Rob Freyvogel/Carbiliner #496

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Here's the post from Sue et al:

Quick update! Rob?s trach was removed on Sunday and the site is healing nicely. The blood thinner is now regulated. So we were given the go ahead for transfer. God is good!

With a storm approaching, and since the medical flight team was close to Salt Lake, we flew this morning in this private jet. For a number of reasons, I decided that our home would be the best place to start the next phase of our journey. Friends and family worked for over a week to prepare the rooms, and they did a fantastic job. We arrived at our house in PA around 5:30pm. The ground ambulance transportation in Utah and PA were fantastic, and the flight team was superb. All went very smoothly.

For those of you that are local, we are anxious to see you. But need some time to readjust after 66 days in Utah. Please, no unscheduled visitation. When we are ready, we will post a visitation sign-up so Rob is not overwhelmed.

Many thanks and blessings to our friends and family around the world, many who may never see this since they are not on Facebook. We appreciate all of you so much!

Sue and Family

[desotoman]

Here is the latest post by Sue of how Rob is doing.

Tom G.

Carbinite LSR
November 29 at 8:54 PM ?

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all! One of Rob?s favorite praise songs is ?Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul.? This particular part has resonated with me over the past few days as I contemplate the many reasons I have to be thankful:

For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find

Not sure I am imaginative enough to come up with 10,000 reasons, but my list is quite long nonetheless! We received this lovely flower basket today from a fellow racer and his crew. It, along with a cozy fire in the fireplace, is cheering up our home-hospital room. The Carbiliner picture was taken by Liz Leggett Papp in 2016. It?s not one we use frequently in our posts and publications, but I like the unique perspective!

It has been a little over a week since Rob and I returned to Pennsylvania. We had a few panicked looks in Utah when I explained to the medical staff that we would be taking Rob to our home. They had no idea of my nursing background, which includes ICU, surgical, and home care experience. We are managing remarkably well and have a lot of support and offers of help. And there really is no-place-like-home when it comes to recovery!

Rob has been evaluated by home care nurses, a variety of therapists, and his PCP. Andy and I took him to his neurosurgery appointment at UPMC. It was an uneventful trip! He will begin in-home PT, OT, and Speech Therapy next week. Family will be pitching in so I can get back to work at Carbinite.

The Pgh neurosurgeon described Rob as ?emerging into consciousness? ? I think it is a very good description. Our family has been asked ?Is he awake?? by a number of people. Well? Yes. In the strictest sense of the word. He is not asleep. But he is not fully conscious. He is becoming more aware of his surroundings. His legs and right arm continue to improve. He has started moving the left arm very slightly. It seems like he wants to communicate but is unable to form words, although he does groan and make some sounds. He relies on me for all of his care right now. Sadly for him, his Thanksgiving dinner consisted of tube feeding while the rest of us enjoyed turkey with all the fixings.

He needs more time to heal from the surgeries in Utah, more time to rest so his brain and body can recover, and more time to gain strength and function. The goal is to get him into intensive TBI rehab when he is ready. Until then, my assignment from both of his doctors is to keep him healthy, avoid infections, avoid bedsores, and provide an appropriate balance of rest and stimulation. When he is ready for visitors, we will let you know. With cold/flu season upon us, we have to be overly cautious. An infection could be devastating.

Please continue to uphold Rob in your thoughts and prayers. Abba, Father has been truly good to our family. I am thankful for His goodness, and for each person that has cared for us in so many ways through this trial.

Sue and Family

[tauruck]

Thanks for the update. God Bless you Rob.🙏🙏🙏✝✝✝✝

[Captthundarr]

Thank you for the up date, rest and pray.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Here's a note from Sue from a couple of days ago - on the Carbinite LSR Facebook page.  And speaking of Rob and his family - I've asked for the mailing address Sue prefers us to use to send cards and stuff.  I remember her asking, a few months ago, to not send to the house because they were getting way too much there.  I'll post the preferred addy once I get it, but have a card ready to send for the holidays, you hear me?  Here's Sue's note:

"Carbinite LSR
December 14 at 8:29 PM ?

Greetings to our friends around the globe!

Rob and I been home a little over 3 weeks now. While we have a number of challenges to overcome on a daily basis, we are managing fairly well. We now have a competent and compassionate caregiver coming in several days a week so I can work, which is very good for me. Visiting nurses, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are working with him as well.

Rob?s cognition is improving significantly. He is becoming more aware of his surroundings and is starting to interact with people. He wants to communicate and is clearly frustrated with how difficult it is for him right now. He is shaking his head ?yes? or ?no? when asked questions, can identify some family and friends in pictures, and is starting to form words. Physically he is still quite weak, especially his left arm. His physical recovery is part of this marathon as well as his cognitive/mental recovery, and I would expect him to become stronger with time and continued therapy.

Many thanks for all you have done for us, and many blessings to each of you during this holiday season!

Sue and Family"

[Glen]

Sue I think of him everyday and say a prayer. Rob and I had a conversation at inspection and updated me on the changes made. I was announcing his run and it was so difficult to say what happened and not knowing his condition. Only best thoughts.

[manta22]

Sue I think of him everyday and say a prayer. Rob and I had a conversation at inspection and updated me on the changes made. I was announcing his run and it was so difficult to say what happened and not knowing his condition. Only best thoughts.

Glen, Joline and I were heading back home on I-80, listening to you on the radio when you announced that Rob was pulling up to the start line. His engine sounded great as he pulled away and we heard your announcing speeds as he progressed through the traps. The last thing I heard was "432 mph" just past the 2 mile and then it happened. Shortly after that the AM signal faded away and we did not know the outcome until much later.

We are glad to hear that Rob is making progress in his recovery.

[fordboy628]

The best Christmas present is progress on the road to recovery.

Well wishes to Rob and Sue and the complete Carbiliner family.    Many here keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.


The road is long, and the way is dark.    May you emerge in sunshine at the end of your journey.

Fordboy & Mrs Fordboy

[Captthundarr]

Well said. Well said

[trimmers]

Here's the latest from Sue as posted yesterday on the Carbinite LSR Facebook page:

Greetings, friends!
We enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home with just our immediate family. It was a welcome repose from the chaos that has invaded our lives since Rob?s accident in September. Hard to believe that it has been 105 days since I received that fateful phone call. Up to this point, not hearing from me has meant that nothing new has happened with Rob. Something new is now happening just about every day, I just do not have much extra time to compose proper posts!
Since we have been home, Rob has made significant progress. In the past week alone, he has started to speak in complete sentences. Speech therapy is working with him twice a week. He is still very frustrated, more at us now since we can understand only a fraction of his words. With each passing day, though, his speech becomes a little clearer. His trach site is not yet completely healed which adds to the difficulty in understanding him.
The family was enjoying some pizza and conversation this weekend, and he began yelling out of frustration. When we said he needed to behave, he said ? very clearly ? ?I do not want to behave, I want to eat food!? He is still far from having pizza but has enjoyed a couple of popsicles! He laughed for the first time today at something our daughter said. He is starting to ask questions about many things, and said he wants to go back to work.
A big part of his frustration is his inability to walk. He is spending a good deal of time out of bed in his wheelchair and does not like being belted in at all. He is strong enough that he could throw himself out of bed or the chair, so he cannot ever be left alone. But he is not strong enough yet to support himself. Part of ?emerging into consciousness? is that he realizes what he used to do and cannot understand why he is not able to do those same things now. Patience never was one of his strengths... With the help of Occupational Therapy, he has started using a standing frame. He is only tolerating the frame for short periods of time. Considering he had been in bed for 3 months he is doing amazingly well. Walking will come, he just does not want to wait.
Each of you have been part of Rob?s recovery through your prayers, well-wishes, donations, medical care, home renovations, meals, and help. The Go-Fund-Me has paid for the medical equipment, medications, supplements, and therapies that are helping him to regain his life. I recently read the discharge summary from his hospital stay in Utah. Based on the notes from his admission, Rob should not even be alive ? but yet he is here complaining about not being able to eat pizza! Your prayers and support have sustained all of us through the chaos. Thank you again, each of you here on Facebook and all the supporters that are not on social media, for all you have done. Have a wonderful, blessed, Happy New Year! All glory to God for Rob's continued progress!
Sue and Family

Very encouraging news indeed!

Jeff in Boise

[desotoman]

Thanks Jeff for posting Sue's post on Facebook. Things are looking up and what a great way to start the New Year. Glad to hear you are getting better Rob.

Tom G.

[SPARKY]

Best Christmas present I have ever gotten!

 ROB  keep on keeping on!

[gray63]

What a wonderful Christmas, New Years present for all of us.  Thank you for posting Robs progress.
It does prove that prayers are a very powerful medicine.

Dave and Diana Gray
Mechanicsburg, Pa.

[Podunk]

I'm with Sparky.

[desotoman]

Latest post is from Andy and very encouraging. Rob is getting better. Great news.

Tom G.

Carbinite LSR
January 21 at 11:13 AM ?

Andy here, just wanting to let everyone know what Rob is up to! He has been admitted to a full time rehab program where he will be getting therapy 6 days a week for the next 3 or 4 weeks. He is at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was admitted because he is ready for it! He is fully aware of what has happened and is physically able to start learning to function again. He is able to talk, though with difficulty due to the brain injury and damage to his trachea, but continues to improve. He needs to re-learn swallowing, walking and any other movement you can think of. This is great news as he continues to make improvements, but he is also fully understanding for the first time how far he has to go to recover. Patience and emotional stability were never Rob's strong points, so this is a struggle for him. I visited yesterday as he was in a very low place. Another friend showed up as well and he read Psalm 13. "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" King David was in a low place as well, but by the end of that Psalm he sees a different perspective, understanding that he can trust God in the midst of the darkest valleys. The name "Israel" was given to Jacob because he "wrestled with God". That is literally what Israel means. We have a God who wants us to wrestle with Him. Ask Him the tough questions when we are down and can't see how we can get through our current situations. He is there waiting for us to come to Him, as our only true hope lies in realizing we are hopeless without Christ. Thank you for your continued prayers for both Rob and Sue as they navigate this together. There is light on the horizon, but there are still some storms to get through.