Slow and steady wins the race!

When you live on the lake....

2011-08-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

When you live on a lake, it's a requirement to go out on the boat during the summer. This summer wasn't like any other although Rick still got a chance to go on the boat with his good friends and his big brother. Thanks to Kathy and Bill Berkley they got to enjoy a little toast on the lake. As you can see by the pictures, he enjoyed himself.

ODEN BAY DRIVE

2011-07-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Rick is home at his house!! More pictures to come in a couple of weeks when I get up to Sandpoint.
Thank you all for your support!

Oden Bay Drive here we come....

2011-07-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

After a total of 3 1/2 weeks, Rick is scheduled to go home on the 23rd of July. He is still at St. Lukes Rehabilitation center in Spokane and doing very well. Every day he is impressing the therapists with his progress. He and Ann will do a "dry run" in an apartment this Friday (7/15/11) to make sure they can handle being on their own before his actual discharge. It is so nice to do this because you never know what kind of situation will pop up that you were not prepared for. We don't foresee any situations but it's always nice to have that option. Once he is home, he will still have therapy and lots of time on his hands so visitors are welcome. This has been quite a process for them and us as a family. Again we can not say thank you enough to all those who helped get Rick home.

Greetings from SANDPOINT!!!

2011-06-29T12:12:00.001-07:00

It's been a very hectic two weeks. We flew home on June 15, an uneventful trip, thank you very much. The down side of the trip was arriving in Sandpoint at 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM Florida time :(

All three kids and SEVEN grandchildren were here to great me!! Does all that spell hectic or what!! And Rick has been in THREE facilities already. Does all that spell hectic or what!!

We started out in a skilled nursing home then he developed an intestinal infection (yet again!!) and was transferred to the hospital. When that was under control, we moved him to St. Luke's, an acute re-hab in Spokane. St. Luke's is facility #6 for anyone interested in keeping track. Three facilities in Florida in 4 1/2 months and three in Sandpoint in two weeks. Come on, Rick.

Oh, speaking of Rick, He is improving in leaps and bounds. Some of his speech is even starting to be discernible. Physical and occupational therapy are really moving forward. The plan is to complete 2 to 3 weeks at St. Luke's and then home. Am I freaked about that? Don't ask.

I want to extend a very big thank you to all the cards, e-mails, prayers, moral support and all the help to "Bring Rick Home." It made this all bearable!!

Stay tuned :)

Ann

Sandpoint Idaho!! The journey home.

2011-06-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ann and Rick arrived in Sandpoint Idaho on Thursday June 16th at 2:30 am. They had a very long but uneventful ride home thanks to the generosity of so many people. Rick is now at Life Care center in Sandpoint to continue his rehabilitation. Ann is back at her house on Oden Bay. They are both happy to be home in Idaho. Kristen, Natalie and John were able to be there all together with all the grandchildren to welcome them home and visit with Rick for a few days before having to head back to their lives. Rick is always open for visitors.

Our family can't thank you all enough for the support you have given us in this time of need. Help is continuing to come in and we are so grateful. You all donated enough to cover the cost of the flight home for both Ann and Rick and the great nurse that helped them journey home. Pictures to come soon!!

God Bless you all!!!

Leaving on a jet plane

2011-06-13T06:57:00.001-07:00

We are HOMEWARD bound!! The last few days have been full of decisions, planning, details and a grand dose of emotions!! We fly out on Wednesday with a medical escort. Our destination is Life Care in Sandpoint!!!! Rick will be needing more re-hab but we are hoping that being close to home and friends will make a difference. The progress has been remarkable for the last two weeks. ETA will be 1:00 AM (4:00 AM Florida time OUCH) So begins Chapter Two. I can't even say enough about the support, care, concern, prayers, cards, messages and the help from you to

"Bring Rick Home." Thank you thank you thank you. This is last update from Florida!!

~ Ann

Updates!!

2011-06-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Rick and Ann are very close to becoming North westerners again! Ann is in the process of choosing which facility in Spokane or Post Falls will work best for Rick and thanks to so many generous donations, we, the Gehring family, will be together in one room sooner rather than later. We are crying, laughing and steaming about all the ups and downs of transferring a stroke patient clear across the country, but thanks to family and friends with prayers, contributions and ears to listen to us, we may be seeing the light at the end of this current tunnel.

Thank you so much to those who have contributed either financially, personally, and spiritually. We wouldn't be as close as we are without all of you supporting our family.

The Gehring Family!!

Give it your all....

2011-05-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Rick, knows he is an all or nothing kind of guy. If he wants something, he doesn't stop until he gets it. In his physical therapy he is giving it his all. The nurses are telling us he's even doing more than he should at this point in his therapy. Another new change was Rick decided last Friday he didn't think he needed his treach tube in his throat anymore so he pulled it out. Luckily for him, there were no complications. As you can see by the pictures, he is doing great in physical therapy and eating solid foods finally after months of no solid food. We (his kids) have been able to talk to him on the phone although he is very hard to understand. Thank you for all the support you having been giving with prayers, contributions to our "bring Rick home" fund and any other kind of support we have received.

A banner day

2011-05-09T21:18:00.001-07:00

It was certainly a banner day. Prior to talking about item #1, keep in mind that there was a lot of help and it was very wobbly, but RICK TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS TODAY!!!!!! He is doing SO well. A quick backtrack: He was moved to a more intense re-hab hospital last Wednesday and he has made remarkable progress in less than a week!!!!! He is sitting up in a wheel chair most of the day and he has three hours of therapy each day. Occupational is upper body, physical is legs, and then there is speech. Speech is the slowest and he gets very frustrated when he tries to convey something and can't. It will come, but more slowly than the others. He is gaining strength in his right side and more coordination overall.

I have received many good wishes from Rick's former students as a result of Marianne's article in the paper. Thank you Marianne!! When I told Rick about the story, he cried (followed by me crying.) He is SO touched by all the people that care!! (He comprehends very much, but can't convey his thoughts at this time.)

Item #2. I am staying with a lady who lives very close to the ocean and we went snorkeling when I got home today. We saw TWO manatees!!!!!!!!!!! OMG. I couldn't believe it!!!! TWO MANATEES IN THE WILD!!! We were close enough to touch them!!! Banner day indeed!!
~Ann

a different twist (May 3rd update)

2011-05-07T22:05:00.001-07:00

I thought I would shed a different light on the "subject." Rick has had quite an effect on the staff. I have mentioned that I appreciate the racial diversity here but I think Rick does, even more so!! He lights up and smiles when the nurses come in and it seems like the darker, the better. His interaction is amazing, considering that he can't even talk!! He interacts with all levels including housekeeping!! They have been really good with him and vice versa. He was "bantering" back and forth with his physical therapists the other day as they argued which one he liked the best. He made a face that "brought the house down." He is going to be moved tomorrow

(I think!!) and there were quite a few staff who came in to say good-bye. Guess he he enjoys interacting with people even if he can't talk!!
~ Ann

Easter · Sunday, April 24, 2011

2011-05-07T22:04:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and remembered an Easter 31 years ago. Some (few) of you may remember. Our five month old son was starting to recover from meningitis. It had been a harrowing week prior to that Sunday. It was a good Easter. Happy Easter John David!!! AND I've got some good Easter news this year. Rick had a good week. He was very alert and participated well in PT. He is able to lift his right foot off the bed. That is a remarkable "step." He has some pretty good strength in his right arm. We can arm "wrestle" with each other :) He is trying to talk. It is very garbled and you can see frustration when I don't understand him. He was "saying" something to me very intently and I didn't understand. He had to wipe away a tear. Heart breaker for me!!!!!!!! The beauty is that he is trying. He can copy his name on a piece of paper. Also, I instructed him to write my name and he did (with me only SAYING the letters!!) And here's the "biggie." A nursing assistance asked him to write '"God Bless You" and he actually wrote the word "GOD" I was floored!!!!! Nothing to look at and no prompts. HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!
~ Ann

2011-04-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been grim. Rick is dealing with an intestinal infection that is slowing down the rehab process terribly. I had such good hope a while back. The good news is that he has been better these last two days. Awake and more alert. HOPE that continues. Ironically, I will have some good memories of this horrible experience. I just returned from a morning walk along the ocean. Atlantic that is :) It is hard to beat walking the ocean front!! I try to walk 30 min. every day and I've actually have been pretty good about it. Another good thing is the people who are helping me. It is a very long list and all of you "out there" who support me are on that list. There are also a lot of good people taking care of Rick. I've had my frustrations with the hospital but there are some very caring and giving people who do a job that not too many people would want to do!! ME included!! I also love the racial diversity "down" here. And the weather!!! Well, I think I may have mentioned that a few times!! Trying to stay positive.

~ Ann

Yeah is a big word

2011-04-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

Yeah is the word I heard come out of dads mouth today. He has said A LOT of words in the past 67 years but today hearing the word "yeah" was the sweetest sound I've heard in a long time. As you saw by the previous post, he is going back up! He is getting back into therapy and is doing well. All three kids have talked to him on the phone and although he doesn't respond back (except for today) he doesn't want to give that phone up. Mom tries to take it from him and he holds on tight. That tells us that he can understand what is going on and who is talking with him. Hopefully soon we can do skype so he can see us all. Keep those prayers coming, they are working.
Mom has relocated to a bedroom in a women's house near where the whole situation started. She is staying with a retired elementary art teacher who is 63 and who celebrated her birthday on March 24th. Thank you to Aunt Marilyn for getting the ball rolling for that location. She is within 10-15 minute drive to the hospital so that is very nice.

Back uphill....

2011-04-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

Well FINALLY, I can say something good. I haven't update for a while because it was a week from hell. More on that later. He was relatively alert yesterday morning and participated fairly well in PT and speech therapy. (Speech therapy at this point does not mean talking. It means re-establishing pathways in the brain by getting the patient to identify objects and follow commands. He is not yet speaking.) He also reached out and wanted a hug. Several times as a matter of fact!! It was the best hug ever.

OK, to last week. He got a secondary infection. I just love this. He was being treated for a bronchial infection which comes with a tracheotomy, usually. The antibiotic is so strong that it upsets the balance of good bacteria in the intestinal track and causes another infection!!!!! GRRRRR. Come to the hospital and get sicker. I realize that ALL of this relates back to the stroke. THAT is what we are dealing with. Anyway, last week his temp. soared to an outrageous 105.7 The nurse was scrambling while three student nurses were observing. Ice and a cooling blanket brought it down slowly but he was so drained that he wasn't his "old self." I am referring to the "old self" of 10 days ago. (If you recall, things were "good") ALL of this is in light of the new normal.

He still isn't back to what he was prior to the secondary infection but in any case, yesterday was better than all of last week. On my way to the hospital for more good news. HOPE HOPE HOPE!!
~ Ann

Slow goings

2011-03-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

We knew that there would be good days and bad days. The past few have been on the "bad" side. Dad is having a hard time with therapy and getting some infections like most people do in hospitals. But where there are valleys there are mountains so with prayer we will be hitting the mountains soon. Just wanted to keep those reading the blog updated.

2011-03-23T16:47:00.001-07:00

Banner day!! He ate some applesause and it went where is was supposed to go (not down his trachea.) The OT gave him a couple of spoonsful and then she made him feed himself and he did!!! More than likely, he will be moved (tomorrow) to a rehab center for more intense therapy. Now things seem to be moving fast!!
~ Ann

March 22nd

2011-03-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Amazing day!! I walked into Rick's room and he looked good and seemed happy. This was VERY unlike yesterday!! He reached his arm out and I sat down on the bed and he hugged me!!!! I talked to him for a few minutes and he hugged me again!! He only missed my birthday
by one day. Guess I can forgive him. Whadda ya think?? PT going well.
~ Ann

Progress

2011-03-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

I actually talked to a doctor today and he was willing to spend some time with me!! He feels very good about Rick's progress. Rick is in the very agitated stage and that is normal and good for his recovery. NOT fun for him to go through and not fun to watch but it means his brain is trying to sort things out. Rick is right on target to be going through this and maybe even a bit
ahead of schedule!! Doctor also said he is also "young" and that's good!!

~Ann

2011-03-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

Wow!! What a day. We arrived at the hospital when Rick was getting his physical therapy. He passed the initial eval, which means he will receive PT. Thank God!!!! It is about 20 to 30 minutes and he is doing well. This is a VERY good sign. Our goal is to get him to the point where he can tolerate 3 hours a day, in two sessions. Also, we actually saw a doctor today, the one who is the ""boss" of all the other doctors. He is concerned about the bronchial infection but otherwise is happy with his progress. Another really good thing was a visit from a friend who "happened" to be in florida for a conference. I had told Rick that Barry was coming but you should have seen him when Barry came into the room. His face lit up and he smiled. It was great!!! We had good interaction while Barry was there. Frank and Marilyn were also there. Afterward, Frank and Marilyn took Barry and me out to dinner. We had a very nice visit and a very nice dinner. Thank you to Frank Gehring and Marilyn for the dinner and thank you Frank and Marilyn for all you have done for Rick AND me this last week. It has been wonderful and means so much to me. I think I can safely say it meant a lot to Rick too!!!! Marilyn Gehring was the ultimate cheerleader for Rick. Go Marilyn Gehring.

Also, when mom walked into the room dad was wearing his favorite hat. She asked if they put that on him. The PT said they showed it to him and he reached out and grabbed it and put it on his own head. Go DAD! This is one stroke victor that will put everything he's got into the fight.
~ Ann

2011-03-06T19:39:00.003-08:00

Well, everyday can't be great and we have had a few slow days. Rick Gehring has a low grade fever and it is affecting his outlook. But there's good stuff too. We have been able to talk to the respiratory doctor and he was willing to spend some time with us. We also got some quality time with a nurse practitioner. The other good stuff is that we know he is understanding what is going on. Frank, his brother, summed it up best: the wheels are turning. He follows commands like squeezing my hand and here's a good one: He was pretty drowsy today and his eyes were barely open. His mouth was also open and I was reminded of past days when he was not responsive at all. I told him to shut his mouth and he did!!! I think that was a first!!!!! First EVER!!!! With that I will sign off til the next update.
~ Ann

2011-03-02T20:11:00.001-08:00

Rick was moved to another hospital last night so they can start working on getting him to sit up, walk and all the other things he needs to be able to do BEFORE he starts re-hab. He is really looking good. He actually looked like he could have been in the hospital for a broken leg!!! It's been so long since he has looked normal that I had almost forgotten. I am SO glad the glazed over stare and the open mouth are GONE and hopefully for good!!!! ("that" look was one of the reasons I was so discouraged.) He,now, looks relaxed and cognizant. We still don't have much communication but the transformation has been amazing. He smiles when something is funny. He looks around when he hears something. He is looking to the right side (which he wasn't doing at all) He can move his right foot (somewhat.) Frank and Marilyn arrived yesterday and are very pleased with his progress. Marilyn is beside herself with how
well he is doing. Here's hoping for continued progress!!
~ Ann

Step Down! Yes it's good!

2011-02-28T12:43:00.001-08:00

Good news!! Yes!! Rick is in "step-down." Doesn't sound too good, does it?? But it is!! He is being moved to a hospital where the emphasis will be on getting him ready for re-hab. I thought it sounded like good news and I contacted my ICU nurse friend, Janet to verify and she said yes, absolutely good news. So there you have it. This is a baby step but I guess that now describes our life.I wish I could call everybody with this news but I wanted to get it "out there" ASAP. Will keep you posted.

I'm reading a book written by a stroke "victor" and she had to re-learn everything from the beginning. Her care giver started with toys and puzzles etc. Monica brought the book with her when she came down. It was suggested by a friend. It is EXCELLENT. I never thought I would be reading a book on strokes and think it was a page turner. Life!!!

Also, Rick isn't a stroke victim. He's a stroke victor as defined by a group who helps caregivers. They have given me a notebook with some good info in it. I will be looking more closely at this group as we move forward.
~ Ann

Slow goings

2011-02-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

You know that feeling when you get home from vacation and your body is so tired that you need a vacation from your vacation. Well the past few days dad has been feeling that way. He has been very tired and not as responsive as in the past week. His nurses and doctor are still very optimistic about his progress and current status. Mom showed him pictures today of kids and grandkids and he seemed to be focusing strongly on the pictures. Hopefully in the next few days, he will start making more outwardly progress. In the meantime, I believe he is focusing on repairing internally which is the best thing he could do right now. We love you dad/Rick/OPA! We love you mom/Ann/OMA!
Thank you again for all your prayers! They ARE working!!

Brain Pictures

2011-02-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

1st picture show a healthy brain
2nd shows Ricks brain
3rd shows brain of life ending stroke

This tells us, he has a very very good chance of having a good recovery.

A week at a time...

2011-02-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

Greetings from sunny Florida

Yesterday, Rick had a great nurse named Cheryl. I tell you this, because I think she was able to put things in perspective, for Ann, for me, and I pass this advice on to you. Progress with Ricks recovery is best looked at on a weekly basis. Some days will be better then others, and improvements may be slight from day to day, but from a week perspective, they are huge. Her father had a stroke, and although every stroke is different, it was good to hear it from someone who had actually lived through it with a loved one, as well as having a medical background. She was wonderful to talk to, and gave us a lot of great insight.

So, that being said, this week has been a great week! But overall change day to day can seem to be slow, to us. Today marks the one week point since I arrived here. Last Thursday, Rick kept his eyes open and interacted with us for only 40 min. Now, he is awake all day, alert, interacting, watching TV (go figure!) and just hanging out. :) He is following small commands, which is a great start, that means that the right and left brain are talking to each other. He is wiggling his toes, squeezing hands and a few other small commands. (We thought we would see today if he could flip people off. Might as well have some fun with this. ;) We thought he would like that. hee hee. John's idea by the way)

Cheryl told us that if he keeps this up, he may be able to be moved to the next level of care and out of ICU in a week or so! Which is great news. the sooner he is out of ICU, the faster he can get recovered and into rehab!

Other things this week that happened that you may not be up on...

We met with the neurologist on Tuesday. He was able to show us the Cat-scan and MRI images that Rick has had done, from the day that he came in, to now. If you didnt know, when you have a stroke the part of the brain that hasn't received blood due to clotting, that part "dies" off, and turns into spinal fluid, which is what surrounds the brain. When you look at a cat-scan, you can see that area after the stroke stabilizes. He showed us a scan of an end of life stroke or vegetative state stroke, and compared it to Ricks. i have attached a representative image of what we saw. (I made this, so this is not real!) You will see that Rick still has a lot of "brain" to re-path and relearn what he has currently lost. There are a few lighter spots "downstream" that may have been effected, but the areas are very small, and at the "end", so shouldn't interfere too much with the "re-pathing". The neurologist said that he is lucky, and more then luck, the correct action was taken quickly with the TPA and getting him to surgery. He is not sure that he will "completely" recover, but that is all relative at this point. And we all know how stubborn he is... and that spirit will do him good now! We also confirmed that Rick has had two previous mini-strokes, called transient ischemic attack. (TIA) A slight one affecting the right side, and also one affecting the left, which is now also included in the current stroke area.

We also talked with the case manager about the possibility of moving him. She is pretty sure as long as he can get the care he needs where he is, that insurance will not pay to move him, and as you can imagine its a "small" fee to do so. But, it will be at least a month before we can seriously talk about options there, so that will be revisited later.

Rick is now on a trachea with oxygen mask and off of the ventilator, therefore completely breathing on his own, just with the addition of cleaner oxygen. he has met and exceeded goals for this week, another great thing! He also received a PEG yesterday, which took the feeding tube from his nose and now he will be getting food directly into his stomach. this enables them to start teaching him how to eat real food again. Reteaching him to chew and swallow.

Funny story.... last night we were on our way home from running errands, and we took a slightly different way back to where we are staying. I missed the turn, so i turned down the next street. upon turning the corner, we saw a black cat sauntering out of the driveway and getting ready to cross the street. When I realized what was happening, I looked at Ann, said "Screw that!" and immediately flipped a u-turn and went the other way! This family has had enough bad luck for now! Ill be dammed if I will let a black cat mean any more, superstitious or not, i wasn't going to take any chances, and therefore negated the path!!! Ann laughed for a half an hour.

I go home tomorrow, and it is going to be really hard to leave Ann, and Rick. I can totally understand how Kristen, Natalie, and John felt now when it was time to go. But as long as Rick continues to improve and heal, that is all that matters!

I think that is all for now. I guess we should go get in some pool time. :)

XOXO

Monica and Ann

2011-02-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

We are seeing some changes, good changes. It is VERY slow and I have been warned over and over that it will be slow. He staying awake most of the day and can follow commands some of the time, not all of the time. We (my niece Monica and I) are sure that he is comprehending some things but we question just how much he is comprehending. The most difficult thing of all is not knowing what he is understanding. the stroke was on the left side of his brain so his right side is affected and it is very obvious!!! He can move his left hand and leg and squeeze my hand with his left hand. He does not react at all with his right hand.

Speech is also controlled by the left brain so he makes no sound. He laughs and cries without sound. You can only imagine how we feel when he cries.

This is the beginning of the third week and it is the FIRST day that we have not had a "thousand" things to do. And that does not count visiting Rick. There was just SO much to do. Luckily and amazingly so, I had SO much help, Debbie and Allan and Kristen John Natalie the first week, Monica (my niece) the second week. Monica is here for a few more days and it feels REALLY good to have a slow day.

I have someone to stay with. My dear friend Kathy's son and daughter-in-law live 20 minutes from the hospital and have taken me in as family!!!!!! We have a teacher friend who moved down here some time ago and we have hooked up. She walked into the hospital and handed me a cell phone and wouldn't even tell me how much it cost.

Another "angel" story. You probably all have been at a hotel or resort and "met" people in the hot tub and chatted and went on your merry way. Well that happened the NIGHT of the stroke BUT we made such a connection and stayed in touch the next and next and next day. Tom and Audry are our new friends. They asked about Rick everyday and we have been in phone contact and will continue to stay in touch!! They are going to ride their motorcycles out to Sandpoint when rick is better. (I'm holding you to it Tom!!!)

Today was supposed to be the day we went home, home to snow and cold apparently. I would give anything to be going home and I would probably be complaining about the snow like the rest of you. I guess I have to take advantage of where I am!! Perfect temp, sunshine and palm trees waving in the breeze.......another day in paradiseRolling on the floor laughing

Stay tuned for "regular" updates....ann gehring

ann
(stroke)
(Florida)
Blog

Sunday update

2011-02-21T13:19:00.001-08:00

Today was another good day. Rick Gehring was awake for 10-12 hours. The nurses and doctors are all really happy with his progress. He was making gestures and faces and our conversations and seems to be comprehending what they are saying, or at least some of it. We aren't really sure, obviously what he knows or understands, but he looks quizzical or interested when appropriate and smiles when we joke with him. He watched the Daytona 500! :) not sure if he liked or hated it, but he seems to be watching the tv. Ann freaked out at a crash, and he looked at her like she was crazy for getting worked up about it! When we went back later in the day he was tired, but he also got emotional, and seeing him cry is heart wrenching. Today we brought nurse Mike some treats! The nurses work long shifts, so we figured buttering them up is good! That's all for tonight. Xoxo Thanks for your prayers. They are definitely working!
~ Ann

Saturday (from niece monica gehring)

2011-02-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today with Uncle Rick Gehring was another good day. Yesterday was the most awake he has been, and today he was even more so. He is looking around a lot, squeezes are hands whenever we ask, and he is smiling when we joke with him. He was moving around a lot today, I mentioned to the nurses that he is stubborn and probably wants up! He smiled at that.
He looks for Ann Gehring (my aunt) when she isnt there, when she lets go of his hand to do something else, he waves his hand in the air for her, but will sometimes settle for me :)
They are actually giving him coffee and stimulates now, so that helps to keep him awake, and hopefully on his way to healing.
We aren't really sure what he can comprehend, or who he recognizes, but we hope that he understands that it is us and that we love him.
Sometimes he seems to look right at us, but sometimes he is just looking around, checking out the machines and people walking into and out of the room. I told him today that Kristen, Natalie, John, Debbie, and Alan had all been to see him. He seemed to be watching and able to focus on the TV, when I asked him if he wanted sports, he smiled. Hopefully another good sign!
We moved some pictures next to his bedside on the table, so he can look at them. The nurse suggested that we put the pictures on a board with names on them, so I will work on doing that tomorrow, with all the ones that Natalie, John, and Kristen brought, as well as some more that Ann and I both have on our camera's or computers. We got him an ipod and some speakers today, because music is supposed to help with stimulation, so we will load that up with 50s and 60s music to get him started. We will take that tomorrow too.
The nurse told us today that he was amazed at this improvement since he last saw him on Monday, so that was a very good sign. Nurse Mike and Nurse Frank are the favorites so far. They spend the most time with him, have been really willing to answer any questions and have been really positive about where he is now.
Ann's doing well, considering, though as you can imagine, totally overwhlemed with it all. I'm trying to ground her from her phone and email for a bit. She has been on it nonstop, and as you can imagine, it can be emotionally taxing. Its amazing what even two hours in the ICU can do to you. You feel bad that you leave, and are so exhausted.

Trech tub in, Vent out!!

2011-02-17T18:00:00.001-08:00

YEAH YEAH YEAH:: My dad (Rick Gehring) got a trech tube and today was very alert with my mom (Ann Gehring) and cousin. He opened his eyes and kept them open. They cried, and they even got him to laugh (although no noise came out) they were convinced he was laughing. Even the respiratory nurse was impressed with his reaction. We figured out he must have thousands of people praying for him. There is even a novena being said for him back east. WOW!! A good day.

stroke
Florida

A journey begins.....

2011-02-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Rick Gehring update page! This is a place for Ann Gehring to update us all at the same time about Rick's stroke, in the easiest way possible. If you have questions or thoughts, please feel free to leave a comment. She will respond the best she can. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Feel free to pass this blog address on to anyone needing updates.
Thank you and God Bless!
stroke