Today, Ben and I spent Thanksgiving together. Jim and I were called the day before Thanksgiving with the news that Ben’s mental state had deteriorated over the previous 48 hours and that he needed another brain shunt revision. His CT scan once again showed signs of increased pressure. Surgery for shunt revision was performed successfully last evening. Ben was somnolent and minimally responsive for much of the day today as a response to anesthesia, medications, and stress. I was concerned that major ground had been lost again in his recovery. We have been down that road many times. Later today however, he cracked a joke or two with the doctors, watched a hockey game, and spent some time looking at magazines. Ben seems ok tonight. I believe tomorrow will be even better. 

Ben has been in  a season of struggle, loss, and medical decline. In April, he started having behavioral struggles  coupled with cognitive loss. Experience has taught Jim and I to push for assessment of the VP shunt,  which manages fluid in Ben’s brain,  when we hear reports of  any worrisome changes in behavior. Repetitive brain CT scans were performed as a response to the mental decline over the last 3 months. Finally, when Ben’s mental decline intensified,  he was admitted to a hospital for 2 weeks where many of his medications were changed. On June 11th, I visited Ben and became very concerned. Something was wrong. He was irritable, unhappy and mentally slow. The irritability moved to aggression and on July 2nd, Ben was taken to the hospital and placed on a mental health hold. We again asked for a brain CT scan. An astute neurosurgeon reviewed the scan and compared it to all of the scans dating back to April. Ben’s shunt wasn’t working and had not been working for a long time. He had changes in brain ventricular size and this means an increase in brain pressure. July 4th he underwent brain surgery for VP shunt revision.

I am writing this blog update as I sit on a delayed plane waiting to leave for Houston. So far the plane has been delayed 2 hours. Al least the view is beautiful here in Denver. I spent the weekend with Ben in Colorado. Our time together was bittersweet. We have not seen each other for a while. Ben has been struggling with significant physical and  mental health issues. After 2 years of health and stability, life became unpredictable. Ben was unhappy and frustrated. The frustration manifested in troubling behaviors that Ben seemed powerless to curtail. The wonderful professionals who run the TBI home where Ben lives, stuck with him through thick and thin, but they were at a loss as to how to help him. Services, medical and psychiatric, are a constant struggle for people who struggle with TBI. As soon as “brain injury” is brought up, doctors and hospitals back pedal as fast as they can.

February 22nd was Ben's 27th birthday. He celebrated by eating birthday cake and had a day of fun with activities and receiving calls and messages from friends and family. Social contact is what Ben loves best and he enjoyed every minute of the day. Ben still lives in Colorado. He still requires  a supportive environment that caters to the needs of a traumatic brain injury survivor.  Although Ben can do many things, he still has deficits in memory and needs monitoring in social situations. His problematic behaviors have diminished with good medical care and a supportive environment. He  is quite a character with a quick smile, a great sense of humor, and an eclectic fashion sense. Everyday I thank God for leading us to Colorado and for the amazing helpers that help Ben navigate his world.