Author: Susie

Chuck moved today at 6:30 pm to West Gables Rehabilitation Hospital Room 109! We are very close to home on Coral Way and 75 avenue. Sue will be spending the first night there before real rehab begins. Tonight is just orientation. Tomorrow a rehab doctor will come and plan the next week. Friends Kathy and Charlie just helped us celebrate Chuck’s release from Baptist with Wendy’s burgers and chocolate frostys. Before we end here please Continue your prayers: Our God is an awesome God… praise him for the miracle of life Chuck has received and now let us pray for Chuck’s complete recovery. God bless you Love Susie

Chuck has been poked and prodded, kicked in the head and pummeled, stuck and beaten, sleep deprived, and subjected to a million tests, but he has won the first round. Today I came home early to take a nap (ha!) and Charlie Paparelli called to patiently tell me (amidst my frantic squeals of concern) that the doctors met and say Chuck is medically stable; he is ready for intensive and aggressive rehab. "Got a pencil? Call this place." I was stunned – pencil? write?" Like a deer stalled in the headlights of an oncoming car. So Charlie called the place to say I was on my way (With Debby my loyal support sister driving). The Admissions Director is a friend and ministry sister of mine at St Timothy church!!! It was one of those "Sue!" … "Zely!" (big hug) moments. She took me around the facility – oh my gosh you can see yourself in the shiny floors. He gets a nice room with a window view and there is another bed for someone to stay there (Little does Charlie Paparelli know but I’m thinking he should stay with Chuck the first night!) Kathy and I can stay home and watch a movie and eat pop corn while Charlie gets Chuck settled in. Rehab will be about 6 hours per day. The brain is an amazing creature. It’s like being hit hard on the head. he’s dazed… and he has to work back the brain function, let the swelling go down. But doctors think he will make a full recovery. Praise God in all his wonders my dears because no mortal could ever have orchestrated this storm in any finer manner. Stay with us as we walk this road. keep praying. Love Sue

Hi my dear friends. Chuck was visited by many experts today who all tested him… poor Chuck. He just falls asleep and the door opens… "Hi Chuck I’m Tiffany, lift your right arm!!! Good, now the left…" etc etc. Physical therapy got him out of bed, stand, walked him to the chair and proceeded to test his arms and legs. Will take him for a walk down the hall tomorrow!!!! Occupational therapy had him drink, chew up a baby aspirin and brush his teeth. All OK. Dr from physical therapy examined him and said he is strong… will need speech therapy. And how many times did I tell him to shoosh because he is so loud! OK OK I will be so happy to hear him postulating again! Neurologist thinks he is progressing nicely for someone who had his brain beaten up – asked Chuck a question that scared me: "Chuck who is in the room?" You know you can fake a lot and I gulped and held my breath… "Debby, Dave,,(he hesitated as if he knew I was holding my breath),, and Sue" big whoof of air from me. Neurologist also had him repeat "it is a sunny day." which he did. Today he did not sleep through these sessions, but I’m validating every person who ever said you can’t get any sleep in the hospital!!! I left him sitting in a chair like a king. Peter Skipp is coming in to help him eat his dinner. Tomorrow is another big day. Our God is an awesome God! Happy Veteran’s Day to all our vets. Love Susie

When Debby and I arrived at 9:30 occupational therapy (OT) was here – Chuck is lifting his arms, moving arms, speaking (answering questions with a low slow voice) and he washed his hands with a towelette. The temporary feeding tube came out (by accident) last night (hand of God?) and the RN was talking about putting in another feeding tube, but first they would try to schedule a swallow test. The neurologist came and asked Chuck the date… he answered "2 thousand seven…or 9". Well, I thought, he’s missed the financial downturn and the presidential and mid term elections which is not a bad thing!!!  He dutifully squeezed the neurologist’s hand and I gave a report on how the OT went. I asked the neurologist to please help me escalate getting the swallow test done, and indeed I heard him talking to the nurse about it. And indeed the technician came an hour later when Chuck was very drowsy. We all (me, Kathy, Dick and Diane) left the room to allow Chuck to concentrate, and true to his nature, he passed the test. The neuro surgeon visited also and he thinks we’re going for a pretty full recovery: the Ct scan is clear, no bleeding and the brain is back in place (isn’t that nice – poor brain has been abused!). Finally on the physical plain the echo cardiogram shows no disease in his arteries (they are trying to find out why the thalamic infarcs). Cousin Carol advised that the thalamus where he had the three bilateral infarcs is responsible for hot and cold registration which might help to account for Chuck’s hot and cold and sweaty hands. Oh well Chuck join the ranks of we women who are hot one minute and cold the next. Then the social worker came by (she interfaces with the insurance company.) She also was very nice and recommended I go for massage therapy at a wonderful sounding place called Body Mind and Spirit Natural Health Care. Doesn’t that sound nice? For physical therapy he sat on on the side of the bed and did some exercises and then he stood up and moved to a chair (of course with the help of the therapist). He did a bunch of exercises and his range of motion looks good. He’s in a very fancy new room above the emergency center and will receive "aggressive" physical and occupational therapy. Room 2407. God continue to bless our Chuck. Love Susie

Our friend Karen wisely advised me why the neurosurgeons don’t know why Chuck is having seizures and why his case is unusual, unique and well just uncommon… neurology is an art. Today was an amazing day where baby steps seemed like leaps. Chuck saw me across a 30 foot space, I waved at him and he waved back. He blew an air kiss at Diane. He reached out for Rick’s hand and held it. He kind of grinned at Rob and reached out his hand for a University of Miami pin Rob gave to him. He nods "no" his wife’s name is not Pam, "yes" his wife’s name is Sue. He’s coming along. Now of course our contrary Chuck slept through Physical Therapy (who wants to run and jog when he can take a nap instead???? Chuck!) He slept through the neurosurgeon’s 6PM visit, utterly unconcerned that the high priest of surgery was evaluating him. Shake your head here and say "that’s Chuck." His brain must be healing because he’s himself more and more. He sleeps because they are medicating him trying to get his brain to quiet down after being abused by being squeezed under the hematoma. His heart beat, blood pressure, pulse, all vital signs are normal and he has always breathed on his own… The bilateral thalamic infarcs are confusing the neurologists. unusual, unique and well just uncommon…. I guess that’s it. We wait and we pray.

For a few days after I took Chuck to the doctor to see what was wrong with him, I have been running on adrenaline and tears – not great brain food so I forgot about this blog.  But I remembered it about 3:30 this morning and I decided to use it. Friend Mike helped me remember how to write… and so I’ll write here "what happened" as Chuck will want to know "what in the heck happened…"  and so he can read it here…

Let me summarize the past few days… Please see the dates from the bottom up.

Chuck post op day 2  (November 7 written at 9:30 PM)
Hi dear ones. Today is Sunday. I went to 8am Mass that was said by a priest who is praying for Chuck "Father, mi esposo esta infermo," I said, pointing at my head. He took me into his arms.  During Mass which was in Spanish, I prayed a big long prayer for Chuck’s recovery. Please you too pray for Chuck. 
 

What a roller coaster our Chuck has taken us on. Today Debby and I arrived at the hospital and there seemed to be little change. Chuck had a seizure at 2am and he was sleeping it off. His neurosurgeon came in about 10am while I was on the phone with Jon Lynn getting advice on a second opinion consult.  We assembled a neuro team of the best of the best with Chuck’s neuro surgeon, Dr. McDreamy, and the "best of the best" neurosurgeon at Baptist. The story of how we found Dr McDreamy is a story in itself. Bear with me a moment…. Debby spotted him standing out in the central area. he was dressed in a leather jacket and blue jeans. I looked at him and swooned and called Penny over to look…   We stared at him for a while and then I pulled myself back together to go tell the RN in charge of Chuck that I wanted the consult with the "best neuro at Baptist."  "Well he’s sitting right over there," he said. …   "Yikes, what do I do?" I asked Rick who said, "go get him! bring him in here!"    I did and he did.  This new neuro team consulted over Chuck’s CT scan and then over Chuck himself.  The neuro team says we will take small steps and an ICU nurse I know from St Timothy church says with neuro it’s wait and wait. He’s had several CT scans and his neuro surgeon says "this is the most unique and interesting case he’s seen in 20 years."  Chuck we could stand you to be a little less "unique and interesting."   (the RN watched me assemble this dream team and asked me ‘who I know" and I sagely pointed up…. (thank God! and Lyn/Klein)
 

Chuck grew in awareness as the day progressed. His old friends Rick (navy), Dave (FHP partner), Jon Lynn and Rob Klein (law firm partners where Chuck worked) all stimulated him and drew responses from him. Rick got him to wiggle his toes and Rob drew a smile.  We ask for prayer for Chuck’s recovery and walking out of this place. More if you don’t mind… tomorrow. God bless you, Sue   
 

from our friend Danilo from Venice Italy:  Dio lo benedica (God bless him).
From St Augustine women’s Emmaus: "Chuck Peabody – has some complications… Doctors are treating post 
surgery seizures and evaluating some tiny infarcs in the brain.  Had 
subdural hematoma.  Divine intervention…..for this we pray that 
neurologists can heal everything about this."
 

November 7 (6:12 AM)  The Emmaus family
Please convery our thoughts and prayers to Chuck and may God’s mighty and protecting arms be on both of you and may each day bring you peace as you await a Chuck’s recovery.  Prayer for Trust in Jesus 
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength.  Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things. AMEN…  Iris, Laura and Joy. It is so comforting knowing 3 churches and many Emmaus family members, men and women, are praying for Chuck. We’ll need prayers. This is very scary, but people are praying who never prayed before, people see me leaning on the Lord, praying the Rosary, praying, and they too are influenced. Chuck has so much talent. I am asking the Lord to save him and put him on an Emmaus team. So strong, so self willed, so … so much clay for God to work with!!!!   let us pray… Please forward as you see fit (to Emmaus sisters – I’m thinking of Ana Cairo and others) Love Susie