Friday August 19, 2005

Friday August 19, 2005 Zack was lying in bed with the lights off in his room but he was
not asleep. Dr. Miller came in to examine him and told me they were discussing starting Zack on Zolof for depression next week. He is moving into a phase where depression is very common. Actually the more Zack progresses the more likely he will battle depression because he will be aware of what has happened to him, what he can no longer do and what he is missing out on. He is becoming aware of his appearance, checking himself out in the mirror. He has also taken off his helmet to examine his head and frowned while he was trying to fix his hair. He also has started to not want to get out of bed (but then again he is a teenager). The side effect to Zolof is increased appetite but it won’t hurt Zack to gain a few pounds right now (currently 126#). Dr. Miller also said that it would not be a permanent medication for him and he would also be on the smallest dose. Once Zack gets out of bed he is smiling. He is most talkative in the morning and can always find something to laugh about. When I ask him to repeat himself he talks slowly and louder. I asked him if he wanted to take a walk and he said, “Not right now, probably later. I have egg shells on me”. He had just finished breakfast, scrambled eggs, and he is a messy eater. His Dietician came by and said that Zack was scheduled for feeding group probably Monday. This will happen in the conference room with an occupational therapist and several other patients. They will work with Zack on using his right hand more, in a social setting and introduce new foods. The goal is to get him on a regular diet to include sandwiches. Speech at 9:00 in his room. Kathy gives him 20 yes/no questions (do fish swim) and he got 12 right. She said he has some signs of “aphasia”, which is using the wrong words. He told her he had bricks for breakfast. His brain searches for the right word but the wrong word comes out. Kathy explains it like this: all of us have filing cabinets in our head (animals in one, food in another, ect…). For Zack it is like someone dumped out all the files and now he has to find the file and store it in the correct cabinet. That is what she helps him with. In P.T./O.T. he rode the exercise bike for 7 minutes and then they wanted to try golf. Great idea! He kicked the first ball in. He took a couple of shots with a very accurate grip (even with his right hand). On the 3rd try he got a hole in one from 10’ and was very proud of himself. Back in his room Zack took a nap for almost an hour before lunch. He ate everything but dessert and then got up. I knew he was going to head back to his bed so I asked him to sit with me while I ate. He answered, “I’ll sit here as long as I don’t have to take another bite”. Back in speech at 1:30 he did not appear to recognize the words to match up with pictures. He followed instructions well and knew the names of his siblings, his birthday and even kissed Kathy on the cheek. The afternoon session in the gym was less physical. Mary Beth would write a number and he would copy it. He got up to 6 before he was bored and wanted to do something else. They gave him a piece of paper with lots of black dots. He had to circle each dot with a red marker. Very tedious but he completed the task without getting upset. He really did great today in therapy and was a lot less frustrated. He came back to the room and took another nap before eating all his dinner (including dessert this time). Lauren and Trey (good friends from school) came by after dinner. They were listening to music and Zack was boppin’ his head and moving his finger. Before long he was up dancing. His friends are truly the best therapy. Mike Smith from Southeast Christian Church (and one of Zack’s baseball coaches) came by with his wife for a visit. He prayed with us and Zack closed his eyes and listened. We had other visitors from school and then my Mom and sister Colleen came by. Zack was throwing the baseball with Mom and even though he was quiet and not really talking he seemed to really enjoy himself. I went up to the nurses station to ask about our missing camera and met some of the mothers of new patients. One mother invited us in to meet her son John who is paralyzed from the waste down. He is a big 14-year-old football player so I went to get Zack to introduce them. At first Zack didn’t want to leave his chair but after I told him about the other boy his age he got up and walked with me to his room. He walked up to his bed and shook his hand. He had carried his soft baseball with him and threw it to John. He didn’t say anything but he was friendly. I am starting to talk to the newer mothers here and telling them Zack’s story. They are scared and appreciate hearing how successful the therapy here can be. One told me I gave her hope and I told them I had plenty of hope to spare. They are both here from out of state and I will look forward to encouraging them and finding opportunities to share Gods promise. Tonight I will pass on Joshua 1:9 “…be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I can claim that promise and many more. Pray that Zack’s progress will be a testimony to Gods love and power for the other hurting families here. Please pray for Zack that depression will not overwhelm him. Pray for his friends who are leaving for college that they will feel God’s presence there and not be tempted to lose faith. Pray without ceasing.