1-Jul-10

Fantastic news - a post from the man himself !!
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Dear Friends,
Greetings, this is ME actually composing this letter. I am now out of hospital and I am back home in Fort Collins and it’s great to be home. I still have a fair bit of rehab but that seems to be coming along. My left eye is improving and I am getting the strength back in my arms. I am still wearing a back brace but that may be done in one week.
While in Craig hospital I was suffering from three miserable things: 1) Loneliness, 2) Boredom and, 3) Homesickness, and now these have disappeared. It’s great to be back home because I missed the garden and of course my cat Sootie.  I missed the bulb flowers this year but when I got here the roses were spectacular (see Picture). Now I am “dead-heading” the roses to encourage another wave of flowers.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their kindness and support while I was in hospital, especially those who visited me in hospital. It definitely made the days more interesting and made my time there go faster. Thanks also to those who sent me a card or some sort of correspondence. It all helped raise my spirits.
Cheers,
Simon

Fri 17-Jun-10

Paul is an old rowing mate of Simon - he called Simon today and had a good talk and sent me this report of his recovery progress....
Fortunately the time difference between Fort Collins and Melbourne is so great that, with a little bit of help from Ann, it was easy to find a time when we were both awake and at home at the same time. 
Anyhow, Simon and I had a good chat today for 10 minutes or so and I am delighted to say he was in exceptionally good form, very chirpy and cheerful. 
In fact it sounded like the same old Turner of old - never stuck for words. He stressed how grateful he was to be alive. Apparently the police have completed their investigation and have concluded that Simon was 100% in the right and had not in any way contributed to the accident. 
More importantly however he feels as if each day he is making good progress with his rehabilitation. The weather is warming up and although he still has a lot of work to do to get his left side functioning properly.  He is now walking 30 mins per day. He will also start swimming soon to build up his strength. 
He says the three main things he suffered most from in hospital were boredom, loneliness and homesickness - all cured now that he is home. However, at the same time Simon was full of praise for the hospital and the wonderful work they do there, not only in his own case but for people who have been there and will remain there for many months, who in some cases are quadriplegics and who are so much worse off than he is. 
He again stressed how grateful he is to have survived and to have come out of this experience relatively lightly compared to what could have happened. He fortunately does not have to worry about trying to rush back to work but will just just concentrate on getting himself right and enjoying home cooking again. His friends have been incredibly supportive and helpful - even making sure the garden is under control. 
He said that he does not know when he will be well enough to visit his Melbourne fan club, but he is certainly able to fly already - in fact I think he said he is flying to Ann's mother's place this weekend for a few days. 
He said to pass the message on to all his friends that he is well and truly alive and kicking!
Best wishes
Paul

Fri 28-May-10

Simon is back HOME!!!

He was discharged from Craig Hospital on Thursday afternoon, following a conference with his doctors, nurse, and therapists, in which he got lots of reminders about his physical and mental limitations.  He was advised to keep to a routine; do one thing at a time; and keep working on his balance, coordination, accuracy, endurance, memory, and attention span.  He is not allowed to drive or use power tools . . . . not even allowed to carry groceries while he walks.  He was reminded several times about the 5 times higher risk of brain injury, following 2 previous brain injuries.  His left arm and hand are still weaker than they should be, and his left eye still doesn't open or track properly, but hopefully they will improve over time.  He also has to continue wearing a brace for his spine fracture, as recent radiographs showed slightly worsening compression of one thoracic vertebra.  He will not be returning to work for some time.

Of course he was very excited to get home.  The first things he did were:  (1) greet Sootie, the cat; (2) have a cup of tea; and (3) walk around and admire the garden.  Although he has missed all the spring bulbs (crocuses, daffodils, tulips), he is here in time for all the roses, peonies, etc.  He is VERY appreciative of all the yard work done by friends, and even said, "There isn't much for me to do!!"

Thank you again to everyone who has followed the blog (. . . and a special thanks to Gus for setting it up . . . !), sent messages or cards of support, visited Simon in hospital, helped in the yard, covered clinic duty for me, and helped in so many other ways.  You have made a stressful time much less difficult!  We hope to see many of you, and thank you in person, soon.

Ann

Fri 21-May-10

Simon is finishing his 6th week at Craig Hospital.  Recently, I’ve been noticing how various therapists combine both physical and mental challenges at the same time:  one had him sit and balance himself on a therapy ball, while doing a sequence of hand motions (cross hands on knees, touch ears, snap fingers, clap hands, etc. etc.), adding another new motion each time, and testing whether he could remember the sequence (it wasn’t easy!!).  Later, another had him repeatedly step on and off on a low balance beam, while simultaneously asking him what state various cities are in!  It's all about re-training the muscles and the brain at the same time, and learning to multi-task again.

Simon was able to open his left eye, just a little bit, for the first time this week.  He can open it only just enough to see a tiny bit, but he says he can see with it.  The doctors warn he will probably have double vision for awhile at least, but it looks like that damaged nerve is starting to regain function, albeit slowly.

He had his first pool therapy session this week, which was pretty tiring - even though the water provides buoyancy and no concussion, the resistance of the water and the current make it difficult to maintain balance.  At the end of his pool exercises, he tried to do a couple of strokes of freestyle (before this accident, he was swimming a mile, about 3 times a week).  He could barely keep his body on the surface of the water – his left arm is too weak, and I think he was surprised at how difficult it was.  Even though he is doing really well overall, this provided a reminder of how far he still has to go.

As I've already reported, Simon is set to go home on May 28, where he will continue to have physical, occupational, and speech therapy.  Thank you to all who have already volunteered to help keep an eye on him when I have to be away from home - he will enjoy the company, and I appreciate the support!  Also - thanks to those of you who have visited him at MCR or Craig, who have sent cards and emails, and have helped keep our garden in top shape!!  The one GOOD thing to come out of all of this, is that we've learned what wonderful, caring friends, co-workers, and relatives we have!

Ann

Thu 13-May-10

Time is going quickly now - I can't believe it has been a week since I last sent an update!

Last week-end was very pleasant.  Simon and I went outside a LOT, and walked quite a bit - around the various hospital buildings, and through several gardens associated with Craig Hospital and Swedish Medical Center, which is right next door.  Simon has always had a great sense of direction (before this accident), but he's only just now figuring out his way around Craig - an indication of progress, at least!  He's also just now starting to know the names of Craig staff members who work with him - he has had trouble remembering even people he sees every day here, but is starting to get better.  He made a list of some of the regulars, with their names and distinguishing characteristics, to help himself.

His left arm, which was very weak for a long time, is getting stronger, although still not back to full strength.  Today he was excited because, for the first time, he was able to open his left eye very slightly - just a little bit.  The nerve that controls the muscle that raises the upper lid (cranial nerve III) was apparently damaged in the accident, but the doctors hope that it will gradually improve over the next 6 months or so.  So, just that little bit of opening was a good sign!

In speech therapy, he is working on progressively more difficult puzzles and problems that exercise his short-term memory and attention span.

Simon's last tube, the feeding tube, was finally removed yesterday (remember:  at Craig, patients get better, "tube by tube").  He is just starting to realize how badly he was injured and how far he has come.  Everyone here keeps telling him how much he has improved, which surprises him, but of course he has no memory of the accident, being in ICU, or most of the first few weeks here at Craig.  He is now scheduled to be discharged on May 28, and then will continue therapy (physical, occupational, speech, etc.) at home in Fort Collins.  He knows that he has to do the rehab right, to avoid setbacks or further injury, and he seems determined to do it right!!

Ann

Thu 6-May-10

Simon is continuing to progress.  The highlight of this week was that Simon and I were “okayed” to go walking – inside or outside – with no assistance other than me holding onto the back of his safety belt (no walker, no cane).  He does pretty well, although sometimes he forgets that he can’t afford to move quite as quickly as he would have, before the accident - one time he instinctively reached to turn on a lamp and nearly fell over!

Today, Simon's occupational therapist had him bake some brownies (it was probably the first time in his life he’d ever made something from a commercial mix!!).  It was a good exercise in reading directions, planning, being on his feet, moving around to find things, etc.

I always thought "speech therapy" was about talking, but we're learning that it's also about improving memory, flexibility of thinking, reaction time, processing information, solving problems, even some math!!!  Some of the questions and puzzles that Simon has to do are pretty challenging:  looking at a picture, putting it aside, and then answering questions about the details of the picture; rapid-fire number problems on the computer; filling in missing letters in a list of partial words; etc.

As a "homework" assignment,  Simon and I watched 2 videos on traumatic brain injuries.  A comment in one video that impressed me was from a lawyer who had had a TBI, but recovered apparently well.  He said he’d written a book since his injury, but even so, when he tries to cross a busy intersection as a pedestrian, he finds it overwhelmingly confusing!  It just illustrates how someone with great intelligence can still have trouble with everyday tasks after a TBI.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed regarding visiting - it is helping us keep to a manageable schedule!

Ann

Tue 4-May

Over the week-end, Simon had quite a few visitors, in fact probably too many at the same time . . . so now a new process, so that I can try to avoid having 5 people at once (which happened yesterday!).


People who would like to visit Simon should email me first, and I'll then negotiate a suitable time for both you and Simon.  Most of you should have my email - if not ask me for it via a post on this blog and I'll email you.

Thanks,
Ann