Baby Steps

It looks like we're reaching a compromise with Greg's doctors and nurses regarding his pain medication. Today it seemed like he was managing his pain much better, though it's definitely ongoing. That's to be expected just over one week from a horrific accident, but knowing that doesn't make it easier.
It's becoming clearer that progress with a TBI patient is very incremental. We'd all love to see Greg up and running around and doing the things he enjoys, but that's going to be a while from now. Today, Greg was able to walk from his bed to the bathroom and back without calling the nurse for assistance. He is still able to curl the fingers on his right hand, which is a great sign, and it looks like his right arm is getting a bit stronger. We're still not sure how that is going to progress, but the fact that he's moving it voluntarily at all is wonderful.
It's difficult to figure out what Greg's future is going to look like. Right now, if he didn't improve at all, we'd still be thankful that he's alive, but even as he continues to progress it's likely that there will be a ceiling somewhere, and that may not be a "full recovery." TBI prognosis is hard to figure for an individual patient - some never even wake up, some you'd never know had been in the hospital, and everything in between. We're hoping that Greg keeps making little bits of progress while at UPMC Southside and later during outpatient therapy.