Day 1 - Accident- 1:30 - unconscious, lacerated tongue, fractured wrist, broken collar, broken elbow, closed head injury.
Day 2 - Unconscious, on oxygen, intravenous and catheter.
Day 3 - Still unconscious
Day 4 - Seizure, clogged oxygen tube.
Day 5 - Opened her eyes briefly. Seems to recognize me.
Day 6 - Awoke for a longer period of time. Seems to recognize sister. Does not speak, still has oxygen.
Day 7 - Awoke for a longer period of time. Swollen arm from artery injection, which delays surgery on arm. Intravenous still on. Antibiotics given for infection in right arm. Confused. Still does not speak, but whispers words. Prints the odd word but words are scrambled and do not make much sense. Oxygen reduced.
Day 8 - Awoke more and is beginning to show some signs of recognition. Oxygen is discontinued. Confused, sore neck, still does not speak. Surgery on arm at about 5:00pm, all went well, oxygen removed.
Day 9 - Awake more, still not speaking. Recognizes Dad. Does not remember accident. Understands where she is after being told. Still not speaking.
Day 10 - Awake more, drinking, eating some soft food. No voice yet but whispers a little. Receives antibiotics in pill form. May remove intravenous. Propped up with pillows. Still not up yet.
Day 11 - Removed catheter, eating a little solid food. Was up to the bathroom with help. She is very weak. Mentally she is unchanged, Awake more but she tires easily.
Day 12 - A little stronger physically, no changes mentally. Eats very little. Had a small therapy session - very weak. Does not speak, cannot remember sometimes that she has children.
Day 13 - Awake more, up in the wheelchair. Eating better with assistance. Knows me. Goes to bathroom if guided but in the night when she gets up, she is disoriented and gets into a bed in another room. First therapy session - very tired.
Day 14 - Second session of therapy - much stronger. Eating a little better with assistance. Very angry when we insist that she wear the sling on her arm. Walking very slowly and balance is off. Starting to speak - "no", "Mom" etc. and is able to write the odd word, but sometimes repeats a word. Does not know what day it is or the year. Still very confused. Arm is still in sling - collar bone & shoulder injury does not look quite right.
Day 15 - Walks a little better, sits. Speaks very little and is very restless. Seems to be able to read some words.
Day 16 - No real changes.
Day 17 - Speaks the odd word. Still very confused. Puts words together better but very faintly. Does not know birthdays, ages of children etc. Knows names of children, knows me. Insists upon walking around without the sling on her arm and takes elastic bandage and 1/2 cast off. Gets very angry when I insist that she put these things back on. Moved to Rehabilitation Unit in the morning.
Day 18 - Speech very slowly improving. Still very confused. A little stronger physically, Doctors expect Gayle will be there for at least three months. The first two weeks for assessment to see how much we can expect her to recover.
Day 19 - Bruce came to visit (Her ex-husband) Gayle knew him. She knows most of her family and friends by name. Eating a little better. Very restless and confused. Gets angry and insists upon taking the 1/2 cast off her arm. Occasionally punches and hits when I don't cooperate. I have requested that the seizure medicine be discontinued.
Day 20 - Doctors will start decreasing the seizure medicine today. She is speaking more. She knew Suzie (good friend of family) Sometimes Gayle packs all of her clothes to go home. She recognizes people in photos.
Day 21 - She was becoming very angry and wanted to go home. She was scratching and hitting the nurses. Also found scissors and cut the bracelet off her arm. Doctors will be putting her on medicine to quiet her down. I had hoped the medicine would not be necessary.
Day 22 - Brian (Gayle's brother) went to see Gayle, she knew him and introduced him to the nurses as her brother and that he was a psychiatrist (he is not). Still wants to come home. She gets out to the elevator and pushes the button. She will definitely be given medication today to calm her down. She has made two collect calls to me asking me to bring her home. She spoke to Krissy and told her that she loves her. The doctors feel that this period will last about one week and then she may realize that she must stay there for awhile.
Day 23 - Took her children to visit. She knew them but she is very agitated - punching, scratching, wants the bracelets removed from wrist (this bracelet is a locator bracelet). Wants to go home.
Day 24 - Endoral given to calm Gayle down. She is to be taken off her seizure medicine.
Day 25 - Much calmer
