September 28

Tom is home.  10 1/2 weeks in 3 different hospitals, and he is HOME!

Bryan showed him the private blog that he started in July, to keep a log of what was going on while Tom was in a coma.  He thought someday Tom would like to be caught up on what he missed.  Bryan stopped writing the day that we had news that Tom might not ever wake up.  (Close to the day that he had me start this blog to send out prayer requests).

Bryan showed Tom a few entries this afternoon, and Tom seemed to understand how sick he really was.  Please pray for him as he becomes more aware of the past 10 weeks, and the time it will take for him to get back to who he was.

Please pray for the transition to being home, for Tom and Nancy.  Please pray for his day therapy that starts next week.  Please pray for peace, joy, and patience.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

Praising God for miracles,

Brenna

September 25

Tom had a great visit at home today.  Bryan and his mom picked him up this morning, and they spent the day together at home.  Tom understood he needed to go back to the rehab hospital for a few more days, and there was no trouble when they brought him back this evening.

They had a nice time together, going over old estimates for their company (Tom knew all the customers), playing with Tom's birds, watching football, and eating meals together.  Tom went up and down the stairs a few times!  I am sure he will be tired tonight, but Bryan said he did very well.

Thank you for your prayers.  Bryan actually said it was a restful day for him personally, which in itself is amazing.

I  will update later in the week when Tom is home for good!

Please continue to pray for the transition home, and for the transition to the  new 3 days a week therapy plan.

And again -- thank you for praying and helping this day go so smoothly!

Brenna

September 23

Tom will go home for a few hours this weekend.  Please pray for a good visit for him, and for him to understand that he needs to go back to the hospital for a few days until he can come home for good.  Please also pray for clarity about what he will need when he comes home next week, so that we will be able to communicate that to the doctors and therapists, and get the assistance we need before he is home.

Please pray for the transition into home and to his new 3 day a week therapy at another rehab facility.  We have a few options at this point, but would like to start up as soon as possible. 

Please continue to pray for progress in his cognition.  Somedays are better than others.  Progress will be slow.  We are really hoping it only gets better and better as he gets home.

Please especially pray for Nancy, since she will be his primary caregiver.  Please give her extra strength and patience for this long road ahead.  And pray for the rest of us to know how we can best help her and Tom right now.

I will probably only update weekly or even monthly, once Tom moves home.  Thank you for all your prayers for Tom and our family.  We have truly seen God do miracles in his life these past 2 months.  Thank you for helping us through this season with your prayers and encouragement.

Eternally grateful for all of you,

Brenna and the Kozor family

September 20

We met with the doctor today for the family meeting.  He said that Tom is very strong physically, but still weak cognitively.  The doctor said that they believe that he will do best now in a structured home environment where he is familiar. Tom will get a short visit home this weekend, to get used to being home again, and to get ready for his return home next week!  The staff do these "day pass" visits so that they will know what he will need when he is home, and they can help prepare us a few days before he is home for good.

The doctor also tried some medication for Tom's anxiety in the evenings today, and it seemed to work well tonight.  Thanks for praying for this issue!

I had the pleasure of meeting the speech therapist today.  She was very impressed with his progress from last week, and was quite positive about his recovery.  It will take time, but he is definitely making progress. 

Please pray for the visit home this weekend, and for continued progress over this next week.  Please also pray for wisdom for the next phase of therapy for Tom.  He will need outpatient therapy to continue the progress that he has been making at this rehab facility.

The doctor mentioned Tom being alive as a miracle a few times during the meeting today, even hinting Someone was looking out for him.  Thanks so much for praying!

AND -- please all of you who live close by --- please do not come and visit Tom this weekend, or right when he returns home.  He will need time to adjust to being home again.  Though we all know it will be great for him to be at home, we also know he will need lots of rest.  Too many visitors will not be good for him or the family.  Please honor Tom and the family in this way, by giving them some time to just be together.

Thanks so much for praying with us,

Brenna

September 19

Tom continues to improve physically.  He walked quite a bit this weekend with the family, and he had a good day of therapy today.  Cognitively, he is making slow progress.  When he is tired, he is confused and sometimes irritated.  He  just wants to go home. 

There is a family meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 1 with the case manager and doctor (I think).  Please pray for clear communication at this meeting.  We have some concerns and questions.

Please also pray for Tom in the evenings.  He had a really good day today, but he starts getting more homesick, tired, confused, and sometimes angry in the evenings when the family is not there.  Please pray for Tom's peace and patience as he gets better, and pray for the nursing staff as they figure out the best way to care for him, give him independence, and keep him safe.

I will update after the meeting tomorrow. 

Please pray for more improvement in his cognition, and for him to get the rest he needs to continue to make progress.

Thanks for praying,

Brenna

September 16

Bryan's mom sent this simple text this morning:  Dad can see.

Praise God for healing!
Thank you for praying,

Brenna

September 15

Tom's surgery went well this morning.  The blood was drained from his eye, and fluid was added.  He was back at the rehab hospital a few hours later for his full day of therapy!

He has still been doing very well with his physical therapy.  He was able to walk up 15 steps, which will be necessary when he goes home.  He gets to have a "day out" next week, where he gets to go home (or somewhere else) for the day, to better see what assistance he may need when he does go home in a few weeks.

Thank you for praying for his eye surgery.  Please continue to pray for complete healing without complications with his eye.  Please continue to pray for improvement with his therapies, especially his cognition.

All of the brothers may be in town this weekend, so we may have a little family reunion at Tom's rehab place.  Please pray for good family time for us all.

Thanks so much for praying,

Brenna

September 14

The family meeting was rescheduled yesterday.  Tom went to an eye appointment instead because the doctor found bleeding in his retina.  The eye specialist scheduled Tom for surgery to relieve the pressure on the eye (causing the retinal bleed I guess), and causing the loss of sight in his left eye.  It is "twilight" surgery, so he will be sedated, but not completely out.  If all goes well, he may be SEEING in a few days out of both eyes!

We are so thankful that the doctors found the source of the problem. Please pray for the surgery tomorrow (Thursday) at 8:45 AM.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, and for peace for Tom. 

Thank you for praying for his eye!  What an answer to prayer!
And thanks for continuing to pray for him,

Brenna

September 12

Tom continues to make good progress.  He visited with some old friends from Oak Forest on Sunday afternoon, as well as Bryan and me and 3 of our boys.  It was a nice time.  Tom seemed to enjoy the company,  but he was definitely tired later.

 

Tom "showed off" on Sunday and walked away from the walker and gave his wife a big hug.  Pray that he is careful and does not try to show off too much before his body is ready for it!  It was a memorable moment for sure.

Please continue to pray for his therapy and for his peace.  Tuesday is the next family meeting with the doctor and case manager.  Please pray for good communication and clarity at that meeting. 

Please continue to pray for progress in his cognition.  He knows he says things wrong sometimes, and though he joked about it on Sunday, I know it has got to be very frustrating.

Thanks for praying,

Brenna



September 9, 2011

Tom continues to make good progress.  He is using the walker more and more.  He was going on and on with Bryan about his speech therapist, how smart she is, and how "she really wants me to get better."  He also mentioned to Bryan that he heard that his former neighbor had an aneurysm the same day as him, a fact that Nancy had mentioned days before, but he did not seem to understand at the time.  His short term memory seems to be improving slowly.

Bryan visited in the evening and was greeted with a big hug.  Tom was watching football, eating pound cake in his bed,  and in good spirits.

Please pray for Tom's left eye.  They still have not figured out what is wrong yet, which is a little frustrating.  A few days ago, they said he had just a scratch on his eye, possibly from his contact being in there to long after the aneurysm.  But Tom has said he cannot see out of it at all.  Yesterday, they said he could see light and dark, but nothing else.  This issue would effect his balance, which seemed to be the main issue with his physical therapy.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, and for healing of his eye.

Please continue to pray for progress in his cognition and for hope and peace.

Thanks for your prayers,

Brenna

September 7th evening

Tom had a good day.  He took a swallow test this morning, because when he came to the new place last week, they noticed that his swallowing reflex was 3 seconds slow.  He has been on thickened liquids and finely chopped foods since last week.  This morning, he passed the swallow test, so I assume that means very soon, if not now, he is on regular food!

Bryan's brother sent us a picture of Tom walking in a walker today!

Continue to pray for improvement in his cognition, and for peace and joy.

Thanks as always for praying,

Brenna

September 7

I wanted to write a quick update about the family meeting yesterday.  The meeting went well.  Tom was given a tentative discharge date as September 28th, 4 weeks from when he was admitted.  He has a team of therapists that meet on Tuesday mornings and discuss his progress from the week before, and discuss his goals for the week.

Here is a quick summary;

For physical therapy, he is doing very well.  His body is strong, and the main issue is his balance at this point.  He gets tired during physical therapy because he has to concentrate on keeping his balance, sometimes he cannot understand what they ask him to do.  They will break up his physical therapy into 2 sessions to help with the mental fatigue.

As for occupational therapy, he is doing better, but does not always initiate what he needs to do.  They said his issues with cognition play a part of that as well.

As for speech therapy, he has been a very interesting case for the speech therapists.  He is not like anyone they have seen or read about at this point.  His issues are intermittent.  One moment he understands completely what is being asked to say or do, and the next moment he is confused.  So that would be the biggest prayer request right now.  The therapist is wonderful, but her job seems the hardest at this point, since his cognition effects all the other areas.

I think this area is obviously the one that effects his spirit as well.  He knows that sometimes he understands and sometimes says things the wrong thing, or gets focused on something and cannot shake it, even if it is not true. 

From my short visit yesterday, he was tired and a little crabby, but he was Tom. His awareness amazes me at times.  Bryan visited later and showed him a video of his house.  Tom narrated as they watched.  He showed him some wedding pictures, which he enjoyed.  (Tom called his son Michael and congratulated him on his wedding the other day.)

Please pray for continued strength in his physical therapy and continued healing in the areas of cognition that are not consistent at this point.  And continue to pray for hope and peace.  As he becomes more aware, he could easily become more sad and frustrated with all that has happened to him.  He has read some of this blog I was told, and he knows there are a lot of people praying for him.  Maybe next time I visit, I will ask for prayer requests that he has personally.  Right now I think that would be that he just wants to go home.

Thanks for praying,

Brenna

September 5

Thank you for praying.  Tom had a good day of therapy, and was noticeably happier than yesterday, according to Bryan's brother who talked with him for a few hours this afternoon.  His brother said he was remembering who visited him this weekend, and was asking some questions about the aneurysm, and the day it happened.  Bryan's brother even saw him sneak out of his bed himself to use the bathroom, after he had left to tell a nurse to help him!

Last night he got out of his bed and was found confused, looking for the bathroom.  They moved him to a new more secure room today, because he does not realize he does not have all of his strength back yet, and they don't want him to get hurt.  It is a good sign that he is trying to get up himself, but also a concern.  He had intense therapy today, so he should be good and tired tonight, and not try to escape again.  (He does not recall escaping either).

Tomorrow we have a family meeting at 12:30 PM to discuss how he is a doing now, the therapy plan, and the plan for discharge.  I will be meeting Bryan's mom there. Bryan needs to work and keep up the family business, so he is sending me with his questions.

I am excited to hear the plan.  Please pray for clarity at the meeting and that we would be able to communicate our questions well.

And keep praying for good days of therapy, and peace and joy for Tom.

I forgot to mention yesterday that for a least 2 meals Tom ate enough to not need a supplemental feeding from the feeding tube!  I would assume that it will be taken out soon, but I guess that is another question for tomorrow's meeting.

Thanks for praying with us,

Brenna

September 4

Tom greeted Bryan by singing "Happy Birthday" to him when we walked into his room today.  (It is in fact Bryan's birthday today).  From the last time I saw him, he looks great.  It was just amazing.

We had a good visit.  Zach played WAR with him.  Max made paper airplanes with some of the "paper-airplane-a-day" calendar pages that Tom had been given a few years ago. Grandpa did not skip a beat.  He got tired after a little while, but he kept up with the WAR game, and even gave the boys tips on how to make the airplanes better.  If you had walked in the room at that moment, you would have had no idea what he had been through in the past two months.  It would have been a typical day playing with Grandpa.

Max was a little hesitant to come visit today.  As we were leaving he said it was good and Grandpa looked normal.  Max had started putting together what was going on last month.  He straight out asked me if Grandpa had a stroke a few weeks ago.  I was shocked by the question, because we were being vague about Grandpa being sick.  He must have overheard some conversation.  It turns out that Max had read a book called Now One Foot, Now the Other by Tomie dePaola in his 2nd grade class last year.  It tells the story of a little boy who deals with his grandpa who had a stroke.  I had no idea he read this book in class.  I was shocked, and then so grateful that God had put that little detail into place last year, so that we would be able to explain a little better what was going on now.

We got the book from the library a few weeks ago.  It is a wonderful story.  It helped Zach understand a little what was going on before we visited today.  Grandpa is improving much quicker than in the grandpa in the story, which was good for them to see.  The story also shows how the grandson helps the grandpa do things again.  I am hoping the boys were able to grasp a little of how good it was for them to visit him today.

I did not know what to ask Tom.  My questions were too confusing.  Bryan has spent a lot of time with him and knows how to ask things without confusing or frustrating him.  I have a lot to learn.  He did talk to me about how his right arm is a little shaky, and his right leg a little shaky as well.  He told me himself that he does not understand it, because usually people with "this" can't move one whole side of their body.  He has much more moments of awareness of what happened, which I think is a hard thing for him.

Tom has intense therapy starting at 8:30 A.M. tomorrow.  Speech, physical, and occupational therapy are scheduled throughout the morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch.  Bryan said when they explained the program to him and his mom and brothers, they mentioned that they don't encourage much visiting of the patient.  They need to keep him focused on his therapy, and then give him time to just rest.  Though having people visit can be encouraging to him, I think that it may also be overwhelming for him at times, and confusing for people who are not used to him right now.  I experienced that firsthand today.  I wanted to lift his spirits in some way, but I had no idea what to say, or what he would really understand.  Though I saw him be normal Grandpa Tom, and play with the boys, joke about the food, and even talk business with Bryan, he had moments when he was tired and not himself.  Obviously the common behavior of someone who is recovering from a traumatic brain  aneurysm just seven weeks ago.  I think with more awareness comes more anxiety and frustration, along the way to recovery.

The doctor at the previous hospital said that the more he makes physical progress, the better his spirits will be, which is why he recommended a hospital that does intensive therapy like this one.  Please pray for his therapy tomorrow, for the strength and the will to do it, and for the rest he needs when it is done.  Please pray for wisdom for the therapists, because my understanding was that his particular speech issues are different than anyone they have seen.  Help them make a good plan for him.

Please also pray for the family as they visit, that it would be an encouraging, restful time with his wife and sons this week.  Help us know how to balance our visits with him with what he needs to recover.  Help us to trust God as he continues to do miracles in Tom's life, even if we cannot be with him as much right now.

And lastly, please pray for joy,peace, and hope for Tom, as he recovers.  I definitely felt sadness in him today, and understandably so.

Thanks again for praying, even if you could not read through this long blog post!

Brenna

September 2

Tom was not able to do all his physical therapy today, due to some pain in his chest.  Bryan thought it may have been that he was sore from the therapy the day before, or starting to be more aware of pain, or something NOT heart related.  They did an EEG test and did not find anything wrong with his heart.  They put him on something stronger for pain than tylenol to help.

One of the speech therapists today found that Tom can understand things that are written, but may have some auditory processing issues.  She was helping him with the concept of time, and how much time has passed since July 16th, and he realized that he missed Michael's wedding.  Somehow reading it on paper gave him much more understanding of what has happened.  Tears welled up in his eyes when he figured out what he had missed, and Nancy encouraged him that there are pictures and videos, and another party is planned when he is feeling better.  Fortunately, he did not dwell on it (perhaps forgot it for the moment because of his short term memory issues). We will see if he talks about it tomorrow.

Bryan put signs all over his room that remind people to write down things for Tom since that is his best way of understanding things right now.

He was going on and on about his boys today, sharing information and stories, and just pride in his sons.  But he also had moments of anger that were hard to take.  Bryan says it is like he does not have a "filter" yet, but he believes it should come as he progresses in his cognition and short term memory.

Please pray for his therapy on Saturday.  He has half therapy on Saturday and no therapy on Sunday to rest.  Please pray for his strength, focus, and will to complete his therapy tomorrow.

Please also pray for his peace as he understands more and more, through reading.  Please pray for wisdom for the therapists.  He is a tough case because his speech and cognition issues are not like anyone they have seen before.  He seems to remember and understand a lot at times.

Please also pray for the family, especially Bryan's mom.  His anger/frustration is hard to take sometimes.  Please pray for all of us not to take things he says in anger personally, and to have extra grace, patience, and encouragement for Tom right now.

Thanks for praying.  It was a tough day for all.

Brenna

September 1

Tom had a good day of therapy and evaluations.  Bryan and Nancy were with him all day.  They are impressed with the facility and the staff.  They took Tom outside in the wheelchair for awhile, and got him nice and tired for bed tonight.  Please pray that he sleeps well tonight, and gets on to a normal sleep schedule again.

Please continue to pray for his strength and endurance with the physical therapy as well as the speech and occupational therapy.  It seems they are figuring out the areas that he is "lacking," due to the damage caused by the aneurysm.  They said he has a lot of potential for recovery.  Only time will tell what that actually means for him.

His sense of humor is still there.  In fact one of the staff evaluating Tom thought he was joking when he could not answer his question, because every once in a while Tom throws in a sarcastic comment.  Having Nancy and Bryan there today was very helpful to clarify when he being silly, and when he was actually confused.

Please continue to pray for strength for Nancy and the family.  It is a long road ahead, but they are hopeful.

Thanks for praying with us,

Brenna