An Update as of 9/30/12

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Yesterday, Bob was breathing well enough on his own that the were able to put a speaking cap on his trach and he was able to talk with us! Although it was halting and slow, it was wonderful to hear his voice for the first time in nearly a month. Ever a curious fellow, what he mostly had were questions for us. 

The area of Bob's brain that has been most severely impacted has to do with memory. At the current time, he has difficulty encoding new memories, as well as retrieving old memories. For now, he is living very much in the present moment! He has very much enjoyed Skyping with family members, as well as watching  slide shows and videos of recent family events. He did not remember that he has a new grandson, Everest, but was tickled to see pictures and videos of this precious new little person. Michelle reminded Bob of the advice he had given her when she was in the hospital recovering from her C-section, which was to Practice Mindfulness. He grinned when she told him that, so she made him a sign that reminds him of that to post at the end of his bed.

We still have a long way to go. Bob has another round of immune suppression tomorrow, and we continue to have to be on guard against the three enemies of infection, clots, and bed sores. We still do not know precisely what Bob has or what caused it. The leading contender is Autoimmune Encephalitis, but we don't know that for sure. This is a very new branch of science, so not a lot is known. The tests from the Mayo Clinic all came back negative, so he does not have one of the kinds of it that they know a bit more about. We have not yet received the results from the world expert in Spain, who is working on some tests for new variants of this disease and offers these tests free of charge in cases like Bob's when the existing tests have come out negative.

Please continue to keep Bob in your prayers. As fun as it has been to have him awake and aware, he is still in a medically fragile state. We are so grateful for all of the love and care that has come our way.

Megan