October 3

Until yesterday (October 2) Quintin was still at the specialty hospital he moved to in July. For over a month there has been talk of moving him to a foster care home but each time, right when we think we’re ready to go, something delays the move (various infections, etc). The last couple of weeks he’s had fevers that are likely due to neurological causes. The area of his brain that was injured is in the area that controls temperature regulation. The move was pushed back once again in hopes of getting that stabilized before the transition. He is on a long-term ventilator, also in preparation for the eventual move. For the most part he breathes fine on his own, but this vent is set to kick in if he needs it.

Yesterday his left pupil was very dilated and wasn’t responding as it should, so he was sent to Legacy Emanuel for a CT scan. The scan looked ok, which is a big relief. It’s possible that when one of his nurses administered a medicine he gets orally, some it could have accidentally been dropped into that eye and caused the dilation. It could also be a reaction to that medication in general, so he's been off it since this morning to see if that does the trick. At Emanuel they decided to do an overall check up and lab tests also. His sodium levels are a bit low and he has a minor infection that they want to watch, so he’s been admitted into the ICU again. It’s not a big deal, they just have better equipment, can take regular blood draws, etc. We’re actually glad to have him there, where we know so many of the doctors and nurses, and where we know he’ll get excellent, comprehensive care.

Two weeks ago when Beverly was commenting to the nurse that Quintin looked extremely alert, the nurse asked him to stick his tongue out. Within 5 seconds he stuck his tongue out. The nurse let him rest a couple of minutes and told him that we could see that he was not only able to hear us but to also do something intentionally. Then she asked that he do it again so we would know that he could hear us. And he did. He hasn't done it again for the past two weeks, but it is a start toward waking up. Also when we move his limbs to keep his joints fluid, we notice that he has gotten stronger leg muscles. Two months ago when we moved him he did not respond nearly as well as he does now.

Gretchen made a beautiful book of photos of Quintin and friends (thanks Gretchen!) that we’ve spent a lot of time showing him in the last few days. Obviously he doesn’t have his contacts in at the moment but if you really get the book in his face it feels like he’s looking at it.

Thanks everyone for your continued love and support.