Barry Updates in Boulder

WEEK TWO
Week two began with a phone call early on Sunday morning. The attending nurse in the intensive care unit woke us all up with the message that Barry was responding to commands. She asked him to hold up two fingers and he did. Barry was waking up. And this was several days earlier than we had expected.

Barry's week started like a little kid going through his terrible twos and so his arms had to be restrained to keep him from removing the monitors and picking at his head. He was moving legs and arms on both sides which was a very good sign. He tended to prop his right leg up on the side rail of the bed as if he was going to get up out of the bed. He was probably just trying to find some comfort from a very uncomfortable position of laying flat on his back the total time. During the week the doctors had to fight pneumonia, an ulcer and a staff infection in his blood. The pneumonia was expected because he was not able to cough to clear his lungs. The staff infection was probably a consequence of a sinus infection that he had before the accident.

A funny story a day or two into the week. While, one of two nurses was asking Barry to hold up one finger, then two fingers and then three fingers, the other nurse said, "Oh heck, just flip her off". And he did.

Barry was moved into another room with a window during the week and he progressed through the week to eventually being able to have the ventilator tube down his throat removed. This was a big milestone because it meant that his body was functioning on its own. During the week he was talking more but softly and able to grasp your hand. And he definitely was able to recognize whoever came into the room. There were several momentous events during the week, one I will not mention and the other was that he began to cough.


We were at the hospital day and night

An activity that started just prior to the arrival of Heidi was a collage of pictures for Barry's room of all the family and friends waiting Barry's recovery.

Quemoc was always
there to critique

Jay is an addition to the pictures
Some beautiful people

Some tough times were spent inside the hospital watching Barry's progression. During the second week, they were limiting the activity inside his room. During his first week while he was in a coma, we were all congregating in his room because we couldn't really disturb him. But when Barry began to be more aware of his surroundings and his senses became more acute the visiting was cut down to ten minutes every hour for up to two visitors. They were closely monitoring his cranial pressure, blood pressure and temperature and the more limited activity was very beneficial for Barry.


We will have to see this drawing
that Heidi was working on

Excitement?
Britney came by to visit

Crosswords were also a
popular pastime outside
As well as dinner

Brotherly love
The collage of pictures
nearing completion

Janice, Bill and Tyler showed up for the weekend

Cozy?

Kevin and I drove straight from San Jose, leaving on Friday afternoon and arriving Saturday afternoon
At the end of the second week on Saturday, the young adults participated in a kickball game at the park across the street from the hospital.
On one team was Kevin, Jeremy,
Bryan, Mari and Effie
And on the other team are Colby,
Dre, Ralph, Jill and Nate
You tell them, Mari

Blocking was allowed on the basepaths
But unsure who is blocking who because the fielders were the ones with the beer in one hand

Dre is about to kick Kevin's delivery

And Kevin is about make
his own delivery
Effie and Jeremy are
enjoying the sunset
And the game ends in a pyramid
Click HERE for Week 3.