Today was a long day! We left early to get to Harborview for followup visits. That was the longest car ride Randy has been in and he didn't fare too well (he got sick about 5 minutes before we got there, so he got a new pair of sweatpants today via his mom and the gift shop!). We started with x-rays of Randy's neck at Harborview and then walked about 3 blocks away to the Neurosurgery Clinic.
We spent about 2 hours at that clinic and very little time was with the doctor. We started off with a student who irritated me. He kept asking me questions and I would then in turn, look to Randy for the answer, who would only need my help answering for things he couldn't remember. At one point, when the student asked if Randy was experiencing any neck pain, I said "You need to ask him that". The actual doctor, though, talked directly to Randy. Both the student and the doctor tested Randy's strength in both his right and his left side, his arms and his legs. The doctor said they have no real concrete explanation to why Randy's left side is weak. They just know it is due to the brain injury and not spinal cord. The fracture Randy had in his upper spine has healed. The doctor said that neck pain Randy is currently feeling (which is very minor) is due to weakness in the neck that will get better with time. The doctor said that he would expect Randy's left side to always have some weakness ~ it won't return to what it was before the accident. They ended the appointment with saying they want an MRI and to have Randy come back in a month.
The last appointment we had (and the one we were an hour late to due to the Neuro clinic) was with Ear, Nose and Throat clinic. During that one, they tested Randy's hearing and found no hearing loss ~ not even on the left side, which is absolutely amazing. They have been telling us all along he probably would have hearing loss on that side. They also tested his facial nerve on the left side and said it is currently working at 95% to normal and they expect it to become fully normal or at least close. Currently you can see some weakness in the lower left side of his face, but it has improved quite a bit the past few weeks. We also asked about the motion sickness and they said it should improve some when we get the prism glasses (which we should have by the end of the week) and, of course, as time heals things, it should improve a lot more. If it doesn't improve within the next couple of months, they said to bring him back in, but they fully expected time to heal it.
I think that is it for updates from today's doctor visits.
1 comment:
Hey, hey Randy!! Wow, full hearing and continued strength on the left side - hooray!!
Rachel - how are you doing with being back at work? Let God continue to work on Randy while you get back to some of your other duties. You are so multi-talented!!!
Cass is truly blessed to have such talented and wonderful people for parents :)
Can't wait to "see" how those new glasses work for you - hope that makes a HUGE difference in your perspective and outlook! Are you gonna pass them around at the benefit so we can all see the world through Randy's eyes?!! Never mind - you just enjoy them, and hang in there. Some days progress may seem slow, but from here it still looks like it has been phenomenal!!
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