Another Good Day

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to let everyone know that Randy and I had a great night last night.  We got 3 of the 5 unedited DVD's of the Benefit Concert from Matthew, and Randy got to watch them for the first time.  He really lit up like a Christmas Tree when he watched them.  He understood that all of the musicians were there playing for him, and that everyone involved is wishing him a speedy recovery.  I can't explain how emotionally touched he was, or how excited he was.  He seemed spellbound and fascinated.  These DVD's will be something that Randy and I will treasure always.  Matthew is in the process of editing, and condensing them.  He will try and get it down to two DVD's, and when he is finished, I will let you know.  This may take a little while, so please be patient.

For MORE GOOD NEWS...Randy had a terrific day today! The wind may have been a bother to the rest of the world, but it didn't seem to bother Randy! I am not sure if this is the result of watching the DVD's or not, but he had a super good day.  They have now bumped his diet up to pureed foods, which means that it stays in the spoon well enough that he was able to feed HIMSELF!  (And he really shoveled it in!)  He drank his milk without help from an uncovered glass, without any spills!  He did the same at supper time, eating everything on his plate!  Mom and Diane and Denise have told him that we can bring in some "real food" for him, because he is not fond of pureed hot dogs, or beets, or some of the other stuff they call "food!"  I know he is anxiously awaiting some home-cooked food.  

He went to physical therapy, and his therapist reported that he did a good job, and verbally said "Ouch" when it hurt.  In Occupational therapy, he was able to correctly choose the appropriately colored peg, and put it in the hole.  He successfully completed all of his tasks in that area.  By the time that the Speech therapist came in, he was full from supper, and was really fading fast, but he was able to identify pictures and words with about 75% accuracy.  I am pretty sure that he would have done much better if he wasn't so tired!  His speech therapist reports that she thinks that we will soon be able to up him "soft foods."  Diane told Randy that "Felisha says you're having a good day!" and Randy replied "So far, so good!"  It is so good to hear him talking more.  It is still slow with the vocals, but he is getting there!

By the time we got him back in his bed, he was exhausted, and fell fast asleep.  He didn't even flinch when they gave him his evening shots. (He is still on a blood thinner and insulin.)  Overall, today was a good, productive day.  He seemed to be more like the Randy we all know.  His level of comprehension was very high today.  Earlier today, I showed him some pictures of aneurysms and the coiling process, and explained further about his injuries and surgeries and procedures.  He listened intently, and nodded his head as though he was totally understanding the whole thing.  I explained that we know that some of the therapy may seem childish to him, but we have to reconnect some of the paths that may have been damaged, and that we needed these childish things to help him build coordination skills.  He seems to understand this.  

Randy is an amazing person, and I love him so, and am so very, very proud of him and his progress.  I hope you all continue to pray, and to cherish each and every moment with your loved ones.  I think this is what life is all about.  

Until next time,

Felisha

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the delay in writing, but I've had so much to do lately.  Randy's recovery is coming along fine, but it has taken some time for us to learn the ropes at the new facility.  He is meeting with physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy on a regular basis now.  We are seeing some improvements, but as we know, this is a slow process.  He is able to use his right hand pretty good now, and can sometimes feed himself.  He drinks well with his right hand.  He is still gaining on his left hand, but doesn't seem to have as much control and strength on the left side.  He is able to move his toes on the left side, and sometimes the ankle.  He can move his right foot pretty good, but it is pretty painful for him.  He seems to have pain in both knees, and in his neck/shoulders.  I am pretty sure this is both from arthritis, and therapy, not to mention the lack of use over the last couple of months.  He enjoys looking at books, though I am not quite sure he is reading yet.  He can identify colors pretty good, and we are working on shapes and other motor skills.  His long term memory is great.  He seems to know almost everything that was going on in our lives before he got sick.  His short term memory is improving.  Last week, he couldn't seem to remember what happened the day before, or even what happened earlier in the day, but I have noticed this week, that he remembers some of the things I tell him for several days now.  I think this is remarkable improvement, considering that they still give him Adavan for anxiety, and that seems to really knock him out for a few hours.  I know this is going to be a long journey, but I know Randy is strong-willed, and will pull through this in time.  

I want to thank all of you that come by and visit with Randy.  I can certainly tell that having visitors helps to keep his spirits high, which in turn helps to keep him motivated.  It really makes a huge difference when there are people coming in and out.  (It also keeps the nurses on their toes!)  

I spoke with Debbie tonight regarding the Benefit Garage Sale.  She reports that we are gathering quite a bit, but we still need more.  If you have items to donate, please let her know, and she will arrange for FREE pick-up of items. Debbie can be reached at work, at 218-3292, or on her cell at 799-0453, or you can e-mail her at debbiemcbride@hotmail.com   We still aren't sure of the date yet, but as soon as I know, I will post it here.    Thank you, Debbie, for all your hard work on this project!  

AND...While I am thanking people, I know that there were MANY of you that helped out during the concert, and just in case we didn't thank you personally, please know that Randy and I appreciate everything that you all have done for us.  Words just CANNOT express how much that day meant to us, and we are greatful to have such good friends and family.

AND...While I am thanking, I won't forget now to thank God, for our many blessings.

Sweet Dreams,

Felisha

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick note to let everyone know how much we all appreciate Paul Goad and Matthew Wolfe for putting on a FANTASTIC Benefit Concert. The show was a huge success, and a GREAT time was had by all! Also, thank you to everyone that helped with posters, flyers, decorations, dinner and such. It was a very special day in my life, one I will NEVER forget! A special thank you goes out to ALL of the musicians that came and played for us. And also, thank you to Joye Myers for staying with Randy during the benefit. RANDY AND I WILL NEVER FORGET, AND SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO PAY IT FORWARD!!

If you missed the concert, you missed a great event. Thanks to Lonzo Lasiter (ENMU) for recording over EIGHT HOURS of video. Lonzo and Matthew are in the process of putting this footage to DVD. Many of you have asked to get a copy of it. I am not sure at this time, but I think we we will be selling these videos with the proceeds to go to the Randy Miller Expense Fund. I will post more details on the videos when I get them.

Also, Debbie McBride is currently accepting donations for the Randy Miller Benefit Garage Sale. We are planning to have one huge garage sale, as soon as we can get enough stuff together. We don't have a date set for the sale yet, because we don't have many items gathered yet. If you have any garage sale items to donate, please let us know. We would be happy to pick up the items from your house! So, take a look around your house, and see what you can dig up to donate to the sale! Feel free to contact me at felisha@portales.com, or call Debbie McBride, or call any family member!

I have some other people I want to thank publicly, so please bear with me at this time.

• The people I work with at NM Workforce Connection, for being so understanding, and allowing me to take the time off to be with Randy. I know what a hardship this has been, and I appreciate you holding my position for me. Also to Prestige Carpets for being so supportive.





• Roosevelt County Fire Department-for responding so quickly to my 911 call. (This is NOT the first time I have called on them, and BOTH TIMES they were there in a FLASH!)





• Roosevelt General Hospital-for the rapid diagnosis, and for getting him to Lubbock in a timely manner.
  




• Lubbock Covenent Medical Center and the ENTIRE TEAM of Drs., Nurses, and Staff. They are an awesome team, and were very attentive to all of our needs!

• St. Anthony's Healthcare - Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility- for making the transistion from urgent care to long-term care possible.

I am sure there are others that I have forgotten to mention, but on closing now, I wish to publicly add the following:

I THANK GOD, EVERYDAY--

1. That we live in the United States of America, where the technology that saved Randy's life is present.




2. For blessing Randy and I with an incredible family, extended family, friends, and community.




3. For the many miracles and evidence of His existence.




4. For hearing and answering our prayers.




5. For allowing ME to witness these miracles.

GOD DOES GREAT WORK! Just ask any of us.

Randy is doing well today, and is especially happy when people are visiting with him. It seems to give him the drive to continue. Again, thank you all!

Love,

Felisha

Hello everyone!

I apologize for the delay in posting. It has taken a little while to get Randy settled in at our new location. We are now at St. Anthony's Rehabilitation/Nursing Facility located on West 21st Street, in Clovis, Room 216. Randy is doing quite well at this time, and seems to be totally aware of everything that is going on. He is aware of his location, and is aware of his condition. He seems to recognize everyone that visits with him, and he responds well to our questions and conversations. I think having visitors and support from family and friends has really boosted his spirits. He doesn't seem as angry/depressed and confused as he was in Lubbock. We had our first visit with his new doctors office, and got his medication and dietary orders going again. We will be participating in physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy today.

As far as progress, I can see many changes in the past week or so. He uses his right hand much better, and even uses it to wipe his mouth with his napkin while feeding. He scratches his nose quite often, and has even been feeling his head, and scratching and rubbing his incision areas.

On Easter Sunday, he spoke to the nurse, saying "No" to one of her questions. Later that afternoon, he spoke and said "I love you" after I told him I love him. We were not sure if these were just automatic reflex responses, or intentional conversation. On Monday, when we were trying to get him settled in to the new facility, he spoke again, and this time he told Diane "I'm hungry!" This was NOT in response to a question! We are all relieved and excited to see and hear this! We feel confident that with some time and speech therapy, his voice and speech will be fine.

As far as his legs, we aren't making as much progress. He still has some movement, but not quite as much as before. He still wiggles his toes for us, and can shake his right leg around some. Not as much on the left side at this time. The occupational therapist has asked the family to start approaching him on his left side, which should help him to start using that side a little better. They have also asked us to bring in photos and cards that might have some meaning to Randy to keep his spirits high, and to keep his memory active.

Plans for the benefit concert are in full swing!! Paul and Matthew are doing an outstanding job of putting together one of the best concerts you could ever hope to attend. Thanks to everyone that has helped with this project! We have posters and flyers distributed throughout Clovis, Portales, Melrose and the surrounding area. It looks to be one of the best concerts you would ever want to attend. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT! For times and locations, click on the link under our picture.

I probably won't have time to blog again until after the concert, as I have a lot on my plate with our grandson's first birthday plans, the concert, and my eye infection. It certainly keeps me BUSY!

Thanks for your patience. I can certainly tell when I am not blogging, because my phone starts ringing off the hook!

As always, we appreciate your calls of concern and prayers. Please understand if we don't have the time to get back with you as soon as you call. We are all doing our best to get settled in.

Love always,
Felisha

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

Just a note to let you all know that things are still improving. We now have his trach capped off, and we are no longer on oxygen. He is on a full liquid diet, and is enjoying his iced tea! He has even had chicken broth and ice cream! As far as I know, as of tonight, we are still on schedule to move to Clovis tomorrow sometime. (But as we all know, this is subject to change.)

We had a pretty lazy day today. The weather made us both pretty sleepy. Physical therapy didn't come by today, so we weren't able to get up into the wheelchair. He is able to reach up to the top of his head with his right hand, and was trying to scratch his scar from the first shunt surgery. I had to explain what all was happening up there, to keep his hands off it. He inquired about the shape of his head. The swelling is down now, and he has two large indentions in his head. (They still haven't put the bone flaps back in. They said this would happen in a few more weeks.) After I explained to him why it was shaped that way, he seemed to be all right with it. I can tell that he is still a bit worried, though. Understandably so.

I hope the next time I blog, it will be from a Clovis location!

Love to all,
Felisha

Friday-The First Day of SPRING!

Good Morning,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that they have capped off his trach tube, and he is doing well with it at this point! They are supposed to do a swallow test sometime today. Depending on how well he does with that, we will know more about how long we will be on the trach. This could be a quick process, or a slow one, depending on how well Randy responds. He had a small temperature 100.2, this morning. This is the first time it has been elevated in over a week. They didn't seem concerned, but are going to run some lab work, to see if there might possibly be an infection in his catheter. It appears that we are still set to move to Clovis on Monday, if all continues to go well.

Thanks to everyone for thier love, prayers and support!
Love,
Felisha

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry you guys haven't heard from me in a few days. We kind of got excited about moving to Clovis, and sent the RV to storage, and my computer sent back to Clovis. The moving process got delayed, and I developed a bachache that needed some serious rest. Thanks Mom, for everything! But I am doing better now, and am thrilled to finally have a closer date for our estimated move! I got word today, that we will be trying to wean him from his trach tube tomorrow. We will watch it over the weekend, and make sure there are no complications in this area. (This also gives him time to finish out his antibiotics.) They are planning to do a "swallow test" tomorrow, and see what we need to do to progress in that area. If he has no difficulties by Monday, we will try to transport him to Clovis. As we all know, this is TENTATIVE, and subject to change at any given moment, for any given reason!

We got Randy up in his wheelchair for a while today, and did a little physical therapy. Not too much at a time, but mostly just moving his joints around. This morning he was able to mouth the words "I love you", but I couldn't get him to do it again for me. He can stick his tounge out justs a little bit. (Before this happened, he could touch the tip of his nose with his tounge! Can you??!!) The swelling is down quite a bit on the left side of his head, and his left foot is swollen some. The swelling is not down as much, but the right foot isn't swollen much.

He seems to be bored most of the time. Happy spurts, but mostly bored, and he chooses not to answer me from time to time. (I think he gets tired of my company or something!) I am sure this will get better when we take the trach tube out, and we can turn his hands loose. I just can't imagine how hard it is to be restrained all the time. I loosen it up when I am right there with him, but even when I am watching him close, he still tries to pull at his tubes, wires and such.

Again, thank you all for staying tuned. I will continue to post as often as I get the chance. It's just not as easy as it was before. Also, please continue to pray with me. I can tell our prayers are being answered!

Much love to all,
Felisha