August 29th 4:00 pm

Well Payton' room has continued to be a very busy hub of activity, but the activity has changed from being one of life support and breath holding fear to one with all kinds of different teams work with him. The Infectious Disease Team have been here several times the past 24 hours, they have finished the culture from the material taken out of Payton's brain and it has been identified as Viridans Strep. This particular strain of Strep can be treated with specific antibiotics so they have changed the antibiotics some, they are giving two instead of three.....one less line!!!!!!

This type of Strep isn't very common, and it may have actually permeated through the bone in his sinus area into the brain. It appears to have been removed and arrested, we are anxious to see the CT scans that are scheduled for tomorrow morning. If the scans confirm what the rest of the tests and monitors are saying Payton will have surgery again Friday to take out drains and replace the bone flap. Then after a couple more days in ICU he will then be moved and a plan will be laid out for his recovery.

Payton was able to move the toes on his left foot today for the first time, and as the day has progressed he seems to be gaining movement and strength in them. He mentions a tingling sensation below the knee on his left leg, we hope it is "waking up" so he can gain full movement and strength there.

Payton has seen occupational therapists today, and he felt like he was taking the ACT. They gave him math questions, had him write sentences and read lots of materials to see if his brain was functioning properly. He passed with flying colors and it was a real relief to Angie and I to have the therapist tell us that they would not need to do any additional work with Payton. We are so grateful to know that his intelligence is okay and that we have one less thing to worry about. They also had him play some games which I am sure after a while he was annoyed with.

Angie stayed over with Payton last night, and things went really well. Because of his stable position the activity around his bed all of the time was less, less bells from alarms going off and not so many analysis things happening. They read the sports page of USA Today together, it is great practice for Payton to read out loud. He does pretty well but once in a while be hangs for a bit. He is still so very weak and tired, his endurance is very short. The physical therapist worked with Payton and had him sit up on the edge of he bed and do a variety of movements and stretches. He performed them well but was really tired after he finished.

Today was a great day in the food dept. Payton was moved over to soft foods and ordered Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, one of his favorite dishes to make at home. HE also had a chocolate milkshake today. He really enjoyed both and I think the food comforts him. It might have been a bit much though as he slept really hard for a while after he ate. The installed a PIC line in his arm today for all of the IV stuff he will be taking after he leaves the hospital.

The intensity of the past few days has caught up with Angie and I. Now that things are headed in the right direction you can feel your body and how tired it is. I slept at home last night, I got about 5 hours but i think that it was the deepest I have slept in years, I can't remember when I have felt that totally exhausted. It's not just the physical, but added to the mental and emotional fatigue we have felt. We both feel much better today.

Payton has been able to read emails and cards that have been sent to him. He is touched by the care and love that people have shown him and all of us continue to be so grateful and humble for how things are turning out. It is a modern day miracle to us, and we can't express in words how thankful we are for how it is going.

Some of you have asked who his doctor is, It is Doug Brockmeyer, MD. He has been very good to work with. I have liked his style, very direct and intense and when it has been a time we had to make a decision he didn't waffle around at all. He gave it to us straight, sometimes it has taken the air out of us when the news was bad but I appreciated his candor and quick action. I also appreciate his knowledge and incredible skill, you know if you are operation on the brain of a Broadbent it is truly micro surgery! In fact Payton is the only one of us that has for sure proved he has one. We feel lucky he has been Payton's doctor and we have full confidence in him.

Tomorrow Payton gets to work on his motor skills. It will be the first time that we have ever encouraged or cheered for him to play video games. The therapist says that they have found video games to be a great way to wake the brain up and restore both function and strength to the hands while improving the hand eye coordination. Payton can so many of the movement with his hands but does them a little slower than normal. We should see improvement there through therapy and as the brain continues to wake up.

Payton keeps putting his hands up and touching the staples of his incision and rubbing the area of his head that is shaved. I asked him if he wanted to see a picture of the area, which he did. I was really nervous and dying inside as I showed him the pictures and explained what the operation had been, I was not sure what his reaction would be, but it was very positive and he knows that the cuts will heal and hair will grow back to cover and hide the incision scars. I was relieved and proud of how he handled it. Progress continues and we are grateful to see our son returning to his normal state