East Coast Cousins Bob, Lora, Al and Robert visit Josh

Josh looks pretty pale next to Bob.   

Josh shows off on the treadmill while Bob, Lora, Al and Robert watch.  Here's Josh and Erin, PT, working out at the gym at Sharp.  Josh kept pressing the button to speed up the treadmill.  Erin had her finger on the off button and finally had to shut off the machine...  She was afraid Josh would get slammed into the wall.  Josh was in a great mood. 

Bob was talking to Josh about golf and who had the longest drive.  Josh, of course, said he did and that he could hit the ball 300 yards.  They talked sports.  Bob had some pretty good advice for me.  He said, "Forget about watching movies, put on the games, watch sports tv...this is what Josh is all about... make Josh read the sports section, have him check out the standings...everyday."  Bob grabs the newspaper, opens it up to the sports section and has Josh read the standings.  "What place are the Padres in, Josh?"  Josh studies the tiny print for a minute or two and replies, "second place."  (Padre fans, this was several days ago...)  "Who is in second place, Josh.?"  Josh says, "Arizona Diamondbacks."   Bob says, "Hey, I think the game is on now.  Put on the game. So, we put on the game and watched the Padres. Josh was into it.   So, now when I go home for the day, ESPN is on or Padres baseball.  Good advice, Bob!

Bob and I took Josh for his hyperbaric treatment on Tuesday in the convertible.  Josh did well.  He gets a little wired and crazy after the treatment.  After we got back to the hospital, Josh says, "Hey, Mom, where has Dad been?"  Oh boy....  All these thoughts come rushing into his head and he gets a bit discombobulated after hbot.  I said, "Josh, Dad died."  Josh starts laughing hysterically like I was nuts...  Then, I started laughing and we left it at that...  

Speaking of people getting discombobulated after hbot, I have seen little kids come out of the chamber and literally bounce off the walls.  One kid came out of the chamber, walked over to a glass partition, put both hands on the partition and started shaking it violently.  They have all this crazy energy.  Then, they settle down.  I was thinking of going into the chamber, but after a treatment, I might get out and choke somebody.  Then, I'd go to jail and Josh would be out of luck...  Actually jail might be more fun than this...

Josh had his first acupuncture session at the hospital and he did really well.  He was a real team player and was very aware of what was happening.  He is so agreeable these days...  During the treatment, he said, "How many needles do I have in me total?"  Elisa, the acupuncturist, said "16 needles."  Josh says, "Wow...how many do I have in my head?"  Elisa says "4 on your scalp."  Elisa told Josh she was going to turn the needles and stimulate various points on the head.  Josh says, "okay".   He's so incredibly sweet...the new and improved Josh!  

I was very impressed with Elisa.  She said Josh was very healthy and had a good constitution.   I like the fact that acupuncture restores balance back to the body and influences a life force that flows along various meridians which are channels of energy that run longitudinally in the body.  We obviously want to increase Josh's brain function.  We know that with pain acupuncture works by increasing the brain's production of natural painkillers called endorphins. We'll get Josh's yin and yang  back on track...   After the treatment, I noticed that Josh was more aware of his surroundings.  He started asking a bunch of questions... He looks out the window and says, "What building is that?"  I tell him it's part of the hospital and he nods.  He says, "What does 'que te mejores' mean?",  looking at the poster on his wall that his Spanish professor put together that all the kids signed.  I tell him it means get better.  He nods.  He seemed pretty peaceful and accepting.   That's a good thing....

Josh is now off of all morphine as well as the anti-Parkinson's drugs.  The anti-Parkinson's drugs were making him irritable.  Who needs that?  Today we have a meeting with Dr. S and the full staff.  I'll keep you posted!