Via Brannon:

 

Beth’s embolization procedure was completed on Tuesday and was a success!

 

The vascular team was able to access the vessel on the outer portion of her brain through her right wrist. She spent all day Tuesday recovering, and was back to therapy Wednesday morning. 

 

She is non-weight-bearing in her wrist for the next week as a result of the surgery. This is a precautionary measure to make sure the clot from the procedure does not open back up.

 

Yesterday, she was timed while walking with assistance to determine if she will be able to clear a crosswalk in time. 

 

We were unsure of how the procedure might impact her discharge date; however, with her recovery and no additional regression, her team has elected to keep the discharge date for 8/17/23.

 

I’m tearing up writing this. It’s been a long road, and she still has a while to go. The progress she’s made at Shepherd has been absolutely incredible. This place has certainly lived up to its reputation, and we are so grateful to have been here.

 

Everyone here says “Shepherd Family.” Prior patients and families say it all the time. I understand now. It’s a very special place.

 

We have a lot to do in the next week. Beth and I were able to go outside of the hospital yesterday on an outing. We practiced transfers into the car and breaking the wheelchair down, storage, navigating public spaces, etc.

 

Beth was fitted for a custom wheelchair yesterday. The PTs expect that she will need it for the next 6 months or so. She will begin outpatient therapy when we arrive back home. She’ll be doing out patient at Vanderbilt through Phi Beta Phi. We are excited about this opportunity. These are some of the people that Beth worked closely with in her normal day-to-day prior to the wreck. It’s comforting to know the individuals continuing her care will have a vested interest in her full recovery.

 

I have to go through three days of training before we leave Shepherd to prepare for in/out of home care. 

 

Beth is getting to go on another outing today to Truist Park. The focus has mostly turned to living life outside the hospital and transitioning to the future. We will have passes this weekend to leave on our own for the first time without therapists. 

 

It’s up to us to navigate this now. I’m feeling confident in our abilities. With that said, we will still need help along the way. There will be new challenges once we are home. 

 

Beth will have continued follow-up appointments with ortho, neuro, physical therapy (continuing to work on walking), etc., once we return. The expectation is that the additional fluid on her brain will be absorbed by her body over the next several months. We are hopeful that will be the case