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!