FINALLY, a Josh Update!! :)

Ok..I know, I know..It's been awhile since I updated the blog last.. but a lot of exciting things have went on the past month, month in a half..I don't know if everyone knows but Josh and I just had our baby girl, Kynleigh on May 15. She was born a month early, suppose to be due on June 12th. She weighed 6 lbs 1 oz, 18 inches long. She did have Jaundice pretty bad when she was born so we had to keep her under some lights so it would go away. She has so much dark, brown hair, which she obviously got from Josh! :) She will be able to meet Josh pretty soon, once we get the okay from the doctor! YAY! :)
Now onto Josh..he has been doing really good! He now doesn't have that trake in his throat anymore, which bothered him for quite some time. He is just rediscovering everything right now. Which is obviously normal for any head injury. It's a slow process, but he's getting better and better each and every day! Now onto the stuff he has been doing....He's been moving his left arm and both his legs, a lot! Hopefully one of these days, he'll just jump out of bed and start walking.....and talking!! :) ...which, I think, will come in time..He probably won't be back to the way he was before the accident happened, but there is always a possibility that he could be 75 or 80% back. We just have to maintain a positive mind, because that's how miracles happen!! I mean Josh is already a miracle! He has made it so far already, and there is plenty more room for improvements to come from him! We are all so proud of him!
When I first went in the room and seen Josh today, he was sleeping but when we started talking, he just woke right up with a BIG smile! and we were able to take him for a little stroll in the parking lot! lol...I never seen him more happy nor excited to be outside!... It just made me feel good just seeing his smiling face!.. It always makes my day 10000 times better! He is also seeming more alert now when you talk to him!
Josh will probably be moving back up to Wyoming (probably Basin, WY) around July/August so he can be closer to his family while he does rehab and continues to grow and get better.
Anyways, Sorry it's taken so long for an update..I'll try and keep this blog more up to date, at least on a weekly basis..lol :)

So a lot has happened over the last 1-2 weeks. As everyone already may know, Josh did get himself a new pair of glasses! YAY! .. he wasn't really tracking or focusing at all before. But when we put the glasses on him, he started looking around, following the nurses, and noticing everything around him! Which is a very good sign! :) Yesterday afternoon, they took the normal trake (that he had in his throat) out and put a speaking valve in so he can start making sounds and hopefully start talking again. Just yesterday, he actually smiled at me! It wasn't just a grin or a smirk but a nice 'pretty' smile! lol .. Josh has certainly been through a lot but we are all very proud of him for the progress he has been making!
I believe that everything does happen for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Whether it's illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul and heart. This thing that happened with Josh, is heartbreaking and devastating but in the end, it will all work out for the better. Like my mom always says, it's the 'power of positive thinking.' No one knows of why 'bad' things happen to people that we love. But if you believe, have faith, and pray, things will happen for the good!

LOOKS LIKE JOSH IS COMING BACK .. :)

Josh has made a lot of improvements within just this past week! :) .. He is starting to track his eyes a little more now as well as reacting to light .. When someone pinches his arm, he pulls away and opens his eyes .. Now that's the first time he has started doing that! :) Every little thing he does counts! ..

He keeps going forward!

So Josh is doing really well!! .. He's been leaving his eyes open a lot longer and its starting to look like he is focusing a little bit!! .. Also when ya mess with his feet or face, he does tend to twitch .. He has been looking better and better each and every day! .. The other day, I brought the sports section of the newspaper in and read to him about Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz and how much better they are playing than the Miami Heat (which is his favorite team). He's always hated the Jazz, but I've always loved teasing him how Deron Williams could beat Dwayne Wade on a one-on-one match. lol.. After I talked to him about what was in the paper, he just couldn't stop staring at me. I'm hoping that would stimulate him and have him snap out of it! lol .. The place where Josh has been staying the past week has really helped him tremendously! The nurses there are fantastic! They stimulate him by having the T.V. or radio on. Since Josh absolutely loves country, I played some of his favorite songs. Thank you so much you guys for your thoughtfulness and prayers! I do believe it has helped out a lot! That is why Josh is still with us here today and that he has been improving the way he has been! :)

Josh recently got moved from Intermountain Medical Hospital to a Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center. He currently had a temperature the other day of about 101.00 but now its lowered to about 99.00 as of today. He also has some infection in his lungs but they are treating it. The nurse said its not uncommon for him to get it because of the trake (which helps assist in his breathing) he has in his throat. Josh has been keeping his eyes open a lot more but he still isn't tracking or moving them yet.. Each day he has been looking a lot better..His brain is just healing right now and trying to mend itself back together.. It is going to certainly take some time but he will pull through! :)

It's time to wake UP, Joshua!!!

The good thing is, Josh is doing a lot better than the first day he was admitted to the ICU! He has definitely made improvements! :) He is still currently in a coma state, however. Lately, he has been opening his eyes quite frequently, but its just a blank stare. The doctors/nurses rate him on his level of consciousness from 3-15 (a.k.a. the Glasgow Coma Scale).. three is being in a deep coma and fifteen is being very conscious and alert. Josh is barely at an 8, which is considered on the border line of 'severe' ~ 9 to 12 is considered 'moderate' and 13 to 15 is 'minor'. ~ The more things he's capable of doing, the higher up the scale he goes! His Step Dad advised me that Josh was previously at a 6 earlier on this week. So lets hope it keeps moving up, which I have a feeling it will! :) In the meantime, Josh is going to be moving out of the Shock trauma-ICU very soon and he would no longer be considered in a 'critical' stage!

It's upto Josh .. :)

So the MRI results came in .. Josh's brain has some shearing which means there is some tearing in that soft, jello spot inside his head .. Whenever there is some shearing going on, it either heals on its own or it doesn't .. It's really unpredictable on how all of this will turn out .. That's the worst thing about it because no one knows what to expect .. The nurse did say, however, that age is definitely in his favor!! :) Everything else seems to be doing pretty dang good!! ..

Slowly Makin' progress :)

Josh got his lungs checked out today.. The nurses thought at first that part of his lung might have collapsed because the car hit him pretty hard on his right side (where his lung is at) .. but they did a CT scan on it and it wasn't as bad as they thought it was.. They told me that there was just excessive fluid in there and they are currently draining it. He also did open his eyes today and he is reacting to pain..but hes still not responding to commands nor making DIRECT eye contact.. They are going to do the MRI tomorrow, since the swelling has gone down enough to see what damage is there. So lets just cross our fingers and HOPE FOR THE BEST! :)

Things are looking on the brighter side

So they still have josh off the sedatives (as far as I know) .. His ICP is still steady in its teens, so about the same as before. He did get a CT scan done yesterday and they said there is still some swelling in his brain. Josh did unfortunately get pneumonia as well but they are treating it! The good news is, is that Josh has been fluttering his eyes, which could be a good sign of him wanting to wake up! and he pretty much is almost breathing on his own!

A step in the right direction!

Status Update: They're going to take him off sedatives today and see how he responds... They have not done the MRI yet. But soon will.... His ICP's are steady. He has started to breath a little on his own too. So this is good news, ya!!! :-)

So I had just seen josh at the hospital today. It is about the same but better. The nurse told me today that his ICP level was mostly in its teens which is better than it was earlier this week where it was practically at 26-30. She also mentioned that they just recently gave him a higher dosage of sedatives (presidex), so it would help with the swelling in his brain. He is going to have an MRI done in the next few days and they will give us more of an idea of his prognosis.

VISITORS

Since a lot of people have requested to go in and see Josh I just want to let all you guys know that he can not have visitors right now, besides family and me. The point of this blog is to keep you guys updated on his current condition because we can not stress him out by having people come in and out all day. The hospital wants to limit visitors to people that are the most closest to him in every day life. I know you guys all care but it is for Josh's best interest right now that he gets back to himself.

Keeping Up with Josh

As you all may well know Josh got in accident on Friday, March 12 around 10 30 at night. While he was walking across the street to our apartment, he got hit by a car. The driver was a handicap driver. They are still under investigation of what really happened. But Josh is in the Intermountain Hospital in Taylorsville, Utah where he is in the intensive care unit, where he is in a coma. He did suffer a critical head injury. They are keeping him sedated until he can brea th on his own again. He is having his ups and down. Yesterday they did a minor procedure on his brain to relieve the Intracranial Pressure (ICP), which has been varying from 10 to 27 today. A normal persons ICP should be at a 0. His has been as high as 37, which is why they did the procedure yesterday. It is critical that they get that down to a stable level. They said that the first 5-7 days are the most critical and he has made it almost a full week!! Some things he did for the first time while in the ICU was that he yawned, kicked his leg, and turned his head. Once Josh starts breathing on his own, the doctor will slowly take him off the sedatives and try to get him to respond to commands or pain (like pinching his finger.)
Day to day we are waiting for updates on his condition and my hopes with this blog is to keep you all informed on a daily basis, since it is too hard to text or to call everyone every day. I want to thank you all for your support and thoughtfulness. It means a lot to Josh and I. Please keep praying that he'll get better soon!!