Every once in a while, I marvel at how many balls can be kept in the air at one time. Sue is feeling overwhelmed, and I can’t blame her. I see her stress. She fights migraines and tension headaches almost on a daily basis. Neither of us see any signs of relief. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Just maintaining our household has become more than we ever expected.
Letter to Medical Director:
Thank you all for the input on the letter Paula Yocom drafted on my behalf. I have taken these recommendations and included some in the letter. Others I have made note and will use during the upcoming meeting. I’ll need to keep my emotions in check.
I still haven’t heard back from Adult Protective Services. We left it that he would call me yesterday. Ahhhhh… another day of stress.
Nutrition:
We — and by “we”, I mean Sue — have added yams to Ryan’s diet. I had no idea they were so good for people. Then again, I always ate mine with a ton of brown sugar and marshmallows. A little turkey gravy spilling into them doesn’t offend the taste buds either.
Arm:
Ryan shows no apparent signs of discomfort from the broken arm. We treated it for the first 48 hours with ice and elevation. Every 4 hours we do a complete inspection for any signs of skin breakdown.
The Orthopedic doctor wrote an Rx for a device called a “Bone Growth Stimulator“. I haven’t had the time to look into this at the depth I want, but it is either electrical impulse or ultrasound that stimulates bone healing.
Bone Growth Stimulator http://brandonshelly.blogspot.com/
Stander:
I use this so as much as possible now. Typically, Ryan is given two 2-hour sessions. One in the morning and one in the late afternoon. This simple piece of equipment helps his health in so many ways (digestion, respiratory, renal, blood flow), including maintaining bone density through the legs.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment:
We might be able to officially get Ryan back in the chamber for treatments later this week.
IBRF:
We might hear as early as Thursday from the doctors from the International Brain Research Foundation. What does this mean? It means we’ll hear from them any time AFTER Thursday.
MNS Stimulation:
We continue to treat Ryan with Medium Nerve Stimulation for ten hours a day. With the left arm splinted, we are only hooking him up on the right.
I’m so sorry again for what happened to Ryan, and the life changing day to day operations the family is going through. But I want to say, this family are truly a wonderful family to stand by their son day and night, hour after hour, min after min, never ceasing. God will surely bless you for this. Ryan feels the love too. He can’t talk to tell you but he knows. I will continue to pray for Ryan.
My wife has been keeping me up to date on Ryan and I decided to get on the computer to find out how things were progressing. Even though our situations are differant, it reminds me of mine very much and my heart aches for Ryan and your whole family. I admire your strength and love for your son and wish I could come to your rescue and give you some help and give you some rest. My son had a severe traumatic brain injury and we fought for him for five years. Hang in there and I know Ryan can do this. He is a beautiful young man! Please let me know if I can help by taking care of him!
Dear Divineys,
Each day when I read your posts I find myself uncovering multiple layers of love, inspiration, preparation, discovery, research, and immediate assessment that must be constantly monitored and addressed. I see several balls in the air but God seems to be keeping them in motion. No wonder you have trouble sleeping! There has never been a time to catch your breath and know that life is getting calmer. You persevere with such strength and courage. Each daily post is a draft of the story your family is living, and I’m hoping these drafts, complete with the emotional asides, will be compiled as a book. You capture your struggles beautifully, with raw feelings and family devotion. Thank goodness God has unlimited resources, because many days it seems as though you’ve used up His quota as traumas encroach from all sides. In the eye of these “tornadoes,” there is God. I’m still praying and send love and hugs from Morgantown.
I agree with Paula, Jo and Anna You guys are Angels. Your taking such good care of Ryan. I dont know You Guys or Ryan but I have been keeping up on the recovery. You guys have Inspired Me so much to know that there are Still Great People out in the world like you all! I Continue to Pray for a Miracle for Ryan! I Know as Long as Gods in Control We are gonna see that Miracle! God Bless
Hi Mr. Diveny,
I went to middle school and 9th grade with Ryan, my step brother Kyle is one of his best friends. I’ve been following your family through all the information you post and I wish there was something I could do but I am very happy to hear that Ryan has done so well since the beginning. I just read your post about the bone stimulator and wanted to offer you good news from personal expierence that it does work, in that it stimulates the bone cells to heal like it is supposed to. I was given a bone stimulator because my fracture in my foot wouldn’t heal and after a month of using the bone stimulator twice a day, I got an xray and it showed a great difference!
Sorry, I wanted to apologize for misspelling your last name. My computer is slow and the keyboard sticks sometimes.
I think that when we help others, we do the work of angels. Still here. Feeling much calmer now that I know someone is going to feel the sting of Ken’s letter. A lot of people, particularly those in the medical profession, are in need of Sensitivity Training.
Anna, you’re right. I feel privileged to know the Diviney family. It’s comforting to see people demonstrating this kind of love — it’s a love that is wrapped in strength and grace. I am in awe of it, really.
Ken and Sue, you are amazing angels on earth!!