Knock the heals of your ruby slippers together to change them into sneakers and come to our "home." Cousin Carol arrived from Ohio as the snows started in the north. She took Chuck to PT at 8:30 am on Friday (Dec 3). Between Carol and TWO PT guys, Chuck worked very hard, and then we whisked him off to the Keys where he absolutely wore himself out playing with buddies Steve and Perry. Perry was wonderful working on the boat, mowing the lawn, weed eating, and other clean up items while Chuck either tried to help or sank into a chair very tired… Moose burgers and socializing at the Moose lodge did him in. I think Chuck learned a lesson (I hope so…). When you are only a month out of surgery, with a traumatic head wound, you just can’t do every single thing you want to in the high gear that Chuck is accustomed to. You need to nap, and rest, and … well just let the healing take place. On Sunday morning, Chuck said, "I can’t rest here." Interesting … is it because you don’t have ogre Dave taking you for long walks and not doing what you want to do??? So we packed up and came on home. All rested up, Chuck is back at PT today with nurse Carol. His blood pressure and pulse are "those of an athlete," says Carol. No sick man here… unless you count the stunned brain.
I appreciate if you would recommend books or web sites for me to read so I become knowledgeable on head injuries. I bought a book Tammy recommended called My Stroke of Insight by Jill B. Taylor, PhD. She is "a brain scientist" who had a massive stroke in the left hemisphere at age 37. The book records her journey through the stroke and back. I’ve read for example the last pages "forty things I needed most" like "I’m not stupid. I’m wounded. Please respect me." I like that term "wounded." I’ve also read something interesting that I need to turn to when I ask "how long?": "I thought I had lost forever the ability to understand anything mathematical. To my amazement, however, by the fourth post-stroke year, my brain was ready to takle addition again. Subtraction and multiplication came online around post stroke year four and a half, but division eluded me until well into year five!" She offers all kinds of ways she "got things back" like using flash cards. Isn’t that interesting! Chuck did not have a stroke and his injury is "bi lateral". Carol says it is mostly surface which is why he seems to be recovering so quickly. We still have to understand the effect of the bilateral thalamic infarcts. What we are dealing with is the coming back online of the brain… some cognitive deficits that most doctors said he would probably recover. We meet with neuro surgeon and neurologist tomorrow. I will pepper them with questions while I am understanding this is "wait and see; go slowly; no one knows." Today is a beautiful day and we look forward to so many more beautiful days. May God bless you on this "Saint Nicolas Day"… Do you remember when we were little and we put shoes out at night on the feast of Saint Nicolas and we got presents! Love and God bless you. Susie