TeresaBelle
<font color=magenta>Still sleeps with a security b
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2005
So sorry for your loss and continued prayers for Dom. I hope your MIL is okay too!
Hi guys! Thought I'd give a little Dom update. Not too much new to tell. He is still at Elmwood, and apparently the Fair Hearing has been postponed again, this time until the end of September. I don't know why it keeps getting pushed back. In the meantime, Dom is still considered a sub-acute rehab patient, getting regular PT, but Patty says she is prepared for the most likely outcome of the Fair Hearing, which is when a judge will agree with the insurance company that Dom is not progressing enough to justify them paying for sub-acute care, thereby being deemed a long term care patient, or not. She said she doesn't want him to be long term at Elmwood, and she is looking into taking him home. I don't know how she would do that, since it's only her, and I don't know how she would afford it, but she's checking everything out. Dom never did get his abdominal CT. He was scheduled for it, then it got postponed, then the insurance company denied it. Patty was supposed to appeal that decision. The reason for the CT initially was because when she thought his abdomen looked swollen an xray was ordered, which was fine, but showed a shadow on a rib, hence the CT order. Since several weeks have gone by, and everything seems fine, the insurance company doesn't think he needs a CT. Everything is always a battle. He's supposed to have another neurology appointment soon, and Patty is going to discuss again with the neurologist the possibility of him trying Ambien on Dom. It has had a "wakening up" effect on some brain injury patients. She's asked about it in the past, but none of the docs want to risk it. I say why not? I mean, how much worse can it get.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/magazine/can-ambien-wake-minimally-conscious.html?mcubz=0
She's also looking into hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments. I wished this had been done right after his brain injury, when it's supposed to be most beneficial, but neither her nor my brother were in any shape to investigate this, and the social workers, case managers, and docs at the Florida hospital he was at for the first three months after his injury couldn't have cared less in trying to find things to help Dom. All they were concerned with was the fact that he had no insurance, and they were worried they weren't going to get paid.
My son, Joe, whom Dom was very close to, went to see him last week. Joe showed Dom the newest gaming system and games that were coming out, on his iphone, and Joe felt Dom was showing some alertness. Joe also brought his son, Gavin, who is 4, and is Dom's Godson. Joe felt Dom kept looking at Gavin. Then Joe said after he was done showing Dom all the different games & after talking to him about all the new movies out (Dom loved going to the movies), he felt Dom turned his head away and got a different expression on his face. One of anger and sadness. Now all of this could mean nothing. We have no idea what Dom perceives, or if he perceives anything at all, but his facial expressions do change, as does his level of alertness. It is all so frustrating. The not knowing.
Joe took this pic of Dom that night, when Dom turned away from him.
From sadness to happiness. Patty took this video a few weeks ago.