He's Back!

Kent had another follow-up appointment on April 14th and was released to return to work the following day. He is doing great - only suffering with headaches when tired - so that's an improvement.

Kent Update

Kent saw his Neurologist on March 17th and got a good report. The incision is healing slowly, from the inside out, so that skin will be somewhat delicate for a while. It's looking better, but his hair will always be thin along the scar.

He is driving short distances and doing some light yard work to rebuild his strength. He continues to progress, but experiences weakness and speech issues late in the day, if he has done too much. Recovering from something like this is a process and his doctors are pleased with how well he is doing.

Kent's next appointment is mid-April and he is hoping that the doctor will release him to return to work soon. In the meantime, he is to keep building on his success and getting stronger.

Look Out! ... He's Back on the Road

Kent had his follow-up appointment on Thursday (2/24), and things are looking pretty good. The doctor feels he is healing, but remains concerned about the sutures closing up properly on the top of his head. He will check it again on March 17th at the next appointment.

Kent still has swelling on the right side of his face and this should decrease as scar tissue breaks down over time. His overall progress is where he should be (at this point) and some slurred speech, and the other symptoms he experiences when he begins to get tired, are to be expected. Kent is not to climb ladders, ride his bike or do anything that could result in a fall, but he should continue building his strength, little by little.

Look out on the roadways, he has been cleared to drive short distances - but only to very familiar places. He can also go up and down the stairs and even do a little yard work, as long as someone is with him at all times, while doing these activities, and he stops as soon as he begins to feel tired or dizzy.

It's a long road back to health, but his CT Scan looked good and they didn't see anything to worry about. More news on the 17th ...



Recent photo of Kent and Mary at Memphis' birthday outing to the Wildlife Park.

Kent has Hair!

Kent is continuing to recover and his hair is growing back ... he's starting to look like OUR Kent again.
















Luckily the weather held out and Kent was able to see his doctor on Thursday, February 3rd. Following is a brief recap - not all questions have been discussed, but he will have a new CT Scan at the next appointment on February 17th.

Recovery:
It's too early to tell, but it is likely that he will recover 100%
It will take at least 3 to 6 months - maybe longer - for a full recovery
He will be on leave from work for "a few months"
He should continue trying to rebuild his strength a little each day - walking and exercising his left hand/arm

Speech & Motor Skills:

Although his speech has improved, it becomes slurred later in the afternoon or if he is tired. Now and then it takes a few seconds to find the right words. The doctor said that this is normal and should continue to improve with time.

When he is tired, Kent sometimes experiences episodes of not being able to effectively use his left hand. For example, he may need to use his left hand to hold a fork while cutting up food and this can be a real challenge. The doctor said that this is also normal for this stage of his recovery.

Check back for updates - maybe we'll get a few action shots in the coming weeks!

Stitches Out - Recovery Continues

Kent had an appointment with the nursing staff on Tuesday afternoon to have the stitches & staples removed from his scalp. It went well, but without pain medicine it wasn't a comfortable process ... considering how many stitches there were!

Next appointment (with the doctor) is February 3rd and Kent was instructed to continue what he has been doing until then. It's possible there will be a new CT Scan at the next appointment and hopefully more information on what happened and what is next.

You can see in the following photos that the swelling is slowly going down, but isn't completely gone, and his hair is quickly growing back.

Recovery is going slowly, but he continues to make small improvements each day. He is walking to the mailbox most mornings and it's good for him to move around and work on getting his strength back. He feels better in the morning and tends to "run down" by mid-afternoon.

His speech continues to improve, but is considerably better early in the day and becomes more slurred as the day wears on. Like his speech, Kent continues to have some difficulty concentrating and doing day-to-day tasks. When he is rested, he doesn't exhibit any weakness on his left side. When he gets tired, he might not be able to hold a utensil to feed himself.

His recovery could be slow, with "one step forward and two steps back" some days. A Neurologist friend (who is not Kent's doctor) said that someone who has experienced what Kent has gone through could take up to two years to recover.

Keep the prayer circle going for Kent's continued improvement.

Catching Up with Kent

Kent did well over the weekend and is getting stronger each day. He is back on Advil since the pain meds were making him nauseous. His pain level is much lower, but with the stitches and swelling it hurts to yawn and chew.

Wanted to post these photos from Toni of Kent on his way out of the hospital.

Back to the Birthday

Kent had a special visitor on his birthday ... Memphis waited and waited and waited thinking that any minute Poppa was going to show up in the NIMU waiting room.

It's a bummer to be in the hospital on your birthday, but at least they'll bake you a cake! He got a cupcake with his lunch and a cake later that afternoon.

Here's Kent with his Birthday Cake, which wasn't eaten until the next day!