10/14/2020- Day 3 Dodd Hall 3rd Floor for Stroke Rehabilitation

 It is absolutely astonishing the progress that Billy has made in such a short amount of time. On 10/12 he needed a complete calm/serene/low stimulation environment. I found him to become tired quickly with the simplest of conversations. Anything beyond small talk was too much and would throw him into a state of impulsivity and visual hallucinations. Today however, he worked with speech therapy and did remarkable well with interactive communication, following the natural flow of conversation better, cognitive recall, and of course throwing in his new found love for dad jokes. He still does have some soft palate senitivity which is unclear if this is related to the stroke, when he was vomiting for 3 days, or swabbed for COVID. Unfortunately, as a result, he has had a very poor appetite and hasn't eaten much without frequent encouragement. In fact, he also says that he hasn't experienced hunger sensation since the stroke. However, he feels this may or may not be a bad thing since he has a bet with Annika that he can get a six pack by summer 2021!

With therapy, we discussed his emotional state. I had expressed before that I was concerned that irritiability and anger would manifest itself. Alas, he is the complete opposite! He is sweeter, kinder, compassionate, and just so darn adorable. I truly felt that today was the first day that I saw MY Billy again. I was able to talk with him and not be concerned I was over stimulating him. We were even able to talk a little bit about what our future may look like moving forward which was something that I wouldn't even allow him to discuss before.

We walked the hallways, and he was able to find his way back much quicker than before. When we had talked with the rehab resident in the hospital, we had discussed his desire to walk in the green spaces in front of Dodd Hall Rehab Facility. We were told that this would be perfectly fine as long as I was with him. Unfortunately, upon arriving to the rehab center, we were then told that some people took advantage of this and were meeting groups of family members out front. Therefore, no one was allowed to leave the unit without therapy or a PCA. So, I guess I have to be a good family member even though I want to be Nurse Angela and protest this absurd rule that does not correlate with hospital policy. I'm trying NOT to be that family member, but it's hard because I want to give him everything he wants and sneak him outside for fresh air and sunshine. Nevertheless, we have now made a new goal. When he gets better and can be discharged home, we have decided to rent our favorite cabin in Hocking Hills and take short walks in the woods. He's content with this new goal, and is looking forward to beginning a new normal. 

I have a really adorable video of him that shows well he is doing in his conversational skills, as well as show how we are able to lightheartedly laugh about his new deficits. He truly has such an amazing spirit. Thank you all for the prayers, good vibes, and love pouring out for Billy! He is being healed at a remarkable rate.