An Update as of 12/22/12

Bob and Megan are now in Ohio, preparing for celebrations with his family in Cleveland and then in Columbus. Megan was quite eager to take a break from all of the work that is going on at their home, including mold removal and the repainting of entire lower level. All of the constant activity and flurry of workers is difficult for Bob's sensitive system and has been overstimulating this week, leading to an increase in seizures. It will also be a blessing for him to be removed from lure of computer technology so that he can rest, relax and rejuvenate and practice what he wrote about in his poem Deep.

 

Bbo has not lost his sense of gratitute for the gift of life and his awe for "new" discoveries. We continue to be hopeful for a full recovery of his memory as things become more conscious - such as more often remembering previous conversations or having hunches about the turns to make on a trip to the store.

 

Most of all, he continues to be overwhelmed with love for his friends and family and is in the new habit of routinely expressing it! Bob is living Bishop John Shelby Spong's motto: "Love wastefully!"

 

Bob recently discovered this picture, taken of him embraced by another special member of our family, my uncle Van. The picture is from last year's annual family gathering at a church camp in Ohio.

Along with the picture, he sent me this note, "Just noticed this picture on my computer. It doesn’t get any better than this."

Given that this picture was taken a year ago, and that we are here at this Christmas looking forward to another holiday with a living Bob, he's right - it doesn't get better than this!

With joy,

       Erika

An Update as of 12/13/12

Terrific news! Bob “graduated” from his three therapies today -- occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy! His therapists were impressed not only with the tremendous progress he has made in such a short time, but also with his motivation to push himself to keep improving. It is astonishing to watch as his brain heals and he is gradually gaining access to more and more memories.

Another exciting step along this healing journey is the assessment of his neurologist as well as the speech therapist that Bob can begin to be left on his own for short periods, meaning that he can exercise in the workout room without having to have someone with him, and that I can leave home for periods of time and he doesn’t have to come along.

One last bit of good news is that the workers in their white coveralls and masks have finished the mold remediation work in the crawl spaces under our house, next to Bob’s office, and we are both breathing a lot easier – both literally and figuratively.

We have much to celebrate as we enter this holiday season.

PS – This concluding  postscript from Bob echoes Megan’s joy and astonishment over the ways in which my brain is healing. I do a lot of sleeping these days, especially when I  challenge my brain and body hard, which is an integral part of the recovery process. If I had done more sleeping in the first place, I may have never had seizures at all (although given the mold problem, other factors may have been at play as well). One way or another, the ebb and flow of work and rest is the rhythm of life itself. Read all about it in Provisions #612 and #614, titled Get Your Rest and Vital Rhythms. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

-Megan

An Update as of 1210/12

Bob has had a really great week. His memory is improving daily and he is having more “picture” memories where he can recall actual places or events rather than just facts about those places (like the addresses of the places he has lived). He is also making gains in his perceptions of space and time. Other than two very small episodes yesterday, Bob has been seizure free for nine days now! He is very much enjoying getting back to some of the work that he enjoys, like writing Provisions. And he is back to trying to get our computers up and running properly, although he is learning that he needs to take frequent breaks.

Friday was Bob’s birthday and he felt very touched by the many expressions of love that came his way. In the evening, we ventured out to the Kiwanis Holiday party. This was a risk because we have been told to avoid the stimulation of crowds, but Bob had a wonderful time getting reconnected with his many friends in the club. They invited him to say the Invocation at the beginning of the program and he led us all in a very heartfelt prayer of gratitude. They also sang him a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday!

This afternoon, we had a very encouraging visit with Bob’s neurologist. Dr. Marsteller was very pleased with the progress Bob has made in the past month and at Bob’s motivation to push himself. He indicated that with brain injuries, making a lot of progress in the early months is an important indicator for the eventual outcome. He also noted that the brain is the slowest part of the body to heal and that continued progress can be seen for up to two years from the precipitating injury. Bob was delighted because the doctor didn’t think that he needed to be supervised quite so closely, which meant that when we got home Bob took down the sign on the door to the workout room reminding him that he should have some company when he was out there. He can now resume his early morning workouts when he is up before I am.

We also are in the midst of a huge project of mold remediation in the crawl space under our house. Our house is built into a hill and it seems that moisture has been seeping through the exposed dirt floors of the two crawl spaces, as well as condensing on the air conditioning ducts in summer, creating the conditions for mold to grow. We may never know the extent to which all of this mold was a precipitating factor in Bob’s illness, but it certainly makes sense to take care of it once we became aware of it (thanks to the prodding of Bob’s sister Laurel). Today we had four big trucks in our driveway and men wearing coveralls and face masks that made them look like astronauts who were working on cleaning out and sealing the ductwork throughout our house. Various crews will be here all week to get done what needs to be done.

So between getting Bob to five different kinds of therapies as well as doctor’s appointments, and beginning to get back to work at least a little, and keeping in touch with so many of the people we love, life is busy and rich and full. It is clear that we still have a long road ahead of us, but day by day life is inching back toward normal life. And that is a wonderful thing!

-Megan

An Update as of 12/3/12

Sometimes the vagaries of what Bob remembers and what he doesn’t makes for some funny moments.

Last night we had a stressful evening when Bob’s new computer refused to start. That put him right back into the very project that was so stressing him out at the time that he got sick –setting up three new computers. In taking apart the computer, which was challenging for him but he did it successfully, he replaced the hard drive with a second hard drive that he had been formatting back in August. Because it was formatted before Daylight Savings Time, when the computer came back online, the time was incorrect. Bob called out, “What’s that telephone number you call to find out what time it is?”

Now that’s a blast from the past!

I am pleased to report, though, that Bob is practicing what he preaches and he has been taking regular breaks from the stresses of computer set-up as he becomes aware of the need to rest, both last evening and throughout the day today. That is a terrific new skill set for him! And he has somehow remembered how to get not one but two computers up and running. Amazing, what the mind can do! 

-Megan