Praise the LORP! He has risen!

Today was a HIGH day! Bob's therapies are demanding and take alot out of him but he's rising to the challenge, as you can see in the photos. Although it looks like Bob is paying homage to the chair, he's actually learning to stand by pushing up. His PT, A, miracle worker extraordinaire, is bearing weight on his right arm so that his body will learn that it exists and "jumpstart the muscles" to move. He stood again, and again, and again and finally, A. got him to step off - baby steps. YEAH! He worked with the speech pathologist and she checked his retention: she called out a series of sentences and he had to repeat them. She started with simple sentences and then increased to complex sentences such as: "I went to a restaurant and ordered a roast beef sandwich, french fries, and apple pie" (none of which is served in Loma Linda, the vegan hospital). And OMG, he repeated every single sentence she gave him. She was pretty amazed and told him that he would do very well in relearning speech and language and that he needed to be patient while his brain repaired and rewired itself. He struggled during the reading assessments and seemed truly perplexed that he couldn't recognize words but she reassured him that he will learn again. Bob can't initiate conversation yet but it's just a matter of time.
Bob was Social Bob today: Judy Watson, Josh, Pam Chavira, Lori Thompsen, Rick Cooper, Bonnie Drolet, Jeff, and Sonia dropped by to visit. Judy, you sparked up his day--could you see how surprised and happy he was that you were there? And what progress he's made! Today, Judy witnessed Bob making choices for tomorrow's meal from the menu. Thanks Pam and Lori for the meal and visiting with me while Bob ate dinner. Gigi, thanks for sending your Rick over to shave the Bob and read Jimmy Buffet to him. He enjoyed it and I loved Bob telling Rick that he could come back and read again "the day after tomorrow" (on his own). Bonnie, I think you could see that Bob was watching you and listening to you intently when you spoke of Tom's recovery from stroke. Your personal experience lets him know that this can be overcome. After all, he doesn't want Tom to think he's a slacker.
Bob's estimated discharge date from Rehab is May 15 and then he'll receive outpatient treatment. Pray that he's ready to come home (or that they extend his stay).
The Rehab hospital is connected to Loma Linda's Urgent Care so the staff is highly concerned about an outbreak of the flu because they have so many immunosuppressed patients. They've set up a quarantine area to restrict the spread of infection. Y'all know how I am about sharing any kind of germs so know that we won't be offended if you don't visit. Well, keep those prayers coming in! I'm going to bed now.

Take care and much LORP,

Sharon

Day 14 (Rehab 7) Yes, No, Maybe So?

Dearest Family and Friends,
Lorp! Bob’s dozing on the patio between therapy sessions so I’m trying to steal a few catch up minutes. So what’s new with the Bob? Every day sees improvements, albeit small, but the good news is that Bob’s rehab team thinks he’s an interesting and exciting patient because he is so motivated. I think the THERAPISTS are miracle workers!
1) Today, Bob stood UP (assisted by PTs, of course) and stepped off on his left foot
2) He is getting pretty good at transfers to/from the wheelchair
3) Today, he told me which songs he wanted to sing. (When I asked, he started singing Edelweiss and then Michael Row the Boat Ashore)
4) Over the weekend, we worked very hard learning to say “Yes” and “No”. So today, during his psych eval, he answered questions “Yes”, “No”, “Y-E-S spells Yes”, Yes AND No”, “Yes OR No” and my all time favorite, “Yes, No, Maybe So”. I was anxiously thinking, OMG, his answers are so far off the charts that they're going to kick us out of Rehab, but the neuropsych told me the team was really excited at Bob's progress, especially because he was non-responsive/non-communicative only a week ago and they had deep concerns and now he’s trying to talk, talk, talk and that’s a good thing. He told Bob he knew that he was brilliant and that this must be so frustrating. But the moral of the story is this, the next time someone asks you a question that you don't feel like answering, simply answer with a thoughtful, "Yes", then wait a few seconds and add a thoughtful, "or No". And then wait. Oh yes, and it doesn't matter what type of question it is: Multiple choice? Yes or no. Fill in the blank? Yes or No. Matching? Yes or No. (Linda B, Carrie F, Justin M, Kristen M, what d'you think?)
5) Get this, his neuropsych knows Barry and Leslie (he bought Lindsay and Jaymes house). That bit of information opened up a connection and he wanted to know all about the Bob. (Barry and Leslie, it’s true, it’s true, relationships matter!”
6) He is getting better at answering multiple choice questions such as, “if you’re finished with dinner, push the tray away” or “raise your hand when you want me to changing TV stations”
7) He’s pretty good at recalling closed sets. For example, the therapist will say “up and . . . “ and he’ll say “down”, “Black and" "…white” and so on. Pretty cool
8) When I tucked him in tonight, he told me “I love you” AND he stroked my cheek.
9) Bob’s mastered three jigsaw puzzles. He started with 9 pieces and he quickly mastered the 12 piece puzzle from Laurie and Bryan. (Thanks B & L). Tomorrow we go to 24 pieces.
10) Tonight I said to him “Bob, you’ve always been a man of few words. . . “ and he said very slowly, “And now, I” and then he got stuck on “lorp”. That blew me away because I was actually thinking, “And now you’re a man of very few words.” I felt like the old Bob was talking to me. It was the weirdest thing to hear him add to my thoughts. And I’m not making this up – just ask his roommate, D., (who is not a stroke patient).
11) He learned how to pull on his pants and shirt (which is incredibly difficult when only one side of your body does the work)
12) Tonight during movie night at rehab, Bob hooked his elbow with mine, just like he always did. (Oh-the movie was BOLT.)

There is much to be said about the power in family and friends. I can’t thank you enough for ALL of you for your prayers, messages/emails, positive thoughts, calls, cards, flowers, and gifts (And Rick C for shaving the Bob and reading to him). I am so grateful for your acts of kindness and for carrying our spirits through this time. I really do look forward to hearing from you and want you to know that although I haven’t responded personally to each one of you, my heartfelt thank you goes to each of you. All of my energy has been focused on Bob and not much else. Those of you who know my family know how close we are and I’m so grateful for them – crazy nuts and all. The “Witches of East Highland” (my sisters) are there every day to make me laugh (with their nutty ideas). They’ve transformed Bob’s room with butterflies, a word wall, memory bulletin board (complete with matching borders), puzzles, cards, whiteboards, flashcards, AND they didn’t stop there. They added a shade umbrella to the patio and they planted the garden with colorful flowers for Bob. My personal life is managed by Josh, my twin’s son, who just defended his dissertation @ NYU, (yes, another doctor in the family). He and my parents make and deliver my meals to the hospital so that I can eat with Bob. My brothers-in-laws have been saints. Robin comes up on from San Diego on the weekends and reads the LA Times to Bob and plays his guitar for him and the other patients. Jeff visits daily and he’s renovating our house so that Bob has universal access. Tomorrow his construction team starts tearing out the downstairs bathroom, building in a roll in shower, widening doors doors, adding ramps, and support bars through out. Bill (M.D.) flies in tomorrow and will stay the next two weeks so that he can meet personally with Bob’s doctors to come up with the best home recovery plan. And don't worry, I'll be tapping on all of you who have time to help out when The Bob comes home. So you see, it really does take a village to raise a man.

Anyway, I've learned that you can never tell someone you love them enough. So hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Much Lorp to all,

Sharon

Goodbye Sweet Sausages

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick note: It's been a busy day here at the homestead. I'm not going to give you details, but someone in his pre-stroke days (I am not mentioning any names, but his initials are Uncle Bob) left a freezer door open and today I had the fun of throwing out an entire full size freezer of frozen meat.

This was painful to me, not because my hands nearly burned off from the ice, but because it all looked so delicious: hamhocks, chickens, hens, beef sides, sausage.... mmm... turkey sausage.

All in the garbage. CURSE YOU HEAT AND BOTULISM.

Also, today I finally sat down and went through the past two weeks of phone messages. Thank you to everyone who has called with loving words for Bob and Shadoan. I'm sorry we didn't call you all back individually, but I transcribed all the calls and sent them to Shadoan to read to Bob in the hospital. It means so much!

Am about to head into the hospital to check on Uncle Bob and then off to dinner with a friend, so expect a full sized Bob Update in the morning.

And in the meantime, CLOSE YOUR FREEZERS.

J

Lorb Language Lessons, or How Bob Singlehandedly Nullified the English Language

(Photo-Bro-in-law Robin serenading Rehab Bob)
First of all, you people love me. I'm not kidding! Seriously, we take two days off of the Bob blog to attend to very important things... ok, we were eating ice cream and trying to teach Bob our favorite Cher songs, but still... we take two days off and we're getting messages of love and concern. Now, I know what's really going on. You miss the Bob Blog when it's not live and constant. And why do you miss the Bob Blog? Because it helps you avoid your work! We know what you're up to. Sure, you have those "reports" to fill out... but let's just see what Bob is up to on the Bob Blog first!

So the news of the day is that all is well in the Bobosphere. There have been peaks and valleys but every day he makes extraordinary progress and I'm always amazed when I walk in. I am so proud of what an amazing student Uncle Bob is. Good teachers never stop being students, and he proves the rule.

Of course, the most important news of the day is that today he called me by my name. This is important not only because it signals recognition and liguistic recovery for Bob, but especially because the sound of my name is beautiful. I'm not joking! Take a second. Say it out loud. (I know, you're at your desk pretending to work, so don't say it too loud.): Joshua... isn't that like a symphony? I'm sure Bob thought so. I certainly did as Bob said it.

Last night, as Jeff was visiting, he was also able to say Jeff's name and identify Chad as well. Of course, Bob became so excited by Jeff's name that he was saying Jeff's name a whole lot today, even though Jeff wasn't there. Sharon was convinced that he was doing echolalia, but I'm pretty sure Bob just think's Jeff is awesome and likes saying his name. Although, now that he's said the crystaline ring of "Joshua" I imagine that the halls of Loma Linda will be ringing with my name. WE CAN ONLY HOPE!

The language thing, we're learning, is tough. It's about patience, for us, and for Bob. He works so hard to form words. Sometimes, you can see that he's putting together sonnets on the inside, but more often than not, the word that manages to come out... "lorb".

We've become fond of "lorb" around the homestead. First, because it had deep affective significance. In the way that our first words show a kind of breakthrough (let it be known that my first world was "turtle"... which is like... what?) Bob's first word, "lorb," was like a return to language. He uses it an awful lot and now we've begun to as well. Last night, Shadoan walked in the door and said, "Lorb." To which I said, "Hey, how was your lorb?" "Lorb" "That's lorb!" "Are you lorb?" I asked. "Lorb." So I got her dinner ready.

I think Lorb is genius. It really can stand in for all sorts of things. Yesterday, when the nurse was asking Bob, over and over, if he wanted something, and he'd already indicated physically that he did not (but she didn't catch on) he got frustrated and out came, angrily, "LORB!" That showed her to patronize him!

So this is the lesson of the day: Most of these words you're speaking and thinking. You don't need them. Find a good, pleasant sounding word like "lorb" and go with it. It saves time and energy and its totally efficient.

One last thing, in the late night hours I read to quiet the bloodstream. I've been working through (well, reworking through, really) the poems and plays of Federica Garcia Lorca. Yesterday I stumbled on a poem that shook me deep down inside because it made me think about how time must be passing for uncle Bob, and in a way, for all of us in a time like this. The Spanish and
English translation:

Eco del reloj

Me senté
en un claro del tiempo.
Era un remanso de silencio,
de un blanco
silencio.
Anillo formidable
donde los luceros
chocaban con los doce flotantes
números negros.

[Clock Echo

I sat
in a clearing of time.
It was a pool of silence,
of white silence.
Incredible ring
where the stars
collide with the dozen floating
black numbers.]

-Federica Garcia Lorca

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

LORB!

Joshua

Food and Wine Selections

(Photo: Jeff & Josh Joshing with the Bob)

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick and wonderful Bob-ism from Josh: Today, after dropping my mom off to fly back to Seoul, I stopped by the center for my daily dose of Uncle Bob. Uncle Jeff met me there and we all gathered on Bob's courtyard for an afternoon salon. I showed Bob the draft of my dissertation that I recently defended as well as the place where I thank him for all the support he's given me and we had quite an emotional moment. After all those feelings we decided it was time to eat! (It was a guilt free dinner because I always say that nothing burns calories like expressing feelings.)

Bob indicated that he wanted to go on a walk and we all made our way after his lead. He's been doing such an incredible job in PT that once we got him in the wheelchair he was able to wheel himself in our slow caravan. As auntie Shadoan carried his food out to him, hospital staff kept stopping to ask her where she was taking the food. This is because, as everyone knows, hospital food is delicious and there's been a recent and wild epidemic of middle aged asian women breaking into rehab units and stealing the patient's meals. Once she convinced the staff that she was not, in fact, part of this vast food stealing conspiracy, Sharon was able to join Jeff, Bob and I in the garden.

While we were waiting for Shadoan to get to us, Jeff and I were trying to get Bob to tell us who was cooler and better looking. Well, obviously we weren't doing that because there's no contest, but we were messing around with him and Jeff asked, "Hey, how's the food here, Bob, is it pretty good?"

Uncle Bob took a long pause, and then started to work to form a word, "oooo"... "oooor".... "hoooor"...

"That's right, Bob, you can do it," we said, and out it came: "Horrible."

We both burst into laughter because THAT's the Bob we know and love! I quickly followed up with, "Well, sure the food's only ok, but how's the wine selection."

Bob laughed again and said, wryly - and with a little bit of ease - "Horrible."

So we know one thing for sure: the food and wine selection at the hospital may not be great (despite the thieving of those gangs of asian lady food stealers mentioned above) but something is working cause every day I see my Uncle coming back and it is such a gift and joy.

Much love,

Nephew Josh

Thursday's Little Miracles

Today was Bob's first day in rehab. We ate lunch on his sunny, garden-filled patio. Bob fed himself ground carrots, ground chicken-like meat, ground broccoli, and ice cream. I, on the other hand, had vegetarian-like pizza and salad. Not bad for spa food. If you like that kind of food. We're both losing weight. That's miracle #1.

#2) Bob sat in his wheelchair most of the morning when he wasn't having PT or OT.

#3) Bob tried so hard in PT. He followed directions (lots of visual and tactile cues). He stood (with support and assistance) during PT and he's learning to balance by holding his core, rear, chest and head up. We take such a simple act for granted.

#4) Bob recognized my mom and dad when they came in. My mom just returned from visiting her sister in Japan and we hadn't told her about Bob's condition. Anyway, Bob was so happy to see her - his face beamed, he tried to smile, and reached out to hold my mom's hand when she walked into the room. (I don't get that reaction as much. Maybe he's thinking "OMG-here comes that woman who talks all the time" )

Bob isn't able to speak/respond spontaneously. He's really struggling with trying to make meaning of words/language. His speech pathologist said that the aphasia and apraxia really get in the way of his comprehension and that he infers alot through context (environment, body language, facial expressions, tone). So, PLEASE PRAY the apasia and apraxia correct SOON. She gave us a homework assignment: to sing songs that Bob might be able to retrieve automatically. So get this:

#5) Bob sang songs with me for an hour: Christmas carols, Bobby Darin, 50s music, Row Your Boat, Hello Dolly, Run Around Sue, etc. Dad sang with us (he was really get into it. You know, the Chambers Brothers thing). Mom wanted to sing the only english song she knew, " Jesus lubs me" but I was thinking maybe it's not such a good thing having her teach Bob to speak/sing English.) I kid you not, we were the singing fools in room 1114 and it was pretty remarkable.

#6) Bob wrote his name for the speech therapist and again later (with his left hand). The therapist asked Bob what his name was and he kept trying to say "R-R-R" so she told him to try writing. Miracle of miracles. He wrote Robert. Ok, it wasn't perfect and you 4th grade teachers might lament his penmanship, but it had the correct number of letters and they resembled "Robert".

#7) Bob survived the wheelchair tour of the rehab center and grounds. Yes. I was driving. Those of you who know Bob know that he NEVER lets me drive. EVER. But now he doesn't have a choice. And I'm thinking it's not so bad. (My nephew says he agrees with Bob.)

#8) Bob told me "I love you" when I tucked him into bed tonight. I will never tire of hearing him say that. Be sure you tell your loved ones often. It's hard when you can't hear it as frequently as you'd like. We read "Love You Forever" together.

Family is a blessing most of the time. REally, I don't know what I'd do without them. Today my sisters, the witches of East Highland (you know, like the witches of eastwick), flew into the room and decorated the bulletin boards (borders and all). Then they sang Row Your Boat in rounds (poor Bob), and Sonia acted out a snippit of Hello Dolly for the Bob. Cathy went back to Tucson yesterday and Shadi heads back to Seoul tomorrow, but she'll return. Josh extended his ticket to andt he'll head back to NY a few days before commencement (he's getting his PhD AND an award from NYU). He's coming back afterwards to help. Bill (Shadi's husband) will arrive next week.

We finally opened all of your cards tonight. Jo, you're right, your card was hysterical! And I could hear your southern twang when I read it. Bob didn't quite get the humor yet, but I'll save it for later.) I miss talking with Bob - hearing his voice. The nurses comment about how calm he is, how thoughtful he (moving his body to help them). It's very difficult for him to move his body but he tries to roll or pull himself up.

Thank you again, for all of messages/comments. We really look forward to them. Take care.

Sharon
In case you want to, you can respond by clicking on "comments" just below this.

Newsflash! Bob's in Rehab!

Yes! It's finally happened! Bob was moved to Loma Linda University Rehabilitation, Orthopaedic, & Neurosciences Institute.
The address is:
Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus Hospital 25333 Barton Road Loma Linda, CA 92354
Here's an excerpt from the admissions booklet:
"Each two bed suite has french doors that lead out onto an individual healing garden patio planted with multi colored flowers, green climbing vines and colorful shrubbery. Each patio has a teak table and chair set for visiting with family or just enjoying a beautiful California day."

Although he has a phone, he can't talk yet. I don't think he's quite up to visitors just yet. Let me figure out how the rehab schedule works and we'll let y'all know.

Oh yes, and the food is the best part. In case you didn't know, Loma Linda is a 7th Day Adventist facility which means no meat. So The Bob is now a vegetarian. Yesterday he had beef-like puree. Yes. And crushed, fermented grapes do not count on the fruits and vegetable list.

Welcome to Rehab, Bob.

Oh, and this is a picture of Bob BS (Before Stroke). Most of you know that Bob's allergic to dogs, but Josh's dog, Izzie, doesn't care and Bob lets this one sleep on his chest). She hasn't been trained or certified but we're going to put a working dog jacket on her (you know, stroke-sensitive dog). HA!

Warmly,
Sharon

It's A New Day!

Whoo hoo! It was a new day at Loma Linda Medical Center, 6200, Room 12. Today is most alert that the Bobbo has been since they gave him morphine on Friday night. Okay, he was still nodding off but he seemed to be more upbeat, alert, and participative. So here are his miracles for the day:
1) Dr. H and the neuro team came in while Bob was having PT with me. Bob sat on the side of the bed next to me without us holding him up and only occasionally using his left hand to balance himself for 30 minutes. This is important because he has to build his core muscles so that he can sit in a wheelchair.
2) Bob stood 3 times today for 20 seconds each, doubling his time from yesterday. Now we want him to slide his left foot forward so that he knows he can do it without falling.
3) Bob consistently stretched his good arm and reached across midsection to take a pen out of my moving hand and return it. (He has left dominance and doesn't recognize his right side so we're working on developing that.
4) He told me and Cathy that he loved us (individually at two different times) and he said "Where's Lauren?".
5) During lunch, he completed the sentence, "I want more soda." YEAH!
6) Bob is aphasic which means that he doesn't process/express language efficiently yet, but he is learning by watching verbal and visual cues. Bob's brain is like a sponge. It's pretty amazing to think that in some ways, his mind is as fresh as a child's and that he's learning not in regular growth time, but at the speed of light. We take for granted what it's like to eat with utensils and then it's pretty amazing to watch how his brain works: he studies the spoon, figures out how to hold it and use it (dip, scoop, lift), how to measure how much food the spoon can hold, how to adjust the quantity, tilting until it's just right, and holding it at just the right angle to move to the mouth. Pretty darn amazing!
7) Bob was transported to the LLUMC East Campus Rehab Center around 2:30 this afternoon! Yeah! And the critical care transport nurse was Natalie G., the same nurse who was on his Code Blue (Stroke Team) the night he stroked.
8) The Rehab Center feels like a resort (even Josh loved it)! It doesn't have that hospital feel and everyone smiles. His room is huge (no roommate yet) but his bed is next to the french doors AND he has his own beautiful patio with a fountain, garden, and hummingbird feeder.
9) His nurses, Gerald, Laura, and Kelty and the staff were so positive and warm. When they admitted him today, they told us that they see miracles there every day and they wanted him to reach his desire. I told them we were there with ONE mission: to have Bob talking and walking and they said, then leave it to God, work hard, be present AND "stop pushing the boat". Bob's whole presence seemed more relaxed (as much as it could be) for the first time. He actually reached out to take each of their hands when they introduced themselves to him. (They spoke to him, not to me.)
10) He was assigned a new neurologist and guess what? He's world renowned for his work with stroke patients.

Thank you again, dear friends and family, for sending prayers, positive thoughts, cards and messages our way. We love them!

If you want to write a message to the Bob, simply click on "comments" and go for it! We do read them and respond. Thanks again for allowing us to work smarter.
Take care,
Sharon

Peaks and Valleys-

Today was a "peak and valley" kind of day and I think Bob was in the "valley" part. Although Bobbo can't speak right now, I sensed that he was down today which means I'm s'posed to be up, but dang, it sure was hard. I guess that he's recognizing that his body isn't responding the way that he wants or quickly and well, that has to be hard. he didn't seem to want to try during his physical therapy today and he kept closing his eyes (sleeping on the job) even when the PT girl was trying to take him through exercises on his right arm.

I cried all the way home today because I was so disappointed but when Cathy said that she was celebrating the miracle she witnessed yesterday, that reminded me that I need to focus on his accomplishments rather than what he didn't do. So, y'all will have to help me with that (yes, me, she who should know better) when I start to move into pity party mode. So, let's focus on today's miracles:
1) Bob DID work for his speech therapist. She speaks really softly and explains everything to him and he watches her face intently.
2) He ate his first "real" food: fruit cup. (The speech therapist says he'll be ready for that phase of food in a few days if he keeps eating his phase I foods and chews.)
3) Bob answered the speech therapists questions by positioning his fingers up (yes) or down (no). She asked him if he was a principal? Did he principal at the elementary level? She mentioned that she had lived in Covina and he raised his finger (he lived in West Covina.
4) Bob filled in the sentence (sentence completion activity). "I want more___ fruit."
5) Bob stood for 10 minutes for his morning PT with Wally.
6) Bob sat without assistance for 20 minutes of his morning PT.
7) Bob reached across his body consistently and gave me the hairy ball (from Chad) or took the ball from me. (Ok, I was a little exasperated when he wouldn't try and told him I would kick his butt if he didn't try and put more effort into his recovery. That's not such a productive thing to tell a rehabber so I am praying for forgiveness but he did make more effort after that.)
8) Bob whispered "I love you" with me before I left today when I told him I really needed to hear it today.
9) Bob sang "happy birthday" with me again before I left.
10) The catheter was removed. (Yuck and yeah! Lucky Bob!)

Josh delivered a huge batch of cards. I couldn't open them today because your love and support made me cry. I promise to open them in Bob's new room at the rehab center. By the by, he wasn't moved today, we're still waiting for a bed to come open. Maybe tomorrow. Pray soon. We don't want him to catch anything. (Mrs. Germiphone is now making everyone dip their bodies in purell before coming close to him.) :)

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. Please keep them coming. We need your thoughts . . . especially for the future. Pray that Bob keeps his spirit up and that he sees returns for his efforts (and me too.) I told him that we're in this for the long haul, so buck up, bucko. I LOVE that man! Know that my not responding personally isn't ignoring you. I so love and appreciate your support.

And pray that tomorrow is a "peak" day. Love, Sharon

PS - In case you want to, you can respond by clicking on "comments" just below this.

A Stroke of Insight

A wonderful book was suggested for us to read by Jill Bolte Taylor a Brain researcher who was able to study her own stroke as it happened and share her story. This has been a wonderful source of information to help us not only understand some of what is happening to Bob, but also help guide us in helping Bob recovery as fully and quickly as possible.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

The Bob Does Asia

Hey everyone. I was just looking back at some pictures of our last family trip to Japan and found this picture of the Bob. Here's to the Bob!

7 Days but Who's Counting?

Dear friends,
I'm trying to get this down before I head back to hospital. Although this has been a looooong week, the days have passed in a blur. We've had ups and downs: Bob did really well at the beginning of the week and then his brain started swelling which made him less lucid and sleepier than he had been. It frightened me until Dr. H explained that his brain wants to heal. On the other hand, pray that he's healing AND can stay awake during his rehab. GOOD NEWS! Your prayers ARE working! Bob passed the PT/OT/Speech assessments and he's being moved to Loma Linda University Hospital East Campus Acute Care Rehab Center which is what we wanted. The reason we want him to go to Rehab and not a Skilled Nursing Home is the level of intensity of rehab training. We have a window of 30 days to jumpstart his brain quickly versus just prepping him to go to Rehab and everyone says the sooner we can get him to rehab the better. (Who knew that Bob would be like the celebrities and go into Rehab? Let us hope that Lindsay Lohan or Britney aren't there to encourage him to go commando.) :)

Here are Bob's newest miracles"

He hadn't spoken in a few days (since Friday) and then yesterday the speech therapist got him to say "Sharon". She said that we want to draw out one word at a time so she had him finish her sentence: "My wife is __". She says that we can not ask him the same question/answer more than 4 times because she doesn't want him to fixate on a word and use that word for every answer. You'll love her reason: She had a patient who was doing extremely well at retrieving words. His family took him for the weekend and taught him the song, "Macho Man". When the therapist saw him on Monday and asked him how he was doing, he said, "macho". She didn't think anything of it because he spoke Spanish. But when she asked him where he went, he said, "man". The next answer was "cho". And every answer thereafter was some part of "Macho Man". (I, of course, showed my more empathetic side when she told this story and howled with with laughter.) Now, Jeff, I know that you might think this is your opportunity for getting even with the Bob for trying to teach your son, Chad, naughty words, but the answer is NO!

2) Bob sang happy birthday to me. (Ok, so my birthday is in November.) Anyway, she told me to sing children's songs that he might have learned with automaticity, like "Happy Birthday", so later I said, "let's sing together, Bob" and you have to put my name in. So I started and OMG, he joined me! The nurse ran over 'cuz she thought it was incredible too!

3) When Bonnie D. walked into the room, Bob turned his head (kind of like "Starman") and moved his mouth "B", "B", "B".

4) As Gail and Bob T. told him they were going home, Bob struggled to say something to Gail. His mouth was really working and Gail leaned down and said, "Bob, I know you're trying to tell me something and I want you to know that Sharon is like a sister to me and I know you're worried about her. I'll take good care of Sharon." And he dropped his shoulders and started to cry. Now that started my waterfall of tears and I threw myself on top of Bob, tubes and all!

5) The speech therapist told me to keep my face passive when I'm being funny to see if Bob an get my jokes or if he's responding to my face. I don't think I'm reaching, I think he gets some of my joking comments. AND he got an offended look when I said, "hey Bob, you farted". (Jeff, Josh, and Chad will appreciate this.)

6) Bob fed himself today. I showed him how to sequence using his spoon, "dig, scoop, lift" and he was able to feed himself.

7) Bob put his arm around me!

Ok -on my way to the hospital! He's being transferred today so visitors, please hold off. I need to get the schedule at East Campus. They're very restrictive so that he focuses on therapy. Continue praying for his rebuilding stamina, that he pays close attention to his new teachers, perseverence, positive spirits, and mostly speedy recovery!

Also, thank you ALL so much for your messages and calls. We appreciate them. Know that I'm not ignoring by not responding. All of my energy is focused on the Bob so it's about all I can do to respond to one or two calls a day and then crash. Thanks for allowing me to respond on the Blog a Bob. (Thanks, Josh, for setting this up and for organizing your favorite auntie in the whole world's crazy life.)

Love and kisses,

Sharon and The Bob

Sending Cards and Flowers

So a few people have asked about sending cards and flowers and were to send them.

Bob's at the

LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
11234 ANDERSON STREET
LOMA LINDA, CA 92354
(909) 558-4000
Unit 6200
Room 6212, Bed 3.

Today's Schedule and Update

Hi Everyone:

Here's the visitation schedule for today (and tomorrow). It's a bit different than the template that I sent out earlier, and includes a friend visit for the day. I'm also posting tomorrow's schedule here as it stands now:

Monday, April 2oth

Morning and Midday Shift - 6:00 am - 3:30 pm: Sharon

Afternoon and Evening Shift - 3:30 - 10:00 pm: Cathy

Friend Visitation: Gail T. (between 3:30-6:00 pm)

Note: I'll be taking Mom (Shadi) and Ojiji (Grandpa) to pick up my Grandmother whose arriving back from Japan this evening, but will have the phone for any necessary correspondence.

Tuesday, April 21st

Morning and Midday Shift - 6:00 am - 3:30 pm: Sharon

Afternoon Shift - 3:00 - 6:30 pm: Cathy

Friend visit: 5:00 pm Loren T./Pam

Evening Shift - 6:00 - 8:00 pm: Sonia/Jeff

2nd Evening Shift - 8:00-10:00 pm Joshua

I was with the Bob last night on evening shift and was happy to see, as he was sleeping, that he was wiggling his feet on both the left and the right side of his body. Go Bob!

What About Bob

Hi All:

Welcome to What About Bob. I figured that this was an easier way to keep people up to date on Uncle Bob's progress, recovery, and everyday miracles than sending out a range of emails and jamming up your inboxes everyday. You can check this site for daily updates, visitation schedules, and other info. Also, anything you post here can be read to Uncle Bob and, as he recovers, he'll be able to check here too. Being almost a ludite, I'm sure this'll be a bit crude, but hopefully it'll help streamline everything and keep everyone in the loop at the same time.

Thanks again!

J and the whole Chambers Corkrum Family