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!
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