marylou

Thanks guys, this is heartening. For whatever reason, he knows I can't break him out, so sometimes I think I see the somber side a bit more. He is definitely way more lucid than ever though. You cheer me up. PS. Mark that is huge news. I didn't ask him that exact question today, but that is one of the big milestones right now.

I'm going to be away that day too. Maybe all of us who can't make it should be levied a $25 voluntary fine into Kurt's trust account.

I've had a couple of very brief visits with Kurt lately. He has not been 'perky', but he has been quite lucid. Kinda subdued, but his memory is getting better, even with some of the short term stuff. I wish I had more to report, but he seems to be stabilizing, at least to my eyes, and that's a good thing.

I have not been in to see Kurt since Thursday, but I've spoken with a few people who have, including both his dad and Mark today. From what I have gathered, he is very up and down right now. Anywhere from good old Kurt to a crabby rambly guy with a head injury. He still seems to be going through the transitional phase that started with a three day bad mood last weekend. At the request of his family, continue to keep visits brief and positive. I hope to see him tomorrow for a few minutes and will try to share more after that. He is progressing, by all accounts, but he is still at least partly in a difficult phase. If you are able to contribute financially, please put a few bucks in his trust fund, he's going to need help with the bills. Recovery, from what I have learned, with head trauma patients, takes time, and in the best of scenarios even, it's pretty considerable. Kurt is self-employed and single, so he will really need our help. On a personal note, I must say that I have been really touched by the emails and calls I have received from his friends. Thank you. I have passed on your kind words to his parents and sister, and they really appreciate it. They are holding up pretty heroically through this. I've also been able to share your sentiments with Kurt. One example was that Muffy contacted me expressing her concern and support. I passed it on to Kurt and he was tickled to hear that she cared enough to do so. Stuff like that is good for him to hear, especially since we can't all visit right now. I love being able to pass it on to him, and it Kurt is genuinely happy to know how much we all care. Forgive me for being overly sappy, he can use all the love and good vibes he can get. Go Kurt!! Allison

Thanks for the link. I surfed over to her blog, which is fascinating.

Kurt's still spraying, he just doesn't have internet access at the hospital.

Yesterday and today, Kurt showed marked improvement. Today he was downright chipper! (pun intended) He's watching a lot of TV and visiting and cracking jokes. His mom tells me that it will help his brain rewire if he interacts with people from all facets of his life, so if you've thought of visiting, maybe it's time. Short visits are still the order of the day, and he is most comfortable with only one or two people at once, otherwise he can easily get overloaded. He still has a huge long way to go, but he is making some really impressive progress. Go Kurt!!

I'm pretty sure that would be 'Ezra'. Now shag your ass down to the bank!

In my experience, people either really like them or don't. There seems to always be a market for them somewhere, so it might just be about what is out there already. Personally, I don't care for them, however, the long zipper (I call it 'burrito loader') like you see on the Granite Gear packs is really functional. If you eliminate the back lid, a couple of pockets with bellows or spandura on the sides behind where your ears are if the pack is on, are an excellent substitution. I actually prefer this design to a pack lid. That said, all my packs are top-loaders.

Kurt's hanging in there. His brain swelling is way down, but he's still pretty grouchy. At the request of his parents, if he doesn't seem to be enjoying your visit, you should leave. Keep visits short, use common sense. Tomorrow is another day.....

Aye, that would be D'artanian. Looks kind of like a wedding cake in person, very purdy. I spelt it wrong, but you get my drift.

She doesn't seem to mind, either. I hope Gary bought her a nice dinner or something.

Kurt was pretty irritable again today, though his neurology team says that is pretty standard fare for a person with a bad head injury. He's on the defiant side of things, and is not inclined to believe a lot. There is a dark cloud in his head, unusual for a guy who typically has such a bright outlook on life. I told him I'd been visiting every day, and he refused to believe it. He's a crazy guy! He is able to drink water now. He needs to use a straw and drink sllooowly. Good luck with that last part. Be sure he's sitting up. Other info on eating and drinking are on the wall on a yellow paper behind the bed.

I wish they'd allow people to use their ATCs at the VW. I hate those #%!!! grigri things. I have, on many occasions, belayed through my ATC at VW when out of sight of the front desk. Thanks for sharing your story. I hate Grigris, but never realized just how easy to drop someone with one.

Kurt was pretty hard to deal with today. Tomorrow will be a better day. He was moved to another floor today, so check at the information desk on the first floor of the west wing of the hospital. He seems to always have a rough day after they move him. Tomorrow is bound to be better.

I THINK HE WOULD LOOK HAWT IN A CHEERLEADER UNIFORM. C'mon, anyone have a nice big one they can bring to the hospital? Hell, he has a head injury, he'd never even remember!!

YES. GO VISIT.

Good day today. Kurt had a rough morning from what I hear, but by afternoon he was in excellent spirits. He was very funny, and memory was good. They have had to keep him restrained until today, and he's a lot more comfortable now. He just has a little seatbelt now to keep him from unscheduled wandering. We tried shaving again today. He did it himself, and he did a little better job than when I did it, though without a mirror he missed a few spots. He gave me a ration of shit about how I needed to treat him with 'respect' and how he was going to teach me about that, *snerk* and said 'exactly' a lot, a classic Kurtism. He was damn funny, and we both had fun. It was just the two of us for a couple of hours. Jack came by and shot some video for our amusement, and Vern and Priscilla were being entertained by Kurt when I took off. His sister is flying down from Alaska today, I'm sure Kurt's going to be thrilled to see her. He is eating pureed things and thickened juice. If he sees you with a water bottle, he's going to try and convince you to give him some. Do not be talked into it, he can choke on water. He gets his water through an IV for the time being. Also, be sure to sign in on the 'Kurt's visitors' notebook, it's a great way for other visitors to see progress and know how much visitation he's had for the day. If he gets irritable, it usually means he needs to take a nap.

Jordan So glad you guys hooked up tonight. Your arrival has been advertised for days. Smuggling him out to get drunk has been a reccuring theme lately.

We had a trying half hour or so when I tried to give him a shave. Hey, it looked so easy when I saw one of the nurses do it. He was a big handful today. More improvement, and he's remembering everyone's name. Lots of visitors, I think he will be all worn out and will sleep like a baby tonight. I second the business about him being exhausting.

Hey friends, Another pretty big day for Kurt. He pulled his feeding tube out today (that's three days in a row) so the therapist did a 'swallow test' to see if he could instead have a regular liquid diet, AND HE PASSED. Right on!!!! So no more feeding tube. Yesterday, I brought him a copy of the picture from Pub Club, and I asked him to read the sign in front of everyone. He said, 'Get Well Kurt'. This is a pretty big deal for a guy with a head injury. He read a little bit more today with his speech therapist, but he made a big revelation in the last day or so and can really just focus on that mainly. He still doesn't know where he is, but he knows he's hit his head and he has to recover from that. Unprompted, he said he knows he might have to do some different things outdoors for a while and that's okay. With this new awareness, he knows he is having to relearn things, but he's frustrated and his brain is working overtime. It's a huge advance, but it's a lot do deal with for him intellectually and emotionally. He gets overwhelmed by this at times. The great thing about it though is that he is learning he has limits and can tell you if you need to go and let him rest. They have moved him into a more permanent room, just him, and with a view of Elliot Bay. I left an envelope by the window with some 8 x 10 headshots of people, with their names written on them. He has a really hard time with names, so if you want to add one, feel free. Make it a close-up shot with the face easily recognizeable. There is also a steno pad labeled 'Kurt's visitors' that you may write anything you wish in. It might be a handy way to track some of his progress. Keep the candle lit for him. Allison

Naaaww...alter ego.

Today's gems: "Nice tits!" "When you see Kurt, tell him Feck says he's a total chickenshit and he ought to act more like a man and less like a fucking chickenshit." Feck? FECK? That YOU?

MattP came up with a good term for digital darkrom work last night. If one needs to do that sort of work, the image is said to be "Yngve'd". As in, I got a nice shot of MattP last night at Pub Club, but his third eye did not show up clearly in the picture, so I Yngve'd it back in.

Late in the afternoon, he was quite chatty, and is remembering all kinds of random things. He's doing a little pain medicine, but not as much as he was. He said that his head hurt a bit sometimes, but they are doing a good job with keeping him comfortable. The nurse cautioned me about prompting him too much to remember things, and he answered a lot of questions and got most of the answers right. He also directed the conversation himself a lot, and that's the first time he seemed able to do that. He's responding to commands like "wiggle your toes" and thinks we ought to go ski Daniel some time. Boy is definitely improving.