Mom got a call on Monday morning from the NS Rehab Center telling her that Charb would be admitted by 10am Tuesday morning. Mom was excited, so after she hung up the phone, she turned to Charb and said, "hurray, you're going to rehab!", Charb looked at her, gave her a thumbs down, and said "BOO!" Well, Charb got his way, because just a couple of hours later they called and said that they have to put off his admission until Thursday or Friday of this week because there are still no free beds. Mom is supposed to hear back from them today as to when he will be going, but it should be late this week or early next week, AT THE LATEST (or at least we will hope). I thought I'd give you all a heads up in case you are planning on visiting Charb, he may be in Halifax by then. I'll update as soon as we know exactly when he's going.
On another note, Charb surprised us yesterday by answering mom's cell phone twice! Mom called the first time to see if he would answer. He picked up the phone, flipped it open, and pressed the talk button! Not bad, that takes a lot of coordination. Then another time dad called and mom didn't hear the phone so Charb picked it up and answered. Way to go Charbie!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Good weekend
Charb has been a lot happier the last few days which is great because it lifts all of our moods. He's back to talking and smiling - and I can see some improvement in his speech this week. Not only is he making more effort to communicate by talking, he is pronouncing much better. There's still a long way to go, but its good to hear him talking and laughing again! I guess everyone has their ups and downs!
Today the weather was nice so we took Charbel for a walk to Windsor Elementary School. There we ran into Charbel's friends walking their dogs. Charb was really happy to see them and he was petting their huge German Shepard and telling it to 'calm down' it was pretty funny. The best part is, he remembered it even after a couple of hours. I think his short term memory has improved SLIGHTLY (there are other things that he seems to remember for longer periods of time now).
Later on in the day, Mom and Dad took Charbel to the driving range where dad got some practice as Charb looked on, he even practiced a couple of swings himself by holding the club. As the weather gets better we are able to take Charbel outside and do some more interesting things with him, which we are all looking forward to. The daily routine was getting pretty boring for all of us.
The latest rehab news is that mom called Charb's neurologist and the director of the rehab center on Friday. She only got their secretaries, but she left them both stern messages that we are sick of waiting for them to get their act together - we want Charbel in rehab NOW! So she got an appointment with the neurologist on April 25th and a promise from the rehab centre that 90% he'll be there next week, 100% the week after. Well, we've heard that before, so we'll see. If we don't hear anything by the end of the week mom might have to drive to Halifax and make them talk to her face to face. For their sake, I hope it doesn't come to that!
That's all the news for now, we'll keep you posted on any developments. Charb is looking forward to seeing his friends after they have finished exams!
Today the weather was nice so we took Charbel for a walk to Windsor Elementary School. There we ran into Charbel's friends walking their dogs. Charb was really happy to see them and he was petting their huge German Shepard and telling it to 'calm down' it was pretty funny. The best part is, he remembered it even after a couple of hours. I think his short term memory has improved SLIGHTLY (there are other things that he seems to remember for longer periods of time now).
Later on in the day, Mom and Dad took Charbel to the driving range where dad got some practice as Charb looked on, he even practiced a couple of swings himself by holding the club. As the weather gets better we are able to take Charbel outside and do some more interesting things with him, which we are all looking forward to. The daily routine was getting pretty boring for all of us.
The latest rehab news is that mom called Charb's neurologist and the director of the rehab center on Friday. She only got their secretaries, but she left them both stern messages that we are sick of waiting for them to get their act together - we want Charbel in rehab NOW! So she got an appointment with the neurologist on April 25th and a promise from the rehab centre that 90% he'll be there next week, 100% the week after. Well, we've heard that before, so we'll see. If we don't hear anything by the end of the week mom might have to drive to Halifax and make them talk to her face to face. For their sake, I hope it doesn't come to that!
That's all the news for now, we'll keep you posted on any developments. Charb is looking forward to seeing his friends after they have finished exams!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Quiet Weekend
Charbie had a quiet weekend, just the basic humdrum routine. He's been really quiet himself lately, hardly talking. He usually now just points to the things he wants. He's made up some distinctive signals that tell us either: I want to eat, I want to drink, I'm watching, I can't see, Give me Kleenex, and Come Here! It's been hard to get him to engage in any kind of conversation - quite a contrast to a couple of months ago when he was so eager to talk and express himself. It's hard to figure out why this is happening. We think it is in part that he is pretty bored and possibly depressed/lonely, the other reason (which is what he says) is that he doesn't seem to have the energy - perhaps all the physical work is taking a lot out of him - hard to say. That's why he needs to see a neuropsychologist or cognitive specialist (whatever they are called) they know more about recovering mentally fron brain injury than we do. Unfortunately, the NS Rehab Centre is in absolutely no rush to admit him, saying that they are short of staff, etc. So we are still waiting for ANY brain specialist to see Charbel, be it neurologist, neuropsychologist or otherwise.
Until then, we are continuing to give it our best. Robert and Dad continue their intensive routine, and on the physical side, Charbel is making gains. It is on the mental/emotional/cognitive side of things that we are at a loss (and seeking professional help) and worried about not getting him the support he needs soon. We have started to look into other options in other provinces and in the US that can offer the cognitive and physical rehabilitation that Charbel needs, in addition to waiting for him to admitted to the NS Rehab Center.
If anyone has any information about successful rehabilitation programs, anywhere in North America, please send us an email at omelia@ns.sympatico.ca. We have just started our research and would welcome any information.
Until then, we are continuing to give it our best. Robert and Dad continue their intensive routine, and on the physical side, Charbel is making gains. It is on the mental/emotional/cognitive side of things that we are at a loss (and seeking professional help) and worried about not getting him the support he needs soon. We have started to look into other options in other provinces and in the US that can offer the cognitive and physical rehabilitation that Charbel needs, in addition to waiting for him to admitted to the NS Rehab Center.
If anyone has any information about successful rehabilitation programs, anywhere in North America, please send us an email at omelia@ns.sympatico.ca. We have just started our research and would welcome any information.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Website Difficulties & Blog Updates
We are experiencing some difficulties with the website, specifically with the Guest Book page. It seems that the Guest Book is being attacked by spam so we have taken it down until we can figure out a way to block the spam. We are also currently working on some updates for the website, as some of the pages are now out of date. We will continue to update the blog as much as possible to keep you all informed as to Charbel's news and progress.
Take a look at the new pictures and videos for March - they highlight much of the hard work that Charb is doing with the help of Robert and his friend Natasha who is volunteering her time. You will also see some videos of Charb and Dale. Dale is a deep tissue massuse who comes from Amherst once a month to give Charbel a 1.5 hour deep tissue massage, which must be heavenly for Charb's tight muscles. As Dale only sees him about once a month, he always is amazed at the progress Charbel is making. And indeed Robert and Dad have a pretty agressive routine in place, and Charb's stregth and coordination are improving greatly.
Please feel free to leave comments on the blog if you wish to send Charbel a message or just want to say hello while the Guest Book is being re-worked.
Take a look at the new pictures and videos for March - they highlight much of the hard work that Charb is doing with the help of Robert and his friend Natasha who is volunteering her time. You will also see some videos of Charb and Dale. Dale is a deep tissue massuse who comes from Amherst once a month to give Charbel a 1.5 hour deep tissue massage, which must be heavenly for Charb's tight muscles. As Dale only sees him about once a month, he always is amazed at the progress Charbel is making. And indeed Robert and Dad have a pretty agressive routine in place, and Charb's stregth and coordination are improving greatly.
Please feel free to leave comments on the blog if you wish to send Charbel a message or just want to say hello while the Guest Book is being re-worked.
Feeding Tube Removed
Exactly 18 months after his accident, Charbel had his G-Tube removed on Tuesday March 27th. The procedure didn't take very long, only a couple of minutes, and Charb was hungry and ready to eat right afterwards! We had been holding off on removing the tube, even though Charb hasn't used it in over a month. We had expected that he would be going to Halifax to have a swallow test done, to ensure that his food was going down properly, but the doctors in Halifax are not overly anxious to see him, and we didn't want to wait any longer to have it removed. It was starting to bother him recently, he was sensitive around the area in his stomach, and also it was hard for him to lie flat on his stomach for exercises because of it. Although we were anxious at first about the procedure, it was quick and painless, and now we are one step closer to the full recovery that we are all hoping and working for.
As for Charb, his appetite never ceases, and its sometimes difficult to know what to feed him to give him enough variety since he's still pretty much eating only mashed up food. His chewing is slowly improving...but we have to remind him all the time to chew once the food is in his mouth. It seems that sometimes he forgets how to chew harder foods. Bit by bit we are teaching him to use his tongue and lips, and how to use his back teeth to properly chew more solid foods. For now, the mashed up variety seems to suit him fine, although if he doesn't like it, he lets mom know by asking her if she has some better food for him. If all else fails, he has no problems licking ice cream cones!
As for Charb, his appetite never ceases, and its sometimes difficult to know what to feed him to give him enough variety since he's still pretty much eating only mashed up food. His chewing is slowly improving...but we have to remind him all the time to chew once the food is in his mouth. It seems that sometimes he forgets how to chew harder foods. Bit by bit we are teaching him to use his tongue and lips, and how to use his back teeth to properly chew more solid foods. For now, the mashed up variety seems to suit him fine, although if he doesn't like it, he lets mom know by asking her if she has some better food for him. If all else fails, he has no problems licking ice cream cones!
Friday, March 16, 2007
By Chantal, Charb’s little sister
Now that I am on March break, I have had a lot of time to spend with Charb. He is doing really well with Robert and his range of movement is improving at a fast rate! The left side is doing better, but it is still a lot slower than his right side.
Charbel’s appetite is even bigger than before…if that’s possible! He is constantly asking for food or drinks, and when we give it to him, he never wants to stop! I’m even surprised at how much he eats now and I like to tease him about the double chin he is getting. ;)
You can tell this Charb is very much like the old Charb in many ways. When he first started talking, he talked constantly, and we were very delighted to hear his voice again. But now he is not talking much at all (at least not with me) and the only times you hear him talk is when he is asking for food or asking for a drink! I think many of us are used to the old Charb not talking, but it’s kind of depressing for me… I like it when we talk to each other and joke around. Hopefully his ‘winter blues’ will lift soon!
Charbel’s writing has improved too! He writes us notes like “I’m hungry, feed me” or “Mom, I love you. Can you give me better food?” (As you can see, everything is related with food!) He writes really fast now, and he’s beginning to draw us pictures like sharks and orcs. When he gets frustrated or doesn’t like what the picture looks like, he begins to scribble all over the picture. We try to assure him its good, but he doesn’t listen to us and keeps scribbling away. Even now, Charbel strives to do his best.
Charbel’s appetite is even bigger than before…if that’s possible! He is constantly asking for food or drinks, and when we give it to him, he never wants to stop! I’m even surprised at how much he eats now and I like to tease him about the double chin he is getting. ;)
You can tell this Charb is very much like the old Charb in many ways. When he first started talking, he talked constantly, and we were very delighted to hear his voice again. But now he is not talking much at all (at least not with me) and the only times you hear him talk is when he is asking for food or asking for a drink! I think many of us are used to the old Charb not talking, but it’s kind of depressing for me… I like it when we talk to each other and joke around. Hopefully his ‘winter blues’ will lift soon!
Charbel’s writing has improved too! He writes us notes like “I’m hungry, feed me” or “Mom, I love you. Can you give me better food?” (As you can see, everything is related with food!) He writes really fast now, and he’s beginning to draw us pictures like sharks and orcs. When he gets frustrated or doesn’t like what the picture looks like, he begins to scribble all over the picture. We try to assure him its good, but he doesn’t listen to us and keeps scribbling away. Even now, Charbel strives to do his best.
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