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December 31, 2005

Come one, come all!

Now that Justin is awake and doing well he's eager for some visitors. He would love to see his friends and co-workers.  For those who would like to visit you can find directions to the Shepherd Center by clicking here.  He is in the Marcus Building in the ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) Unit on the 2nd floor.

For more information about the rules of visitation at Shepherd please click here.
Happy New Year!

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:26 PM

December 30, 2005

Day 44: Justin at the Shepherd Center

I meant to post about this stuff last night but was just too tired. Justin is all settled in at the Shepherd Center now. I met my parents and older brother, Channing, up there yesterday at 10 AM and took the grand tour. We met quite a few people and every one of them made us feel at home and very comfortable. I really got a great feeling there. Justin was supposed to be brought over from the hospital at 11:30 AM but didn't actually get there until 1:30 PM. He got settled and met with his nurses. He was examined by 2 different doctors, which was neat to observe. The results I saw are below. 
Disclaimer: this is only my observations, not comments from the doctor unless otherwise stated.

Strength/Range of Motion:  He seems much stronger but is showing some slight weakness in the right arm and leg compared to his left. Good range of motion. Good reflexes.
Writing:  He was able to copy two shapes drawn by the doctor. He also wrote a sentence which looked OK. Justin's handwriting has never been great so this was a tough call. 
Facial Evaluation:  The left side of his face is still paralyzed. He's unable to close his left eye and can't move that side of his mouth. The second doctor said this could be due to a pinched nerve. He's going to have a specialist evaluate his x-rays. If it's a pinched nerve he'll need surgery as this won't get better on it's own.
Speech:  His speech is still slightly slurred, probably from the facial paralysis, but still loads better than it was a few days ago.  Now that the tracheostomy tube is out he's much easier to understand.
Memory/Answering Questions:  He knew the day of the week, date, month and year. He knew where he was and knew all of us (his family) and our names. Overall he did OK but did stumble a couple of times. When asked what holiday occurs in December he replied Halloween. (He has said this to us in the past week so a repeating problem.) Even when told that Halloween was wrong and in October he insisted it was correct. He also still seems to think that yesterday was actually 3-4 days ago. (This is also a repeating problem.) No real concept of time and he gets his days and nights confused. The doctor asked him to remember 3 objects at the beginning of the evaluation. By the end he was able to remember 2 out of the 3. When told he got the third one wrong he was then able to recall the 3rd correctly.  He has to take long pauses to think sometimes.  Even though he's able to carry on a regular conversation he'll still say some odd and random things that don't make sense sometimes. 

Rob and I visited him after work tonight and were surprised to learn that they had finally removed his catheter and his PIC line (IV direct line) much to his relief. They are talking about removing his staples on Monday. He has been eating fairly well so if that continues they'll remove his PEG line (Feeding tube) soon too. He has a wheel chair that he uses to get to the cafeteria and the gym until he can get strong enough to walk unassisted. Yesterday and today were free days but he'll be starting a small portion of his therapy tomorrow morning for a few hours. He'll get the full days therapy starting Monday. This includes physical, speech, occupational... and a few others I can't remember. I have a feeling he'll be returning to a normal sleeping pattern once this intense therapy starts.  Speaking of sleep, (did I really just right all that?) I think I hear my bed calling me... Good night all. 

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:30 PM

December 28, 2005

Big news! Justin is going to the Shepherd Center tomorrow!

Sorry for two posts in one day but I just found out that Justin is going to be transferred to the Shepherd Center tomorrow morning! Hooray!! This is such exciting news for us! And let me tell ya, this news couldn't have come soon enough! Read on to find out why...

Justin was moved from CCU down to an "intermediate" room today. This is one step above a regular room in that it has a bit more supervision. (and I stress a bit!) This is both good and bad. It's good in the sense that he's actually well enough to be moved to a less intense area of the hospital. The bad is two-fold. One is the move itself freaked him out somewhat by taking him from familiar surroundings and nurses that he had grown comfortable with. This got him all out of sorts and made him extremely agitated. This in turn forced the new nurse to restrain him to control him. The other is he now has less supervision in his new room and he was able to untie his restraints several times today. Hopefully now that his nurse knows what an "escape artist" he is - her words, not mine - she'll keep an eye on him long enough for him to leave for Shepherd in one piece tomorrow.

Although Justin has been fairly down and depressed lately, he's still progressing nicely. They removed his tracheostomy so he's much more comfortable. Mom said that the nurse had him sitting upright in a chair for nearly an hour on two separate occasions today and he was able to feed himself fairly well. He hasn't wanted to eat at all lately so it was great news just to hear that he's eating at all. I believe his feeding tube will remain in his stomach for now, at least until he's eating more consistently on his own.

I'm going to meet my parents at the Shepherd Center tomorrow morning for his admittance and hopefully have a chance to ask some questions and see what the facility is like. I know this is going to be a rough road for Justin these next several weeks but this place has a great reputation so I have faith that he's in good hands and he'll make great progress.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:34 PM

Newspaper article about Justin

I was surprised to learn that there is an article in today's Atlanta Journal and Constitution about Justin. If you subscribe to the paper it is in the Living section under Peach Buzz on page E2. It's entitled "Libby's celebrates beloved server's recovery". You can also view it on the web at ajc.com but it will probably only be available today. I've copied the text of the article below for anyone interested.

PEACH BUZZ / RICHARD L. ELDREDGE Libby's celebrates beloved server's recovery

Published on: 12/28/2005

The holidays have suddenly gotten a lot brighter over at Libby's Cabaret.

After a month spent languishing in a coma at DeKalb Medical Center, longtime Libby's server Justin Proctor is awake, and on Monday, with assistance, took a short stroll.

On Nov. 17, the lanky 25-year-old was involved in an auto-related accident that resulted in a fractured skull and a brain injury. Because of swelling, surgery was necessary to temporarily remove a portion of Proctor's skull. In the past month, the avid hockey fan also has battled back from staph-related pneumonia and a 104-degree temperature. On Nov. 30, he turned 25 while still in a coma.

"It truly was a Christmas miracle," Libby's namesake and owner Libby Whittemore told Buzz Tuesday.

"Justin is such a great kid. On staff, he's always doing something to make us laugh. Half the time I never know whether to laugh at him or spank him."

Normally, this time of year, with the cabaret's annual holiday show and New Year's Eve celebration with Whittemore's Southern-fried alter ego, Connie Sue Day (the 31st Lady of Country Music), packed houses are accustomed to laughing.

This year, Whittemore says all the regulars want nightly updates on Proctor. Thus far, customers and Proctor's co-workers have contributed more than $4,000 toward the uninsured waiter's mounting medical bills.

"It's been amazing," Whittemore says. "I'll look in the jar at the end of the night, and there'll be $100 bills and $50 bills and checks. The outpouring has been incredible."

Libby's kitchen staff continues to keep Proctor's family fed, while others have helped keep vigil at the hospital.

Proctor's sister, Amy Walters, is posting daily updates on his condition at her Web site, www.pixelbrat.com/blog.

While he's now recognizing loved ones and co-workers, Whittemore says Proctor still has a long way to go in his recovery and is scheduled to be admitted to the brain injury unit at the Shepherd Center in the coming days.

But he's already accumulated one Christmas present to open when he finally gets home. Whittemore scored him an Atlanta Thrashers jersey when she sang the national anthems Monday night at Philips Arena. "His Gwinnett Gladiators jersey was cut off of him the night of the accident," Whittemore explains. "So we all knew this would make a great gift for him."

I know I've said this many times before but it can't be expressed enough... We want to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers for Justin and our family. The donations we have received for him have been amazing and we are truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity shown by his co-workers, customers and friends. We can't begin to express our gratitude in words alone.

Posted by pixelbrat at 1:17 PM | Comments (1)

December 26, 2005

Day 40: Justin does a victory lap!

I don't mean to be a Grumpy-Gus but thank heaven Christmas is over! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the next person but it's certainly no fun when a loved one is in the hospital. Despite the icky circumstances my family and I made the best of it and had a nice time.

Justin has been doing fairly well, all things considered. On Christmas day he seemed in fairly good spirits and was able to carry on short conversations with Rob and I. (His speech is getting easier to understand as time goes by.) We even shared some good belly laughs while watching one of his favorite comedians on TV. I can't tell you how good it was to see Justin laughing!! Unfortunately, he is still experiencing some random confusion and memory loss on occasion but we're still thrilled to see how well he seems to be doing.

Today was a bitter sweet experience. On one hand he was extremely upset, depressed and angry and wanted nothing more than to go home. On the other hand his physical therapist got him out of bed and had him walking around the CCU area with a walker for about 10 minutes! Granted, he was being assisted by two attendants and did seem pretty unsteady but when you compare this to the coma he was in just 2 weeks ago it's astounding!! After his brief victory lap around the CCU nurses station they had him sitting upright in a chair for about 20 minutes. My mom, my aunt and I tried making conversation with him but he wanted nothing to do with it due to his mood. He was eager to get back in bed after this and quickly went to sleep shortly thereafter. It was great seeing him walking but heartbreaking at the same time knowing how down he was. I'm trying to look beyond that though. Deep down I know this is just part of the process that must take place for him to get better.

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:20 PM

December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:34 PM

December 22, 2005

Justin at day 36: Amazing improvements

I wasn't able to visit Justin today but my mom did and called me with great news! She said that when she rounded the corner to his room she saw him sitting up in bed feeding himself a slushie! Granted, he was missing his mouth much of the time but so what!!! This is lightyears from what I saw on Tuesday! They also switched his tracheostomy to the kind that lets him speak and he's able to talk a little. I'm told he's still extremely hard to understand right now due to some paralysis on the left side of his face but we're beyond thrilled that he's even able! Mom said he recognizes her and seems to remember things that happened days before the accident but not the accident itself. There's still a lot of confusion and short term memory loss as well. He is able to write some words but with some difficulty. The Occupational Therapist that's been working with him told my stepdad that he's doing really well. Hooray!

He has been evaluated by the Shepard Spine Center and they can probably take him in about 2 weeks. (They have a huge waiting list) What we're worried about now is the doctor releasing him from the hospital before Sheperd can take him... but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I plan on visiting him tomorrow so I'll be able to see all of this for myself. I'll try to do another update if there is more to report. I'll be sleeping much better tonight knowing he's doing so much better.

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:04 PM

December 20, 2005

Justin at day 34: Surgery and an unrelated rant

Justin had surgery today to replace the piece of skull that was removed when this nightmare started. Everything went fine. He seemed to be in a horrible amount of pain afterwards but the doctor tried to convince us it was just due to his confusion and frustration. I don't believe that. (He was grimacing and pointing to his head... you make the call.) Anyway, the doctor told us that he has definite memory problems as a result of the accident. He cannot remember things you told him a few minutes ago. This explains why he wakes up confused as though he doesn't know where he is and doesn't remember it when we tell him what happened. This really breaks my heart because I know he's scared and confused all the time and I want to make it better but can't. I can't imagine the fear he must experience every time he wakes up not knowing where he is or why all those tubes and wires are in him. It just kills me. The doc said this could last for months. 

On a positive note the doctor said he is making amazing progress and healing quicker than they expected. Surprisingly, they said he was just about ready to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. (Somewhere like the Shepherd Spine Center or Warm Springs) They advised us to have him evaluated by one of these facilities within a week. 

Now for my rant: When I got to the hospital this morning Rob paged me to tell me that one of my credit card numbers had been stolen and there were tons of fraudulent charges made. Unfortunately, we pay our bills electronically so we are not in the habit of checking our statements every month. (HUGE mistake!!!) There were almost $3,000 worth of fraudulent charges made before we caught it. I'm told I won't be held accountable for these charges but I'll be panicky until I see them removed. Learn from our mistake... ALWAYS CHECK YOUR STATEMENTS!!! To say I don't need this right now is a gross understatement. When it rains, it pours.

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:46 PM

December 19, 2005

Still so much more to overcome...

Just a quick lunch-hour post today because I feel I need to vent a little.... Hopefully it will make me feel better.

Although the thrill and relief of Justin waking up from his coma is still filling me with joy, I (and my family) now find there are many new hurdles to overcome. I went to see him yesterday. (Sunday) I see a very weak, confused and frustrated person who can't understand why he must be tied down. He is unable to speak but he was able to whisper the words "Why, why, why..." to my mother while pulling against his restraints. I can't tell you how heartbreaking this is. I fear that Justin's angry obstinance, and what we lovingly call "bullheadedness", is going to become a big problem in the days to come. The physical therapists were unable to work with him yesterday due to Justin "being mean". I know that we were told to expect this by his doctors. However, it's one thing to shake your head yes, and say that you understand what's to come and a whole other thing to see it in reality and accept it as truth. It seemed like such a very long and hard road getting to this point... I can't help but wonder just how much harder and difficult the road ahead will be. I still haven't mastered this thing called "patience". I just have to tell myself to take it one day at a time and trust that these doctors know what they are doing and it will all be alright in the end. All I know is I miss my brother and friend and desperately want him back.

Posted by pixelbrat at 12:41 PM | Comments (2)

December 17, 2005

The smile that brightened my day

My Aunt Debbie (who isn't really my Aunt but rather my mom's cousin, but that's what we grew up calling her) flew in from Denver today. I met up with her, my mom and my sister at the hospital to see Justin this afternoon. Aunt Debbie and I were visiting with Justin, each of us standing on either side of his bed. He opened his eyes, looked at my Aunt, then slowly looked over at me. Aunt Debbie says, "Justin, you're looking at us like you're wondering what the hell we're doing standing around staring at you. We can't help it, you're just so good looking!" and he smiled a faint little smile. It was the most beautiful smile I've seen in ages! I think I floated home. 

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:37 PM | Comments (2)

December 16, 2005

Justin at day 30: He's AWAKE!!!!

Justin is out of his coma!!! Mom called me around 1 PM with the news and Rob and I left work and headed for the hospital. To be honest, I don't think I truly believed my mother when she phoned to tell me but I saw it with my own eyes!! He's still extremely groggy but his eyes are open and he is definitely responding to commands!! He is unable to speak due to the tracheostomy but he can shake his head yes and no to questions and he can point to things. The poor guy is also vigorously trying to remove all of the tubes stuck in him. You can tell that he desperately wants out of that bed. For safety reasons they have his arms and legs somewhat restrained with straps but they were very loose this evening giving him a bit too much freedom. Even as a baby, Justin never liked to be wrapped up in blankets so I know it's driving him mad being restrained. We did our best to explain to him what had happened, where he was, and that he can't leave until he's better. We're unsure how much he could comprehend but I'm sure that will improve with time. I'm so thrilled to have him awake that I won't get greedy at this point.

We were able to talk to his neurosurgeon tonight and found out why he was having such high fevers all this time... Justin is apparently allergic to Dilantin. (anti-seizure medicine) As soon as they took him off of it his fevers were gone within 2 days. It's a good thing they caught this as apparently it can be life threatening. (Something called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) Thank God they figured it out.

His surgery is still scheduled for Tuesday. (12/20) The doctor told us that once his skull is put back in place the physical therapists will be able to work him more aggressively... even getting him out of the bed when he's strong enough. He will probably have to keep the tracheostomy in place for another 7-10 days, keeping him from speaking, but he mentioned a while ago that they can change it out to one that allows him to speak. We're not sure if they'll do that or not but I plan to ask tomorrow to find out. (Funny how you only think of good questions after the doctor is gone...) Anyway, I can't tell you how excited and relieved we all are!! We have been so scared that this day would not come. I think I'm still in shock. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers!! This has been the best Christmas present imaginable!!

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:15 PM | Comments (3)

December 14, 2005

Justin at day 28

First off, my apologies for being slack in my blog updates lately. Justin is at a stage where there isn't a whole lot of change to report on most days. And, admittedly, it's just hard to do sometimes even when there is something to report.

Overall, things seem to be going OK for now... albeit very slowly but we were warned this would be the case. (Now if I could just convince my brain of this!) Once again he is off of the ventilator and has been breathing on his own for the past couple of days which is great. His brain swelling has gone down considerably. The portion of his head where the bone is missing is sunken in A LOT!! His doctors have even scheduled surgery for the 20th to replace the portion of his skull that was initially removed. (This date could change but seems solid for now) His pneumonia seems to be doing much better and as a result his temperature has been at or close to normal the past few days. Unfortunately he is still wheezing and coughing and the nurses have to suction his lungs to help remove the funk.

I took off work early today to go see him but he seemed to be in a deep sleep when I got there. As a result mom and I were unable to get any kind of response from him. This was a bit of a bummer for me. He's been weighing heavy on my mind lately (i.e. more so than usual) so I really wanted that tiny bit of reassurance by seeing him move a little. No biggie, I guess. He seemed at peace and relaxed so I'll try to take comfort in that until my next visit.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:49 PM

December 8, 2005

Just a quick one tonight

It has been an exhausting couple of days so this entry will be short and sweet. A quick update on Justin, he has had a small set back. They had to put him back on the ventilator on Tuesday. After having such a steady streak of good news this really upset me.  I know this sort of thing should be anticipated but I guess we can't always prepare for the low points.  We went to see him last night and he's still moving around a lot and turning his head to follow voices so that helped me to feel a little better.

The funeral for my Aunt Helen was yesterday morning. It was a beautiful and touching service. Afterwards we met up at my Great Aunt Peggy's house where I saw family members that I hadn't seen in years. It's really a shame that we don't get together more often but it was a treat nonetheless.  I got quite a few photos that I plan to put on my website by the weekend but simply don't have the energy to tonight.  As a teaser I'll post a cute shot that Rob took.  From left to right is my sister Christy, my grandmother, my mother, and yours truly.  I'll try to get the others up by Saturday night.  Time for bed....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:40 PM

December 5, 2005

Even more good news but also some bad

Justin is off the ventilator and breathing entirely on his own now! I had to go back to work today so I didn't get to witness this for myself but mom says he's doing well.  He wasn't quite as responsive as before but all in due time.  Baby steps, I tell myself.

Unfortunately, this great news is met with some bad news. My Great Aunt Helen died of cancer last night. She was always so happy and funny to be around. It's so hard to believe that she's gone.  I have some cherished photos that I took of my Aunt Helen along with some of her sisters and brother. These were taken at my Grandmother's 80th Birthday celebration a few years ago.

From left to right: my Aunt Peggy, Aunt Shirley, Uncle Billy, my Grandmother,
and Aunt Helen is on the far right.

We love you and will miss you Aunt Helen. May you rest in peace now that you are no longer suffering.

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:42 PM

December 4, 2005

Justin at day 18: More good news!!

I just got home from the hospital and Justin is waking up somewhat! His nurse said that she was talking to him this morning and saw him moving a lot. She told him to open his eyes if he could and he opened one! He couldn't open his eyes while we were talking to him this afternoon but he was moving around a lot!! You could really tell that he knew we were there. He would move his head toward my mom when she talked. He was also moving his mouth as though he were trying to talk. The nurses were all so excited for us. This seems to be coinciding with how much his swelling has gone down. It is amazing how much is has changed in the last couple of days. They've removed the staples from his head so he's looking better too day by day. I can't wait to see how he progresses over the next few days!

Posted by pixelbrat at 5:17 PM | Comments (1)

Art: A good stress reliever

Since Justin has been doing so well lately (relatively speaking) I finally felt comfortable enough to take a break for some artwork.  There is a silver pendant I've been wanting to make so I dragged out my silver clay and went to work.  For those of you who aren't familiar with silver clay (also known as Precious Metal Clay or PMC) here's a quick explanation.  PMC is a clay like material made of 99.9% pure silver held together with an organic binder. You can mold, sculpt or carve the PMC into jewelry or anything you like. When the piece is dry you can fire it with either a torch or in a kiln. The firing process burns away the organic binder leaving only the pure silver behind. After a bit of polishing you have a finished piece.

I made the pendant you see below.  I just love the saying "Good Girl Gone Biker" and decided to use it along with my biker chick logo.  Pretty neat, huh?  It was a much needed stress reliever considering all that's going on right now.

Posted by pixelbrat at 12:39 PM | Comments (1)

December 2, 2005

Justin: Awesome news!!!

The nurse told us that Justin is breathing on his own!!! Now, I must clarify this by saying that he is not yet off of the ventilator, but the nurse said that he is definitely contributing his own breathing along with the machine. Isn't that amazing?!? It may be a bit longer before they dare attempt to remove him from the ventilator but knowing that he has the capability to breath on his own is stunning news! On top of that, one of his doctors was so impressed by the reduction of his brain swelling that he practically skipped out of the room! We are so excited to hear this news that trying to express it in words is just impossible. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers... they are working!

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:09 PM | Comments (3)

December 1, 2005

Justin at day 15: A wee bit of good news!

Things are still progressing. Slowly of course, but progressing. Justin had a minor procedure today to add a "PEG" (sp?) line to his stomach. PEG stands for some long medical term that I can't hope to pronounce, much less spell. Anyway, this allows them to remove the feeding tube from his throat and feed him directly into a little port on his stomach. This in itself was good news because the doctors felt he was stable enough to endure that sort of procedure. This should make him much more comfortable not having a tube down his throat. Fortunately it went smoothly with no problems.

While my mom and I were talking to the doctor about the procedure we asked about his brain swelling. He reiterated what we'd heard from a nurse a couple of days ago in that it had improved. This is where the good part comes... he said that if things continue along the same track they might be able to put the piece of skull back in place in about a month! Now, I know that doesn't seem like much but you have to understand how these doctors have been all this time... They've been extremely tight-lipped about making any predictions at all due to his initial bleak prognosis. Before now they have answered most questions with "It's way too soon to tell." and "Baby steps! This will be a long and slow battle." To hear that they feel he's improving enough to talk about replacing the skull piece in a month is music to our ears! 

Of course, we know that things could still go wrong between now and then so we're not relaxing completely, but when you have precious little to get excited about things like this beg for just a bit of jubilation.

 

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:13 PM | Comments (2)