On Thursday, Dad traveled by ambulance to the neurologist's office for an appointment. He was accompanied by 2 EMTs and a Drake RT. Mom rode in the front seat of the ambulance and I met them there. This already-complex situation became even more complicated when there was a fire next door at UC Hospital which created a detour.
The appointment itself was rather straight forward: history and physical assessment followed by a recommendation for a follow-up EMG at the end of the month and a follow-up appointment with a Neuromuscular specialist.
Dr Karamchandani stated, "There is not an order that things come back online. There is no way to predict the timeline. Continued improvement is always a good sign. As a general rule we won't know the full extent of recovery until 1 year to 1 ½ years out." He repeated multiple times that Dad is showing good improvement. He encouraged Dad to continue to be aggressive about weaning and stressed the importance of supportive care in preventing bed sores, infections, and blood clots.
Dad had to leave 2/3 of the way through the appointment because the transporters had run out of oxygen in their tanks and needed to get him back to the main supply in the ambulance. Their vent system felt different to him and he needed to be on 100% oxygen the entire time (normally on 30%). Dad was rather uncomfortable on the gurney and didn't have much to say during the appointment, even though we traveled with his laser light and big letter board. Mom and I remained behind and finished the consultation. Jennifer (MA? PA?) made the follow-up EMG appointment and told us, "I believe that I have heard of Mr. Parsley before but not by name...was Ben Kleindorfer working on a call light for him?" We are glad that others are investing in his story. I asked the Dr. if there was any possibility of his being in a clinical study or being the subject of a research paper. He approved of the suggestion and said he would definitely look into the possibility.
When he was settled back at Drake I said, "I bet you never thought you'd be excited to get back in this bed," and he smirked. I asked him what he thought of the appointment and he spelled, "I only listen credibly to those who forecast a 3-week cure. I was sort of counting on dancing on my birthday (Oct 16th), so much for willpower. I am not impressing them with my breathing yet. Actually, there were three days I fell back to vent but otherwise I was off vent. I could do full days if it weren't party central. My primary goal of late is to improve my status."
I had to return to Fort Wayne shortly after getting him settled, but told him that now that I've carried his spare medical supplies in my purse, our relationship had jumped to a new level. He shrugged and smiled and told me that he was glad I had come. Glad to be there, Dad. Keep up the hard work and prove them wrong. ;)
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