Determination, ambition and drive have been getting my brother through his rehab. He is determined to get better or “get back” in his words. He approaches his therapy sessions ambitiously and anxiously awaiting his next challenge. He has been excited to partake in his sessions and was disappointed when he found out that he doesn’t have therapy on Sundays. He says, “Man, I am in here to rehab, to get back… I want therapy everyday. I don’t need rest...”
However, he does need his rest. He has his good days and his bad days but lately he has been having some rough days. After his fall last week Robert’s headaches have been increasing. Every day his head pounds a little harder. Sometimes he refuses to take his medicine because he feels like he is overly medicated. He didn’t like taking medicine before he got shot and he definitely doesn’t like taking it now.
He has sensitivity to light as well. Right now he is visually impaired. He can only see bright lights but when he focuses he can make out images. Only time will tell when his vision will improve. Due to his lack of sight all his other senses are heightened. If you whisper, Robert can still hear you. If you talk outside his room, he hears you. His sense of smell is impeccable. He can smell the slightest trace of perfume or cologne and if you have on a lot, he feels like he can’t breathe. He even kicked his cousin out because he had on too much cologne and it made him feel like he was suffocating. His taste is very sensitive as well. He won’t just eat everything. It can’t be too seasoned or too bland. He feels most anything that is on him. You can not cover his face with a towel or a blanket if he is cold because he feels that his airway is blocked. He can’t have too much bed linen or he feels closed in. He will verbalize any discomfort immediately, sometimes aggressively if you don’t respond in a timely manner. All these are good signs and he shows improvement everyday. I won’t go into detail about his daily activities this week but I will tell you the highlights of his week.
During a real nice day, we took Robert outside. He enjoyed feeling the breeze, listening to the kids play, laughing and joking around with several visitors. He got his hair cut as well. With the assistance from my Aunt and little cousin we cut Rob’s dreads. He still has a few left in the back of his head but once his wounds heal a little more those few will be gone and he will get his hair cut close. He says his head feels much better with out them for now, but he misses them.
This past week Robert worked on walking. He stood up on stilts and learned the basic elements of walking. He was lifted onto a treadmill where he was able to feel how to walk. He has been turning more on his own, transferring from the bed to the chair without the use of a machine and he also played basketball, put together puzzles and recognized texture differences in every day items.
We really knew his therapy was working for him when he almost jumped out the bed to defend his mother. His neighbor grabbed my moms arm and wouldn’t release her. Robert heard it and jumped and swung his legs out the bed so fast he was really about to get up and fight. It took two of us to keep him in the bed and about an hour to come him down and even then he was still talking about defending his mom. “Don’t nobody mess with my mom or my sisters… I will put them to sleep,” one of the cleaner statements he made. I told him to use that situation as motivation during his therapy sessions. So now he is lifting up more and moving a little faster.
Robert loves his therapy sessions but he loves his visits even more. He gets so excited when he hears familiar voices, hears voices of the past that he adored and loves reconnecting and he loves to laugh. Of course he is a comedian so he makes us all laugh.
He has really come a long way since Feb. 14. He is asking more questions and trying to piece things together. He is thinking more and working hard everyday. This week marked one month since he has been hospitalized and we all know that God has a plan for him. He is blessed beyond measure. He has so many prayer circles and Men of God visiting with him weekly. We are watching the work of God unfold in front of our eyes. Robert is truly a blessing.
However, he does need his rest. He has his good days and his bad days but lately he has been having some rough days. After his fall last week Robert’s headaches have been increasing. Every day his head pounds a little harder. Sometimes he refuses to take his medicine because he feels like he is overly medicated. He didn’t like taking medicine before he got shot and he definitely doesn’t like taking it now.
He has sensitivity to light as well. Right now he is visually impaired. He can only see bright lights but when he focuses he can make out images. Only time will tell when his vision will improve. Due to his lack of sight all his other senses are heightened. If you whisper, Robert can still hear you. If you talk outside his room, he hears you. His sense of smell is impeccable. He can smell the slightest trace of perfume or cologne and if you have on a lot, he feels like he can’t breathe. He even kicked his cousin out because he had on too much cologne and it made him feel like he was suffocating. His taste is very sensitive as well. He won’t just eat everything. It can’t be too seasoned or too bland. He feels most anything that is on him. You can not cover his face with a towel or a blanket if he is cold because he feels that his airway is blocked. He can’t have too much bed linen or he feels closed in. He will verbalize any discomfort immediately, sometimes aggressively if you don’t respond in a timely manner. All these are good signs and he shows improvement everyday. I won’t go into detail about his daily activities this week but I will tell you the highlights of his week.
During a real nice day, we took Robert outside. He enjoyed feeling the breeze, listening to the kids play, laughing and joking around with several visitors. He got his hair cut as well. With the assistance from my Aunt and little cousin we cut Rob’s dreads. He still has a few left in the back of his head but once his wounds heal a little more those few will be gone and he will get his hair cut close. He says his head feels much better with out them for now, but he misses them.
This past week Robert worked on walking. He stood up on stilts and learned the basic elements of walking. He was lifted onto a treadmill where he was able to feel how to walk. He has been turning more on his own, transferring from the bed to the chair without the use of a machine and he also played basketball, put together puzzles and recognized texture differences in every day items.
We really knew his therapy was working for him when he almost jumped out the bed to defend his mother. His neighbor grabbed my moms arm and wouldn’t release her. Robert heard it and jumped and swung his legs out the bed so fast he was really about to get up and fight. It took two of us to keep him in the bed and about an hour to come him down and even then he was still talking about defending his mom. “Don’t nobody mess with my mom or my sisters… I will put them to sleep,” one of the cleaner statements he made. I told him to use that situation as motivation during his therapy sessions. So now he is lifting up more and moving a little faster.
Robert loves his therapy sessions but he loves his visits even more. He gets so excited when he hears familiar voices, hears voices of the past that he adored and loves reconnecting and he loves to laugh. Of course he is a comedian so he makes us all laugh.
He has really come a long way since Feb. 14. He is asking more questions and trying to piece things together. He is thinking more and working hard everyday. This week marked one month since he has been hospitalized and we all know that God has a plan for him. He is blessed beyond measure. He has so many prayer circles and Men of God visiting with him weekly. We are watching the work of God unfold in front of our eyes. Robert is truly a blessing.
This is a testimony for the Lord. If you never believed before, hopefully this entire situation can bring someone closer to God. Having conversations with Robert now about the power of God and seeing how he is thankful is beautiful. I hope everyone takes something positive from this experience. Let your worries slip away and just be thankful. It teaches you the power of faith which is something I struggled with. There is a difference between believing and having faith. I'm just happy right now despite the hard road ahead. It does help that he keeps making me laugh. *says like babe* Helllllpppp meeeee...
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add that my nose in that picture makes me laugh. It makes it look like its super wide and flat. We all know aint nothing flat about this nose. I did have the best seat in the house though!