Neil @ Mizzou

Neil was discharged on Tuesday, January 9, from Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mt. Vernon and moved to Howard A. Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia. (Please see sidebar for address, phone and room number.) Neil had his staples removed from his back from his surgery and so far no infection has occurred. Elaine is with Neil now and will be staying with him most of the time.

Off to Mizzou...

Hello everyone! Last week Neil was completely weaned off the ventilator and the trach tube was removed. He was accepted for rehab at the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, MO (http://www.ruskrehab.com) and is moving there today (01/09/07). Provided that he is in a private room, Elaine will be moving in with him most of the time. It's a long way from home, but he will get the best care to help him become much more independent. Please keep him and Elaine in your prayers.

Happy New Year!

I'm sorry for the super late report. Most of you probably know that Neil was moved to the Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mt. Vernon (please see the sidebar for the address, phone number and visiting hours). He is off the feeding tube and is able to eat, but doesn't have much of an appetite. He is slowly being weaned off the ventilator, and has daily physical therapy to strengthen and tone his muscles that have largely been unused since the accident. The nurses have been able to get him into a wheelchair and wheel him around for a change of scenery. We're not sure how long he will be in Mt. Vernon, but he will most likely be moving to Columbia to the university hospital there in a few weeks. Please continue to pray for healing and strength during this tough time of rehabilitation.

Successful surgery...

Neil underwent surgery yesterday to repair his broken vertebra. They inserted two titanium rods and several screws. The surgery only took about three hours and the surgeon felt it went much better than expected. Today Neil will be fitted witha clam-shell brace and he will be able to sit up. The surgeon also said that Neil will hopefully be weaned off the ventilator and be out of the ICU soon. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery.

Further Delays...

Let me first say that Neil still is improving day by day. More of his chest tubes have been removed, which is good. His sodium is still below optimum (correction to previous post that said it was too high), so they have moved his surgery to Monday, December 11. Please be safe out there on the roads and keep warm!