May 22 Report

Mike continues to work hard on his memory and cognitive deficits. His attitude is strong and positive with his social skills very much intact. Therapists have recommended another month of therapy, focusing on connecting real life situations to real things. Although he cannot be left alone yet, he has been more active, participating in boating activities, organizing his garage and even swinging a golf club. This weekend Suzie is taking him on a birthday road trip to Walla Walla.

Susie and Mike deeply appreciate the continued support and love. Mike’s day is brighter when he receives cards and phone calls.


At this point, the blog will be updated periodically with special announcements and progress.

A Message from Dr. Frank

Mike and I met with Dr. Dan Frank for the first time since his
hospitalization. Mike was worried that he would not recognize him but as
soon as he saw him he remembered him. Mike was tested as well as examined
and Mike was relieved by Dr. Frank's explanations of what was happening to
him such as memory loss, unusual body sensations, loss of balance and
inability to express himself or find words. Dr. Frank explained all these
concerns in such a way that Mike not only understood but knew that he was
able to communicate with Dr. Frank in a meaningful way.

After we left, Mike said, " What a great guy. We're really lucky to have him
plus..........he thinks I married a great girl!"

Mike talked with family later and told them what a blessing Dr. Dan is to
us. The following is a brief synopsis of Dr. Frank's observations. God bless
you Dr. Dan Frank!

Suzanne



I had the pleasure of seeing Mike in the office today. He has made an extraordinary recovery from his meningitis. Mike's core personality and identity are completely intact. His word finding difficulty is much better than before, and his short-term memory is intact. He has some difficulty with attention and sustained concentration which is not unexpected, and I anticipate that he will continue to show good improvement in the coming months. I look forward to seeing Mike again in a month. Mike's infection caused the death of some brain cells, but, like most patients, Mike shows that he is able to re-route those connections and make a good recovery from his illness.

Best wishes,

Daniel Frank, MD

Friends continue to show their love and support for Mike and Suzie. Even
though Mike is unable to drink alcohol at this time, a ginger ale tastes as
good as his Ash Hollow wine when toasted with friends.

1

A Team Effort

After 14 days of intense speech, occupational, and physical therapy, Mike had his first rehab “team evaluation” on Thursday during a conference call that included Suzie and the Rehab Without Walls case manager. Mike’s therapists reported as follows:

PT: Mike’s currently working on 2 separate programs and a third will eventually be added. Physically, muscle memory patterns are improving, and his gait strengthening is coming along well. Ultimately, the goal will be to add a third, more difficult layer of activity to challenge Mike’s balancing skills, which should help improve his cognition, as well. Mike’s physical therapist has found that breaking down each activity into very small steps with repeated instruction, helps Mike stay focused and results in more wins for Mike!

Speech: Mike’s main speech focus has been development of external memory systems to help him with long and short term memory. His routine includes a daily schedule, and the use of a day planner, bulletin board, and “significant life events timeline.” He’s now able to concentrate better on paper & pencil tasks, with less fatigue. Although he needs a great deal of help with his planner, completing worksheets, and recall, in general, Mike’s putting forth tremendous effort and his therapist sees “nice improvement” overall in his ability to work on improving his cognitive skills.

Occupational therapy: Mike’s occupational therapist shared that Mike is a “special person to work with.” While repetition and check lists are still a critical part of Mike’s day-to-day activities, he’s able to concentrate for longer periods of time and has made small gains in balance and task endurance. “Cueing” is an important element in Mike’s ability to perform activities at this point, and his results are inconsistent from one day to the next. Mike’s progress to date doesn’t allow for him to be left unsupervised, as yet, due to a condition called “motor planning apraxia,” (inappropriate use of objects), which creates safety issues.

Counseling: Working with a counselor has been an important part of the recovery process for both Mike and Suzie. As the “point person” in Mike’s recovery, Suzie benefits from the support and coping strategies offered to minimize her potential for burnout. Friends and family are a huge contribution to Suzie and Mike’s wellbeing right now. When Mike shares a few hours with a family member or friend, Suzie is able to run errands, complete tasks around the house, or simply relax a bit, herself, knowing Mike is safe. Mike’s courage and determination are boundless, but he does become frustrated and sad, at times, which he is learning is to be expected under the circumstances.

Mike’s team of therapists all agree that it’s too early for any reduction in rehab services at this point, and a written report will be submitted to the insurance company recommending an additional 4 weeks of ongoing services for home and community orientation. The entire team hopes that the small gains seen now will turn into large breakthroughs with more time, patience, repetition, and therapy.

Mike and Suzie continue to be awed by the love and support extended by friends and family and thank everyone for each and every contribution to Mike’s Miracle.

"Just like school"

Yesterday Mike spent an afternoon with family at Snoqualmie Falls. He hiked around the area, navigating stairs and slopes with ease. Afterwards, he enjoyed a wonderful lunch of Ahi tuna. The outing provided Suzanne with a much-needed two hour break.

Mike's jovial attitude and spirit is a pleasure to be around. He is fascinated with life's many details such as dogs at Starbucks, train trestles in the distance and turtles on logs.

Mike continues to work hard on his cognitive abilities- chronology of life, short term memory, word recognition and recall. His therapists have him reading and writing in a daily notebook- which he commented is "just like school." The occupational therapist put him to work by practicing daily routines like emptying the dishwasher and making sandwiches for guests. When asked about his illness, he cannot recall anything about his weeks in the hospital. His first memory is of walking into his home.

Susie and Mike are very appreciative of ALL the support, prayers, helping hands and greeting cards. Mike reads aloud the cards to Susie who is including them in a scrapbook.

Mike's Perspective

We met Mike’s PT today and Mike just loves him. He really pushed Mike. Walked the property, did hip rehab exercises, Light weights for upper body and walked in the park with us for a full evaluation. He said Mike is very strong but a little unstable and needs athletic shoes for outdoors and both canes. He was quite impressed with Mike physically and will reinforce the ongoing occupational and speech therapies where Mike needs the greatest help. Mike still has serious memory loss, word loss and expressive/cognitive defecits. It will all come back over time……patience, repetition, therapy.

We met with Mom’s neighbor at noon. Jeanne Hess is a holistic nurse and has had several very serious head injuries. She spent time with Mike discussing her frustrations with her recovery which is still ongoing. Her last accident was in 1999. Mike expressed several interesting insights. He said:

“ I feel that I can’t catch up.”

In groups of people, “ I feel discombulalated.”

"My loss is worse physically."

“I feel like I’m going to tip over. I need spatial alignment. My canes give me groundedness." He pointed to Suzie and said, "You’re the one I use to be grounded, physically and emotionally.”

“Depression means you give up.”

“ Sometimes I feel sad and sinking.”

Some great insights from Mike, don’t you think?

Jeanne then did a healing meditation using guided imagery and hands on energy work. It was a very peaceful experience for Mike and he seemed rested afterward and was very grateful for her time and sharing with him.

Suzanne

Spring picnic

After a couple hard days with Mike's spirits being low, Susie arranged a walk with Mom around Lake Washington. Friends surprised them with dinner at a picnic table. Smiling Mike laughed for an hour! A special thanks to George and Barbie for providing the wonderful picnic dinner.
Thanks again for the cards and calls especially Skip from Arizona.