Many Questions

November 14th : Part 2
6:30 pm  A breakthrough day. When Dave and I were with Brian this afternoon, he asked me, "Why am I in the hospital?" I explained he had had a heart attack, and where and when. We showed Brian the big calendar because he wanted to know what day it was. Then I showed him a smaller calendar page with October, November and December, on which I had written special events from October, about Brian. He read some of them. Brian wanted to know if he'd been in a coma, how long, when he'd awakened, and repeatedly asked today's date because "I'm trying to figure out the other days."
Brian is experiencing a sense of loss. He said, "Jesse and Jamie died," with tears in his eyes. We told him they were alive, safe, and he lit up. "They're alive!" Then he said "Someone in the family died." We told him no one died, everyone is safe. He asked a couple more times about Jesse and Jamie. He is very attached to them. And someone DID die, although we didn't discuss it : Brian died, briefly, on October 8th.
At one point I was sitting on the bed and Dave was by Brian's side (Brian was in the chair this whole time). Brian said, "Someone was in a coma?" We replied, "YOU were in a coma!" "And I woke up!" Thrilled, big smile. And he reached out to us, held me, kissed me on the lips twice, held Dave, kissed him on the lips and cheek, and we all shed happy tears in a group hug.
Brian wants to know how long he was in a coma, and how long he has been awake, when he had the heart attack. When he saw my words "Brian went down" on the 8th on the small calendar, I explained that I wrote it that way because it was like he was down in the ocean, in a deep sleep.
We told him we had been with him every day, Dave all night, that he had been working hard to heal himself. He needs LOTS of praise.
7:45 pm  The PT and OT and ST are AMAZED at how ell Brian is doing. PT David said he had his best day yet. OT Janet says he will come through "smelling like a rose". ST Berl is working on swallowing and categories (clothing, furniture). 
Late this afternoon we gave Brian his smoothie. He said, "Sing a song". So Dave, Brian and I sang the "Soothing Smoothie Song" while Brian drank his smoothie ("sipped his smoothie through a straw"). When finished, he told Dave, "All for me, none for you" with a sly grin. He said "thank you" to Dave for the smoothie and "Dave May, Smoothie every day". 
"I,m proud to be your friend" (to Dave) "I'm glad you guys are in my life" (to us) Janet suggested we get a phone in Brian's room so Jesse and Jamie could call, so he can be reassured that they are okay.
Nurse Nancy asked him if he would like to sit in the chair for dinner. "Possibly", he replied. Brian talked much of the time today, asking questions and conversing. He is much easier to understand than yesterday, and his voice sounds more normal.
During dinner (fish, carrots, tapioca, soup, milk, juice) his hand was shaking but he was doing a great job with the awkward pieces. I complimented him, and he said, "You're just saying that." I told him no, it was true. "I'm so clumsy." So I explained that was normal when a person has been in a coma, that it would take a while to be back to normal, but he was moving really fast (had moved/progressed). I pointed out how he COULDN'T feed himself two days ago, and he said, "I HAVE!" (progressed) I also pointed out how he was talking so much more easily today.

November 18, 2012
The end of Part 2. Brian was improving in a rapid upward trajectory that impressed everyone who worked with him. This would continue for some time. Note that I refer to the event as a "heart attack". We had not gotten the correct terminology down yet. 
These were amazing days.