deserve that for being mean.  Then I explained it was like a test that Libby was doing.  After that Bridgett was OK with being pushed and pulled by Libby.  She did great, even later when balancing on things.  Libby had her walk on a thick mat, to simulate walking in snow.  All around Bridgett did awesome.  She is now working on standing on one foot for 10 seconds.  She can do five seconds OK.  I got a picture  of Bridgett with Libby and Trish.  Trish is a student and about 25.

Day 53 - Sunday February 5, 2012

It was a nice quiet day today.  We went to church and that went well.  It only lasts for 30 minutes and this is the first Sunday that Bridgett was pretty still during the meeting and didn't tell me something was hurting.  We left the wheelchair in the hallway and walked in.  Maybe she was more comfortable in a regular chair.  Even though she sat still she still forgot to be quiet during the sacrament and to whisper.  When the guy passing the sacrament was done and waiting to walk to the front of the room, he stopped by her (she was on the isle).  She turned to him and said (in a normal voice) we already had it so you can move to another row.  Hah!  I tried hard to not laugh.  He took it gracefully and moved up a row.  Anyway, it was a nice service.  We talked to a couple of people that serve in the branch and they couldn't believe Bridgett's progress.  Early this afternoon Penny and Courtney (the gal that was released about the time Bridgett was admitted) showed up with dad and little sister Annie (?) to say hi.  They were on their way to Provo so that Courtney could visit her old ward.  It was very nice seeing how great Courtney is doing.  Also, reassuring to talk to Penny (as always!).  One thing that made me feel better was that sometimes Bridgett calls me her sister or grandma.  Penny said that's normal.  The meanings get jumbled up in the brain, but she knows who I am (and mostly calls me mom!).  Also, apparently Courtney did the same thing with "picking up" things and not really having them in her hand.  So, all good.  Bridgett was very funny today.  More and more she is getting her fun sense of humor back.  We saw one of her first nurses here, actually the nurse from the first day.  Bridgett was walking and so already standing up, with arms around our waists (Steph and Arri were taking turns with me).  Anyway, I said Janel, look what a great job Bridgett is doing with walking.  I lightly held her hand and let her walk.  She put her hands on her hips and started swinging her hips like she was strutting down a runway.  Then after about 8-10 steps she turned and looked over her shoulder and flashed a smile. It was so funny!  When we got back to her room, I said Bridgett show Mike (her nurse today) how you walked for Janel and she did it again.  Too funny!  She is always telling the nurses thank you even when they give her a belly shot for blood thinner (and apparently they really hurt).  Cute.  She has some favorite nurses and she always tells them how super cool they are.  She's lots of fun.  That's the Bridgett we know....lots of fun and happy!  We love you Bridgett!

Day 52 - Saturday February 4, 2012

Rebecca, occupational therapy, spent part of therapy yesterday showing us various low vision devices Bridgett could use.  So, there is a keyboard that is like neon and black for contrast. We found out that Bridgett doesn't remember how to type, at least at this point.  When Rebecca had Bridgett read something that was already in very big print, then magnified by a large magnifying screen, she could actually read it.  So, the problem is the vision for sure.  When the lady came from the Moran Eye Center yesterday, she said Bridgett does need glasses.  I really will need to clarify this, as they told me not to worry about it at this point. Perhaps on further review they changed their mind..... I asked the doctor this morning about the blood test that Moran Eye Clinic ordered and he said that it's very unusual for them to order blood tests.  Anyway, they were checking on her B-12 levels, which were normal.  I have lots of questions at this point.  Some of my questions can be answered once Dr. Speed gets back.  He will be here on Monday.  He is the neuro rehab doctor.  I actually have a long list of questions for him, so hopefully he won't be just swamped.  Since she will be discharged on Monday, he will probably take time to talk to me. 

• we need a follow-up on her zygomatic arch to make sure it is healed completely and correctly
• we need to address her broken nose, since it healed crocked
• we need to address the wounds on her face and the possible scarring
• we need to arrange for the teeth to be fixed, hopefully under anesthesia--we want a drs. note saying it is medically necessary at this point so that the insurance will cover it
• we need to find out about the facial palsy on the left side--will it resolve or what can be done
• we need to make sure the neck fractures are stable.  check if it's OK for Jenn do to massage on her neck (she's a massage therapist)
• we need more information about the parinauds syndrome, possibility of improvement etc. 
• we wonder what else may have been affected by damage to the dorsal midbrain
• we need more specific info about damage to the left optic nerve (note: she only cries out of the right eye)
• we need to continue to discuss rehab in light of the vision challenges
• make sure they made an appointment to have the peg tube removed sometime around the 14th
• we need more info about the post traumatic amnesia, since it is still a factor--what can we do to facilitate the return of her memory
• she often reaches out and thinks that she "picks up" things and moves them (even to her mouth when eating) and really doesn't have anything in her hand. what does this mean?  inattention or damage somewhere?
• she missed Ritalin in the afternoon for two days (while at the eye doctor, and while gone on an outing with recreational therapist)--one of the nurses asked if we thought it was really helping a lot.  perhaps it's not necessary?

This is my list so far.  I am still adding to it!!

Day 51 - Friday February 3, 2012

It was a very busy day today, mostly consumed with arrangements.  Since Bridgett is being discharged on Tuesday, there is a lot to get done.  By the way, we need to get her a primary care physician here in Provo or Salt Lake.  If anyone has recommendations, please let me know. She will need to regularly see the neuro rehab doctor, the neurosurgeon, and a primary care physician.  She will go home with a list of medications that she will continue to take for quite some time. She will need a follow up CT at least, plus whatever else they tell us is necessary.  I am compiling a list of questions and concerns to be addressed, hopefully prior to our departure.  The Moran Eye Clinic ordered blood tests yesterday.  I was visiting the rehab in Provo and didn't find out why.  I will ask the doctors in the morning.  There is a lot involved in the discharge, including setting up of appointments, arranging for medication to go with us, teaching me how to care for the peg site, arranging for it's removal and on and on.   I went and checked out the rehab in Sugarhouse on Wednesday.  It is small and I had concerns about their ability to address the low vision problems. Also, she walks so much and there no place to walk other than on a treadmill.  I think its important for her to walk down halls, etc to learn to scan by turning her head.  In any case, one of the therapists recommended the low vision clinic (mostly for people who are older with vision loss).  Then a patient coordinator (I think she was called that) came from the Moran Eye Clinic yesterday and suggested the same clinic.  Bridgett can do occupational therapy there and have an optometrist right there, plus a therapist who is not only versed in low vision, but with experience in neuro as well.  Perfect.  Also, this great lady set us up with a service that will deliver (free) books on tape along with a player to listen--all free of charge.  Bridgett is an avid reader, so this is great news!  We will do speech therapy in Sugarhouse with a speech therapist that has over 20 years experience and specifically works with patients with neuro injuries.  We have located an apartment in Provo so that we can be near Arri and Jenn.  I love the neuro psychologist at the Utah Valley Rehab. She had met Bridgett before the accident, when she played Rugby.  I met her three times previously, while we were in the ICU.  This is a great fit.  This will be important, especially since Bridgett is remembering the accident.  We could also do physical therapy in Provo, which I checked out this afternoon after Arri and Steph got here.  Kind of crazy and disjointed going to three different places for rehab, but we have to address the specific issues.  We are trying to get a consult at the low vision clinic set up for Wednesday.  The soonest speech therapy appointment was a week from Monday, the 13th.  I will try to get the speech therapists here to give us stuff to work on until that time.  Also, my sister Susan has a great friend (from childhood) that is a speech therapist.  I'm going to see if she can make suggestions to tide us over as well.  We can take Bridgett walking everyday, etc. until we can get to PT.  We are hoping that in a couple of months we can return to Montana and do therapy there.  We miss everyone there, especially Scott, Jaclyn and our grandson Weston!  Happy Birthday tomorrow Westy (10)!  Grandpy will be at your basketball game!  Mark will be returning to Salt Lake on Monday night, in time to get us checked out where we are currently staying and moved to Provo etc.  Bridgett had a really good day. She walked basically alone this afternoon, with the therapist spotting her.  Her balance continues to improve, even with the vision difficulties.  More and more I am amazed at the brain!  One of the nurses told me--if I didn't already believe in God before I got this job, I would totally believe in God after all I've seen and learned working here.  Speech therapy was good as well.  Bridgett has her own set of words that she uses often, which we have no idea what they mean.  But she is consist with them.  It's like another language.  She matter of factly spells them and writes them.  The therapist today told her, those are lovely words, but we can't understand them.  Try to use the words that we can understand.  Bridgett tried hard and was able to access most of the words the therapist was trying to get her to use.  When she reverted to one of her words, the therapist reminded her and mostly she was able to find the word.  It's a good way to think of it and explain it to Bridgett. Some of her words sound really cool, actually most of them do.  I am writing them down from time to time.  I asked Bridgett what she was going to name her new pillow pet bear and she told me that she was deciding between several strange names.  I think it's entirely appropriate that the bear gets one of those "Bridgett" words for his name! 

P.S.  Sometimes I think I do a poor job of explaining what is happening daily and I know that I totally don't get important things in sometimes, but I am trying.  Also, I used to have someone read each post (when we were in the ICU) prior to publishing them to make sure they made sense, but now I am alone in the morning, in the dark, while Bridgett sleeps when I post.  There is no one to proof, so hopefully they mostly make sense!