Upate on Dennis 8/2/2011

Dennis finished his fifth plasma exchange treatment today and will be transferred back to Brooks Rehabilitation to finish up his physical therapy.  The Mayo Clinic has been wonderful and we are sad to leave.  The nurses and patient care techs have been fantastic and the doctors amazing as well.  The care we have received here has restored my faith in the healthcare field and it is sad that all hospitals do not give this level of care to all of its patients.  

This is the first time since Dennis was admitted to the hospital that we have had the same doctor evaluate him to see if he has made any improvements.  The doctor on a scale of one to five gives Dennis’s right leg a 5+ and says it is at maximum strength and his left leg is at 3+.  The doctor also said that we could see results up to 10 days after his last plasma exchange therapy.  We didn’t get any exact answers, but we knew we wouldn’t since spinal cord injuries cannot be predicted. The doctor did confirm today that the plasma exchange therapy did work.  He stressed that this isn’t all about the procedure, but about the procedure helping Dennis get to the next step in his recovery.  The doctors are starting Dennis on another low dose of steroids.  The steroids are used to reduce the activity of the immune system to prevent the immune system from attacking the myelin of the spinal cord. Next week Dennis will go back to Mayo for another MRI and spinal tap (Dennis is SUPER excited).   The doctor wants to see if the inflammation and lesion have diminished.  

The therapists at Mayo have gotten him on a walker the past two days and he was able to take 10 steps with assistance.  Dennis says he feels stronger after the plasma exchange therapy and that the steps with his right leg are back to normal.  The left leg is still more like a shuffle.  His legs, knees, and ankles are sore from standing and taking steps which means his legs are getting use to standing and stepping. 

 I feel certain he will be on a walker with no assistance by the time we leave Brooks which we are fairly certain will still be August 16^th.  Keep praying and we love you all!!!!!!