UPDATE!!!!
I just got back from TALKING AND WALKING with Phil!!!!
No kidding!
He was actually showering when I arrived this morning. By himself, you pervs. (LOL) He's doing MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better.
The trachea tube is out! No more wires on him either! Docs come in and do normal checkups and he's been doing some physical therapy as well for the right arm.
Speaking of which, he shook my hand today! Not a WWF-type grip, but still stronger than Richard Simmons. The whole right arm is improving each day.
He's walking around with no problem, getting in and out of bed, writing(!), pouring water into his glass. I'd say he's almost back to completely normal.
The last stumbling block is going to be his memory. I'm sure with any type of head injury, there's going to be some kind of memory workout necessary to bring everything back. Phil's not "confused", but sometimes needs help remembering things. Like today, he was showing me pictures of his pet birds and couldn't remember their names. He said, "Help me out...the names are on the back." I spoke the first couple of letters, and he immediately said, "Dusty!" He just needs a little reminder or some help with the start, then his memory kicks in. I'm sure over time this will improve.
The details of the accident are still fuzzy for him, so I did my best to fill him in. When I was talking to him about stuff we did pre-accident, he would say, "Oh yeah.....I remember Dave did that...okay..", and the memory would come back a little.
The toughest stuff is over with. Now comes the long road of memory recall.
Phil's leaving Grant on Saturday morning. I'm going to head down and see him off (and nab some pics). He'll be going to his home! The doctors said he didn't need to go to another rehab facility and could just go home. After seeing his status today, I would agree with that decision.
P.S.- As Phil was showing me pics, he IMMEDIATELY remembered his 300C and SRT-10. No help needed.
