Update #24

Ryan is doing amazing! He had a peaceful night. He only needed to be suctioned twice during the night and once in the morning. Also, early this morning, Ryan was taken for a chest X-ray and a CT scan.

The doctors removed Ryan's nasal trumpet this morning. The primary doctor took the time today to show me Ryan's chest X-ray and his CT scan results. His chest is looking a lot better now. The pneumonia is almost gone. The doctor was very positive about the state of Ryan's lungs.

The doctor was very positive about the CT scan as well. He showed me the scan of Ryan's brain. Normally the brain sits right up against the sides of the skull. But, in Ryan's case, there is a small gap between the frontal part of his skull and his brain. This shows that the bulk of his injury (as we all know) is in the front portion of his brain.

When Ryan was in the ICU at Walter Reed, the doctor's said that he had three different types of brain injuries - left frontal, right temporal and diffuse axonal. These injuries may still be an issue, but the doctor here could only show me what was visible on the CT scan.

Only time will tell what areas of Ryan's brain were affected by his injury. We will see what is affected by what he is and is not capable of doing. Also, only time will heal Ryan's injury. Through time and rehabilitation, Ryan will regain functionality.

Physical and Occupational therapy came to assess Ryan today. They tested his range of motion and his cognitive state. The great thing about the rehabilitation program that is different from the ICU is the the therapists make appointments. They write their appointments on a dry-erase board in the hall so that you know when they are coming.

Ryan was awake and aware for a lot of the day. He seems to be enjoying not being bothered every 15 minutes. The nurses here have a patient load of 2-3 patients per nurse. But, since there aren't too many patients right now, it is almost a one-on-one ratio.