To much to say

Sorry I have udated in awhile....
Michael came home and was doing well.
Just shy of one week at home, Megan rushed him back to the hospital. He was loosing controll of his left side and was having trouble standing. Megan knew the signs, and knew it was time to take him in to a Doctor. He hadn't seen a dr. since they left Florida. (the rehab they were soposed to be coming into had dropped the ball, and had no clue what to do with him,(even though that was all set up before leaving Florida))
So off to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAM C). They admitted him imediatly. It was obvious that he had pressure on his brain that was causing the relapse. There was all sorts of Dr. drama and things got alittle ugly. (dad kicked the Dr. out and all 4 of them demanded a new competant Dr.)
Then there was a spinal tap, then surgery. The surgery was on Thursday the 21st. They went into his brain and installed a shunt. Unfortunately Michaels brain moves around because half the skull is missing, and the shunt went in wrong. They reenterd his brain and placed the shunt in the right location. all this caused him to loose about a month of recovery, and basically start from the beginning again.
He is now inpatient rehab in San Antonio. He's doing really really well and will get to come home again this weekend. Megan has found a house in the centerpoint area and has been able to get all moved in and ready for Michael's arival.
She's amazing!! somehow she has managed to do it all. raise 3 kids, drive back and forth to SA everyday, find a house move in, have a decent Christmas for the girls, and do it all with grace.

WA HOO!!!!

Michael comes home tomorrow!!!
Michael, Megan, all 3 girls, mom and dad all should be coming home tomorrow. We still don't have flight plans and times, but thats the Army (they don't really like to give anybody any kind of advanced notice). but I don't care, they're all coming home and I will be there to get them.

I went to Dallas yesterday to get Michael and Megans truck....DRAMA, but it all worked out.

now I gotta learn something :)

The "WEB"

I now know why it’s called the “web”!! I know, I know I should’ve learned this years ago, but you see I have always used the Internet as a tool. Get in get what I want/ need and get out none of this getting stuck in the web.
Since Michael’s injury allot of old friends have called and said “ hey I’m on myspace, you should get a page so we could stay in touch, I would love to see some pics” So I got a page. OMG…I so got caught in the web. Just like how insect can barley touch a web and get stuck, or accidentally run into the web and then get pulled in so far that they can’t get out. Well it happen… I started looking for friends, and get hooked, I couldn’t stop, I kept looking and looking.
Honestly I hate myspace, it makes no since at all!! It’s confusing; people can go on and add BIG really sparkly shit to your page. But the good thing is that you find old friends that you thought were lost, you can see their pictures and share yours.

Long and short of it….

I Hate My space, but am sooo addicted to it, it’s annoying!!

I need help…. I’m stuck in this stupid web and it’s so hard to get out.

He went walking and leaping...

He walked!!!

Thats right, you heard correctly....Michael can walk!!

He has a hard time balancing, but then again you try to stand up and walk after being flat for 2 months and having pieces of metal lodged in your brain.
He is doing really well, He can pretty much hold a good conversation. When he gets tierd he starts to do that stare off in space thing again. and he sometimes gets things real mixed up, but he sounds soo alert, and attentive.
He called me the other day to tell me "I'm ok now, so you don't have to worry about me anymore, I really am Lora, you really don't have to worry about me." and then right after that tells me some bogus story that he truely believes is true, but in reality is crazy and never happend.

He is now in Tampa, this is where the rehab will start. and then to SanAntonio.

Good times

The Long Road

In the immidate days after the call billions of questions swarmed my head.
I first asked questions like why, and can I just turn back time.
There were also allot of the what if's: what if he loses his sight? what if he can't hear? what if he has brain damage? what if he doesn't know any of us?
I talked allot of these questions over with Tim, together we came to the conclusion that what ever it is we all will get thru together. If it's sight we'll all learn how to live blind, and if's it hearing then we'll learn sign language, and if he will never be able to work another day in his life, well then we'll do it for him.

Now is the recovery time, this is the hard part. He's my strong, bigger than me little brother, and he's stuck in a bed, normally curled on his side. He stares into space with a blank look, and even when he's looking at you, it feels like he's going right thru you or over you. He used to be so happy, allways with a smile, or that goofy laugh of his. Now it takes allot just to get him to slightly curl his lip into a semi smile. (which we all get very excited about)

He is still my little brother, and the biggest Hero in the world.
Regardless of how long, or how much it will take, we'll see him thru.
My niece's deserve to have the daddy they remember back;

The 5th Floor

Ok Michael is now out of the ICU!!
He has been moved up to the 5th floor. His body is actually disposing of the access brain fluid on it's own, HIP HIP HORRY!! So this means...No shunt!

This is all really, really good news.

I got school all squared away. After my 3 month break due to my lil brothers injury, I will be returning back to classes at the end of this month. I'm very sad to say that I'm not really looking forward to it...well maybe more like just not real excited about it. I've gotten real used to all this time on my hands. But I guess I can't really quit now I have to follow thru...concidering the cost and the fact that my history with this concept isn't all that great.
So it's off to school I go. (Maybe I should get a new lunch box, or back pack or I don't know what do you take on the first day of school?)

I wrote this on the 24th while on the way to Bethesda. I had plan to post as soon as I got, but then found that Bethesda is still in 1985 and does not believe in wireless connections... so here it is.

The Roller Coaster Ride!

This whole experience has been a huge, scary ride. You can never see whats coming around the corner. It could be the start to a slow climb up hill, or what feels like a very fast and hard plunge to the ground. Some days it feels like your floating along effortlessly. While other days feel like your trying soo hard to just exist.

And people wonder way I have stomach issues…

Michael came out of the ICU on Sunday. He was doing great…responsive, yet weak and delayed. Yesterday was bad, he lost movement and feeling in the left side and was vomiting allot. They said it was Ok, that he was adjusting and that they would watch him closely.
This morning he was taken back to the ICU. His ICP (Inner cranial pressure) shot way up causing high temperatures (which happens to be a problem with head injury’s, High temperatures could cause the brain to fry and cause more damage) This should also be the cause of paralysis on the one side. I believe the doctors are saying that the paralysis should only temporary, but none the less, one more thing to bring back to the table.

I am on my way back to Maryland for my 2nd visit. I’m getting used to this whole in and out of airports. I think I should look into getting a traveling job.

I’m actually in the air while I type this. I decided to go ahead and type it out on my brand new laptop and post it when I get to the Lodge tonight.

Oh ya…I bought a new laptop, Thanks to Jessica