The Question of Driving

Thursday 29 November 2001
I got another early morning call, but this time I thought I would see if Brian could go back to sleep. I was called at 3:45 am and he had been awake for less than an hour. My intuition was correct; Brian fell back to sleep. I had suspected that if I left him alone to entertain himself and answer his questions on his own with his Journal, he might get tired instead of distracted. I was correct.
FROM MY NOTES:
Dave was on morning duty. He had breakfast with Brian, and was going to help Brian dress but was told that dressing was part of morning OT. During OT, Marcy "helped" Brian get dressed, brush his teeth and spike his hair (Brian did it all). He also started his laundry.
At one point in the morning, while Brian was in his wheelchair, Dave turned his back and Brian stood up (his seat belt was undone) and started walking. Amy rushed over and reminded Brian that he isn't supposed to walk alone, but with her. "You're right here!" he said. "But I was over there," she replied. Brian just gave her "The Look": raised brow, lowered head, looking out at her from under the brow.
During his combination OT/PT with Marcy and Amy, Brian played horseshoes and beat Marcy 11-4.
Brian had lunch with Dave, after spending some time alone so he could focus on his writing.
I arrived at 1 pm.
Brian worked on writing with Julie, who gave him some worksheets to complete for maria Mercedes on Saturday (homework!). Brian does not have ST on Fridays.
Brian had OT with Marcy again at 1:30. He shaved, put his laundry away, and even hung up some of his shirts.
During PT with Amy, Brian did a Balance Test in preparation for walking with staff and parents. He scored 49/56, meaning he has a slight risk of falling. Distractions are his biggest problem, although his feet tangle occasionally due to the pigeon-toed gait. He should be able to start walking with others on Friday.
After PT I tried to get him to work on some homework, but he was tired an distracted, so I had him lie down and I left him to rest alone. I thought he might sleep, but he didn't. 
At 4 pm Brian had another PT session with Amy. He is having trouble remembering her name and keeps calling her "Kate". They walked to the gym to work, with Brian leading the way. Brian did various types of leg lifts, with the "magic number" being 18 because he will soon be 18. When they finished, we all discussed the driver's license issue, because Brian has been asking, "Do I have a driver's license? Do I have a car? What kind of car do I have?" (and memorizing the answers). By Oregon law, the doctors have to send documents to the DMV to inform them whenever a person suffers a loss of consciousness. The person's license is automatically suspended. So Brian's license is temporarily suspended, until such time as he passes a battery of tests with Dr. Villanueva (neuropsychologist), is okayed by the therapists in Outpatient Therapy, and probably passes written and road driving tests. Brian does not seem distressed by not being able to drive for a while - he just seems to want to be sure he has a license and a car. he doesn't remember getting his license, and thinks he still owns his old Toyota Corolla wagon, so we are working on remembering his new car.
(Brian never did regain his license. Although he drove a little up in the mountains on back roads, he was not able to regain any skill that would allow him to drive or regain his license. We had his little Nissan wagon while he lived with us in Ashland, with its great stereo, and it took us on trips around the state. Brian always got to pick the music. The car was called "The Boognish", after Ween, his favorite band)
One of Brian's "themes" is that he feels "sleazy" or "scummy" for going out with a girl who is so much younger than he. "Do you think I'm sleazy?" he will ask. He fear people will think he is taking advantage of Alana. He knows she is "more mature" than other girls her age, but he is still concerned.
Dr. Fennel came in to visit Brian around 4:45. Brian was pleased to see him, and tried to remember his name. First he guessed "Foster", then tried "Fe...", then reached out his hand and burst out with, "Dr. Fudgesicle!" Fennel laughed and told Brian he could call him "Dr. Dan". "Dr. Dan Fennel", Brian repeated. Fennel is very pleased at how well Brian is doing. 
Brian and Nurse Bryan (3 - 11 shift) have a great bantering relationship, teasing about names.
In the evening Brian was very lively. We walked and rolled around the Unit, and sat in his room, discussing nice vs mean people, his desires to be a teacher, Alana and beauty. He said,"Nice is NOT a compliment. It just IS," and that "Mean people can't help being mean. They were raised that way." He wants to "raise kids", as a parent AND a teacher. He knows he is nice, but "I can't help it - the people who raised me were all nice", including teachers. He said, "Alana is 'BEAUTIFUL'  (with fingers raised as quote marks) on the outside, but she's beautiful inside, too." He again expressed concerns over being "sleazy" and told me he was attracted to her physically when they met. It was fun just talking with him about what is important to him. 
I read to him as usual, and he fell asleep by 9:30.