Update #17 on Peter

Back in the first 5 or 6 days after the accident, it was easy for all of us here with Peter to keep up with the latest news about his situation. Often, several of us from the churches and the mission team were at the hospital together praying and sharing. When the doctor gave us some news, many of us heard it first hand and then we each called everyone who wasn’t there to hear it. I’ve mentioned before that the news is coming more rapidly now and it just isn’t possible for all of us to know everything Peter is doing. It isn’t possible for *any* of us to know everything. So, in recent days, you’ve noticed the blog taking a more personal slant towards things that Peter does and says when I am with him. I’m only with him a few hours each day and there is more to his story than I can tell because of this. I am able to give a few snapshots that I hope can accurately portray Peter’s recovery, but I rely on others to fill me in on major things and share stories with me.

I was with Peter for a few hours this morning and have a few things to share from that time, but Allen and Jen were with Peter after I left and had much to report. To keep this chronological, I’ll write of my time with Peter first and then cut/paste from Allen’s report of what happened after I left.

When I arrived, Claudia (Peter’s mom) told me that Peter had dislocated his jaw earlier that morning. He has a habit of pulling his jaw to crack it or his neck or something… so I figured that he did that. Actually, he was just yawning. They called in a dentist and he came after about 30 minutes and quickly put the jaw back in place. Peter dislocated his jaw 2 more times while I was with him and one of the residents came right in to fix it each time. We don’t really know why this is happening, but Peter is more aware now that it happens when he yawns so he’s trying to keep his mouth from opening so much when yawning.

I asked Peter if he knew how old he was. He said 9 and 13 in the midst of a rambling answer, but I didn’t really think those were his answers. I had him look at my 11 year old son and guess how old he was. He said “Well, Zach was probably 7 when I met him so he’s probably 13 by now”. Not a bad guess, in my opinion. Then I asked Peter if he thought he was older or younger than Zach. He wasn’t sure but finally guessed that he was 19 years old. I told him he was 28 and he said “Wow! I’m getting really old!” I said, “I’m 38, so what does that make me?” He said that I was “an official old man”. When Claudia shared her age with Peter, he said, “You are old!”

When I asked him what year it was, he thought a while and answered 2004. I told him no and he guessed 2005. I said it was later than 2005 and he guessed 2000. When I told him it was 2009, he said, “Wow! Time is really flying by!”

Two days ago, Peter talked a lot about “millions of dollars”. Yesterday he talked a lot about “flavors”. Today’s topic is “Mexico”. He works Mexico into most conversations. He saw Japanese soccer players on TV and thought there were a lot of Mexicans playing soccer. When he saw all the nurses and doctors today, he expressed amazement that so many Mexicans could speak Mandarin.

This afternoon, Peter was to go to another building in the hospital for a hearing exam (more on that later). We were told we could try to put Peter in a wheelchair before then to test if he would be prohibitively dizzy when sitting up in the chair. If he wasn’t too dizzy, they could take him to the hearing test in the wheelchair, if he was dizzy they would have to take him on a bed. This was a wonderful experience. He did *great* in the wheelchair. He really enjoyed getting out of his room and seeing the hallway. When we passed the nurses station, they all waved at Peter and said hello to him. He responded with “li ho” which is “hello” in Taiwanese.

When we got to the end of the U-shaped floor (at a dead end) there was a window that looked out over Taipei. Taipei 101 was partly visible behind another building and low clouds. Peter was able to see 101 and he asked if the weather had been cloudy like this for a while. He asked how far we were from Los Angeles. He looked out over the city and waved his hand around and asked, “So this is not technically a part of Mexico?” Allen kept his poise, but I had to duck and run with laughter. After a few more comments about Mexico, we guessed that he was thinking of Tijuana instead of Taiwan.

Here’s the report from Allen…

Peter has been a bit confused about where he is and why he is here. He asked if he had been hit by a curve ball. When told he was hit by a car he responded, "that's really crazy." He has been having trouble distinguishing Chinese people from Mexicans. It is hard for him to figure out what language he needs to speak to whom. He'll say, "that's really throwing me off". He even greeted the nurses in Taiwanese. Evidently he has also been saying sentences in Latin. How many languages does he know?

He has asked to look at maps to help him figure out where he is. He sometimes asks if Taiwan is by Mexico. We showed him Google Earth which helped but it didn't seem to click for him until his mom drew a map of America and Taiwan on paper. His comment was, "Taiwan is a booger is the Asian ocean."

He had to go for an ear test today. On the way he saw himself in the elevator and noticed his head was shaved. He said, "oh, the hardcore Mexican look, essay," and then spoke bunch of Spanish slang that I didn't understand. When we got downstairs he looked at me and asked if he needed to speak Belgianese to me (because he remembered I was born in Belgium). Just as we arrived at the ear test room he got his jaw locked. He has been dislocating his mandible when he yawns and then has to wait for the doctor to set it back in. This causes quite a bit of discomfort for him. After a while he looked at us and with all seriousness asked with his locked jaw, "if you slap me really hard will it go back in?" At the ear test they were only able to test his right ear. He was so worn out just getting there that he kept falling asleep. He could hear 85 decibels but nothing quieter. His left ear has been hearing better than his right. We were told he won't have to test again until he is ready to leave the hospital

A physical therapist came to see Peter today. He was very encouraged by Peter's motor skills and dexterity. He said that in the case of head injuries, patients with this kind of mobility usually have a very good recovery. He said they cannot know how long it will take for his mind to clear up but that it happens slowly and at a different pace for everyone. It is encouraging to hear a hopeful outlook for recovery.

NOTE FROM SCOTT: In the hearing test on Peter’s right ear, Allen reported that Peter could hear nothing lower than 85dB. A telephone dial tone is 80dB. City traffic from inside a car is 85dB. Normal conversation is between 60-70dB. Peter’s left ear is much better than his right. I regularly sit or stand by his bed and speak in my normal speaking voice and rarely have to raise it for Peter to hear me. I do think he has some trouble with certain frequencies. He doesn’t seem to hear women as well as men. But, then again, most men seen to have trouble hearing women from time to time, right?

:-)