Bob's Going Home on Thursday........

Hi, this is Linda (sister-outlaw) sharing information from my day visit with Bob and Sharon.

He's getting ready to check out of the Day Spa in Loma Linda, and go home to everything he loves......

But first, he had to show each department (Speech, PT, OT, Doctors, etc) what he can do in each area, and in a sense, pass a test. When he was in speech, and he read a paragraph and then took a test on what was in the paragraph......yes, he can read......

By the afternoon, his last one was with PT, and Bob worked with Sharon and Josh on getting in and out of the car from the wheel chair. It was alot of work for everyone, but as I watched them all working, it was smooth and solid.

Josh is back in town today, and will be here for ten days.......only ten days.....so they hope to have everything organized and running smooth for both Bob and Sharon before he leaves.

This afternoon, Melanee Dark stopped by and visited. If you had seen the smile and glow in his face, you would know Bob loves new people to stop by.

The next 3-4 days will be wonderful for both Sharon and Bob, spending time in their garden and home. By next Monday we will be back to work, putting together a new program to keep Bob on track to grow and rebuild his body (he's lost alot of weight, and is "looking good").

Melanee and I were talking and trying to come up with some ideas to help. What anyone who is a caregiver will tell you is, to give the situation a 2-4 hour relief, so they can do small important things is a gift. I know for myself, I have told Sharon I will give her 4-6 Hours, and anyone who has thought they wanted to help and want to plan ahead, and help out after Josh leaves in ten days, next week start communicating.

Bob has so many people in his life, from all parts of the States and World, so if you aren't close, that's okay, just be sure you keep the cards and letters coming to their house for Bob to receive.

Memorial Day for Bob

Hi, it's me Linda (Bob's other sister-outlaw) from Chino Hills. This is my first Blogg, so am so excited to be able to tell you what I've seen the past four days. Friday, my first real day being a support person, was wonderful, because I saw with my own eyes that Our Bob, is going to be just fine. And when I saw him at a PT group with three other people, play his first game on W II/ Bowling, and stand tall, shoulders back, trying to win.....I really knew.....YES........

But, today, Memorial Day, a day to remember.........At his first PT, he was given step by step instruction on sitting, getting up, getting up half way....balancing, shifting weight, moving his foot up and back then the other one......and then......he went for a walk with the Walker......more than 25 feet....back straight, shoulders up, and looking like he knew he could do this even better the next time. And he did. A couple hours later, with Jennie, Sharon and myself, he walked out of the Rehab room, with the walker, past the Cafeteria and down the hall.

He is tired, but very much pleased with himself. So, I just got back to my home, and am sending this along to all of you. He has started a new phase, you can see that "he knows" that his body will do all the things that need to happen to get back on track. Will be giving you updates as much as I can.....signing out, Team Bob

He's a Walking Man!

Okay. Sorry - so busy with the Bob and trying to get ready for his homecoming on Thursday, 5/28. We're fine-hanging in but I think we're both pretty tired out and ready for a normal life at home. YEAHHHHH! Really quickly though, . . . I have to get get going 'cuz Linda, Bob's "other sister out-law" is on the early shift and she just said that Bob walked 25 feet with a walker so I have to get going. Terri Taco was here for the past two weeks and was fabulous with Bob. Poor Lucky Bob is surrounded by educators so we're working his brain while the PTs and OTs work his body. Everything Bob does is a major exercise in aerobics. Yesterday he told Jeanie that he "will do whatever it takes" and later that "he just wants to pick up the pieces".

I'll add more later.

I'm back! YES! Bob walked with a walker today-twice! Jeanie and Linda witnessed the first walk and I got here just in time for the second walk. Wendi, his PT angel, taped his right foot and hand so that they would do their job since they're not quite working yet and then she warmed him up to walk by making him step up and down from a phone directory/block thing so that his hips and leg could remember what to do. Then, she coached Bob to walk incremental movement by movement. It was pretty incredible to witness.

So, anyway, the last 10 days have been pretty amazing to watch Bob grow and learn. Every few days, we see a new change in his strength and alertness. He's been kicking out his right leg and we saw him lift his knee, flex his foot, and move his toes while he's sleeping. (Today, when I asked him what he wanted to do after PT, he said, "I want to walk in my sleep", which is what I think he must be doing.)

I'm so very grateful to Bob's sister's-out-laws: Terry Taco and Linda B. They have been so kind and loving to both of us. It's no wonder the Bob loves them. He doesn't know yet that Norma, his dear mother-out-law, "crossed over" the week after his stroke but before she "went home", she told her daughters to go and be with Bob and to make sure that he knew that they love him very much. So, Terry flew down from Oregon following my desperate cry for help (while my family was in NYC )and oh my, how she spoiled me! She made me a full breakfast every morning, watered the gardens, walked the dog, did the laundry, vacuumed the house, and then went with me to the hospital to work with Bob every day that she was here. I cried when she left on Thursday, and then, lo and behold, her sister Linda showed up on Friday. The hardest part about being in rehab is the being on someone else's schedule and the waiting part. We're both so used to being in control and here we feel like we have none (OMG) but we can do this! I'm grateful to my family who have been ever so patient with me in spite of my grumpy, grouchiness. Thank you for loving me anyway.

Bob is gaining more self-confidence as the PTs have him up, standing and walking. He wants to stand with me, too, but the PTs tell him that we (Bob and I) have to do half-stands and shift so that he has balanced strength. He's not liking that so much but we definitely don't want him to fall or we'll be in megadoo-doo. Yesterday, he let me and the nurse know that he worries about me when he's standing because of his size so I told him not to worry because we'll come up with a plan that works for us.

Yesterday was Sunday, a light day, so we decided that it was Bob's "day of beauty". Jeanie gave him a leg, neck, and head massage. (For some reason, he wouldn't let her massage his arm or shoulder.) Then, later on the patio, I gave him a bubbling foot soak, foot massage, facial, washed his hair, AND shaved him (yes, Rick and Jeff, I did it! And Linda said it looked pretty good, too.)

New Bobbisms:

• Bob likes to play a mean game of War (thanks for teaching us, TT) and the Memory Game.
• He sang "My Bonnie Lives O'er the Ocean" to Bonnie D when she visited the other night.
• He read short passages to Terry T. Still working on comprehension.
• Knows right, left, straight, behind, back up
• He can do the sequencing cards (thanks Roberta and Karin) easily AND he's able to tell the story that goes with it (haltingly but in sequence, no less).
• He does his own hand, wrist, arm and elbow stretches now (20x each, thanks Terri and Jeff)
• He is able to locate a statement and read from his communication cards that Terry and I made for him when he wants to do something.
• He usually says my wife name accurately/consistently, although when he's really tired, it's pretty hit and miss. Last week, he told Terry that my name is Olivia Newton-John and Graham Nash (from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). Oh well, I'm no longer Naomi or whoever.
• I told Terry that I miss hearing Bob say, "hey, Babe" like he always did whenever I walked into the room, so she had him practice and guess what? He said, "Hey Babe" a couple of times. It was soooo very nice to hear!

Well, Bob's official discharge date is May 28 and then he moves to outpatient therapies 3 days a week. I've been told that rehab was to get Bob ready to live at home and outpatient is where they'll really kick out butts, so pray Jeff, Billy, Sonia and Chad have our downstairs looking shipshape with a new universal access bathroom (toilet and shower), hand rails and ramps throughout the house, and the new bedroom looks fabujus! We're getting there! Josh will be here on Wednesday for the first few weeks of June and then my twin should arrive. Hopefully, we'll have our routine down.

He Calls Me Taskmaster

Hello Friends and Family,
I’ll bet you’re wondering where we’ve been and how we are. Terry Taco (Bob’s outlaw) said that she’d be going nuts now if nothing new was on the blog, but she’s been living our schedule for the past few days and knows that our butts are pretty whipped by the end of the day. So, sorry if I alarmed you and here’s the latest with the Bob (and it's pretty long so you might want to read in increments):
Every day continues to be h-a-r-d work but we see little miracles and we know that little miracles will result in BIG miracles so Team Bob just keeps plugging on. We’re dealing with the ups and downs (which can be day-to-day or even hour-to-hour because Bob’s brain is healing and the swelling is subsiding) but we’re starting to see more ups than downs. I wish that all of you could witness Bob’s positive attitude and tremendous effort in physical and occupational therapy sessions. Bob is so “in the zone” and focused on doing everything that the Loma Linda angels tell him to do. They have built an incredibly trusting relationship with Bob and he believes and trusts them implicitly and follows their directions. When they see a quizzical look on Bob’s face, they’ll ask him, “Are you worried, Bob?” and he’ll say “Yes”, to which they’ll say, “You don’t have to worry, Bob. We won’t let you fall. We have your knee/leg” and then he’ll stand, step off, shift, and reach at their direction. Arnie told Bob to watch his chest, to be a “macho man” and Bob stuck his chest out (oh no, not macho man!)
We had “Family Training Day” all-day Tuesday in preparation for Bob to come home. I was frantic when the hospital scheduled the training since they said they were requesting an extension during the time most of my family is in NYC for Josh’s graduation. So Terry Taco, (Bob’s “little sister-out-law” from Oregon), Sonia, and Jeff showed up for the training. Well get this, we learned to transfer Bob from the bed to the chair, chair to bed, chair to toilet, chair to car, AND, since I’m the primary caregiver, Jeff and I got to do most of the transferring. OMG!! No wonder Bob is so tired from that kind of work. It’s heavy work! Initially, I was terrified because Bob is twice my height and weight (although he’s lost 20 lbs) but the PTs taught us to squat and rock when we’re holding Bob. It’s almost a rocking chair motion and guess what??? We DID it and I didn’t drop him! Yeah! (Bob rolled his eyes when I said “WE” because he really had to do the lifting and pushing and I was just his counter balance. But I like the “WE” part). Jeff was much better that I was at transferring Bob. Poor Bob was tolerant of us during the car transfer which was pretty tricky because we have to be careful to support his immobile leg and move the foot so that we won’t damage his ankle. Jeff forgot to put Bob’s head into the car so Bob will have his life in our hands when we start driving him around. Sonia’s focus on Family Training Day was finding out when we could take Bob to Disneyland. My mom was there trying to give the PTs advice (since now she’s also a PT expert and emotional therapist) .☺
The PTs and OTs report that Bob is making good incremental gains with his right side. He continues to get stronger and is able to wheel himself 150’ in his chair but not without fatiguing so they’re working on building his stamina. He has right side neglect so we have to remind him to pay attention to the right or he’ll ram into things. The OTs predict that our walls will be pretty banged up so maybe I’ll have to talk Jeff into putting bumper pads on all of the walls (temporarily, of course). PTs said that on Monday, they will put him in the harness and onto the treadmill. Can’t wait to send pictures.
Speech/Language continues to be hard work. The good news is that Dr. B. (neurologist) said that they’re pleased because Bob has full cognition (of course he does and his intellect is intact). The toughest part is that he can’t make the words come out and it’s apparent that he wants to talk so badly. Regardless, Bob’s language is improving but “Yes” and “No” are the words that he can initiate freely which frustrates him (but he is so graceful and uncomplaining). The other night he took his lips and tongue in his hand/fingers and tried to make them form the words and still only “yes” would come out. That made my heart hurt for him but it will happen. I'm so grateful that the stroke didn't take his sweetness. Some stroke patients become angry and mean but Bob’s sense of humor is intact and his use of facial expressions and tone of voice reflect his feelings: humor, sarcasm, joy, sadness, frustration. Carol - we LOVED the shirt ("Dr. Bob - Don't Mess With Lorp). We'll send a picture!
My family had Mother's Day in the parden so that we could be with them. Bob ate some meat-like substance (restricted diet) so we ate turkey burgers (almost meat) in alliance.
So here are some new Bobbisms” for the week:
 Last Friday we were walking through the halls and one of the nurses said, “Hey Bob, it’s good to see you”, and Bob responded as clear as before, “Well it’s good to be seen”.
 The good news is that Bob isn’t calling himself “Elizabeth” anymore but last Thursday, when asked his wife’s name, he said, “Naomi” whoever she is. Dang, and Sharon is working so hard with him.
 On Monday, he told me his wife’s name is “Taskmaster” (which, in his case I wear proudly). When Terry Taco arrived, he called us “Taskmaster 1 and Taskmaster 2”.
 Leslie O and Maya stopped by to visit on Monday and asked, “How ya’ doing, Bob?” and he replied in his wry voice, “Peachy keen”. (Thanks for the Ipod, he loves his music.)
 When the nurse asked him if he wanted to go to the bathroom, he scooted over toward the chair and said, “When . . . you . . . are . . . ready”.
 He told Jeff that he liked his new tennis shoes “mucho gusto”.
 He’s put together two 70 piece puzzles.
 He is able to recognize numbers and order them.
We're still singing alot.
Okay, enough tonight. Oh, thank you, thank you for your continued love, cards, support. I can not thank you enough for all that you’ve done to life our spirits and nourish our bodies. Pray that the insurance concurs and grants Bob the 2-week extension that the doctors are requesting. We'll know tomorrow?? Please keep your prayers coming in. We need them. G’night.

We're B-A-A-A-C-K!

Sorry for the delay in updating you Bob fans. Bob's rehab therapy schedule coupled with the emotional rollercoaster is kicking our b---s so I've been too exhausted to enter anything when I get home after 8.
Okay, so let's be honest: I've had a meltdown or two in the past few days but my sister and mom put things into perspective for me. Those of you who know my mom knows that she's a little nutty, no nonsense, no pity party kind of gal. My sisters and I did not miss school because she didn't believe in being home sick unless we we were dying (and we had to prove to her we were dying which was nearly impossible so we had perfect or almost perfect attendance. She's one tough little Japanese lady (4'6") who's lived through the horrors of WWII, (living in caves, head lice, starvation, scurvy, personally witnessing friends die in the bombing of Hiroshima) and is physically handicapped and in chronic pain due to rheumatoid arthritis (but she never complains and has little time for self-pity, so no whining, get over it!). So when I told her that I had cried one afternoon, her most loving motherly sympathetic response was: "Why you cry for? You no cry! You no cry! Bobbu okay! He gonna get bettah! So maybe hard now but you haf to be strlong fo Bobbu. Ok? No cly! Bobbu not cly and he hab stroku! You no hab stroku. So you no cly. Be strlong!" Yes, I felt much better after that bit of reality therapy which is also offered without charge. And Sonia (Miss Kidney Transplant girl) also put things into perspective: "Hey, you sound like a new mom. You know, I'm exhausted, I'm confined to this hospital, all's I do is change clothes, blah, blah, blah, wah, wah, wah". So I had to pull myself together, laugh (ha, ha) and remind myself that this will take time (BABY STEPS), every day is a new day, and Bob IS getter better. Besides, it's a lot harder on Bob than it is on me.
So what's happened to the Bob since Friday? Well, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were SUPER days! Bob was a man on fire! His PTs and OTs told him that they love working with him because he's so motivated to do everything they ask. After OT on Saturday, which he loved because he got a massage, his OT had a surprise for him. He's a classical pianist and he played the grand piano for Bob because he heard Bob singing with me in the hallways. The OT had never heard Bob say a word and was excited. Then the Bob started singing with the accompaniment - Amazing Grace (I don't think we'd make it far on American Idol, but hey, it sounds great to me! That's us singing the tunes together.) His PT got him up, standing and shifting weight onto his right side. And oh yes, for the first time, he was able to push with his right leg. It was barely noticeable to me but the PTs were pretty darn excited (I call K the Drill Instructor cuz he makes the Bob move!) Bob took his first real shower which both of us loved! During speech, Bob demonstrated that he could answer comprehension questions administered after hearing a reading passage. Pretty impressive--he was scoring really well. Then, I think he got overly-confident and cocky and didn't think he needed to look at the pictures she was showing and would call out any old answer and look really proud. (OMG! It was like deja vu, the kid in the class who threw out any answer even if it wasn't related to the story we were reading. HA! So, Mr. Man and I had a little talk about not getting too cocky and he did better the next day. Wow!) Anyway, the speech therapist told Bob that he needed to talk alot even if the words coming out don't make sense and to talk loudly. So I told him "Jack and the Beanstalk" and the story of Elizabeth I when I tucked him in that night, I said, "good night, sleep tight, don't let . . . " and he yelled, "BEDBUGS BITE!!" Yes! Bob is a good student!
On Monday, while we waited for the neurology team to make their rounds, I showed Bob how to spell his name on his magnetic board (thanks Laurie and Bryan). And guess what? He wrote and spelled out loud, "B-O-B". Then he wrote, "R-O-B-B-E-R". I think that was "Robert" and then I asked him to write my name and he wrote, "C-H-A-R-O". Yes, now I'm Charo. Cutchee, cuchee! Dr. B. walked in while Bob was writing and got very excited and asked Bob if he could count to 10, to which Bob responded by rolling his eyes and without the doc intiating, started counting out loud, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and on to 10"! So the doc showed him a pen and asked him if he knew what it was and Bob told him "pen" and then the doc asked him what do you do with a pen? Well, bob struggled to tell him and got stuck in his new word (no longer Lorb, it's now YES). So when the doc gave him a carrier phrase, "I write with a _", bob could fill in the blank.
Bill, my bro-in -law who's a doctor, and I got to review Bob's brain scans with the neurologist, and while they looked pretty scary, the neurologist told us that they're VERY optimistic and encouraged with the changes they've observed in the past week. Dr. B. said that with continued therapy, they expect Bob to regain his language, full use of his right leg with a cane and they're feeling trace movement in his right arm. He also told Bob that he is VERY lucky that he has such a strong support network because that will be the key to his recovery. He explained to me and Bob that the plasticity and resiliency of brain will allow it to heal and relearn what's already embedded, but only through regular stimulation. Lucky Bob! I am a taskmaster and he'll come out of this really loving me or really ticked at me for bugging him so much.
Anyway, I called Cathy (Bob's daughter) so that Bob could hear her voice. So Bob told Cathy "I love you" and when she asked him his name, he said "My name is . . . Elizabeth". Great!!! So, of course, that went through the family like wildfire and you know how nothing is sacred to my family. So Jeff stopped by to say, "Dude, when you're home and doing a lot better, I'm gonna start calling you Betsy or Lizzie". Nice.
Cinco de Mayo - Tuesday was not as good a day. Josh went back to NYC. Bob tried his best but both of us were so tired and I just didn't feel up. (That's the day I had mommy therapy.) He worked hard but I was exhausted from changing him six times that day and I could tell he felt badly for me. (Yes, stroke causes incontinence, who knew?? But we both laughed when I told him that when he's home and recovered, he is soooo going to owe me. :) ) So, there I was, crying in the corner while he was sleeping and I fell asleep with his sweatshirt over my head so he couldn't hear or see me. Anyway, I woke up to him patting my head and trying to take the hood off. Bob had managed to roll onto his bad side and was trying to comfort me and then I heard him say really softly and in his most normal voice, "I wish you would lie next to me." Yes he did! He said it! It was Bob! I whipped that sweatshirt off so fast and said "Okay, Bob! Move over! Say it again, Bob!" But he couldn't. So I asked the speech path why that could happen because I am not crazy and imagining things. The speech pathologist said that Bob has islands of language preserved in his brain and when he is at his most relaxed state or an emotional trigger is unleashed, he can speak easily without thinking, just like he always did and that's what they're striving for. But for now, his brain is thinking so hard about the words, the muscles, the tongue. Oh yes! Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo so a mariachi band serenaded the patients. Those of you who Bob well knows that he loved mariachis and mistrels. Whenever they approached us in restaurants, I'd hide my head and say "no, Bob, don't call them over here" and sure enough, he'd pay them to sing a bunch of songs. Well, this time I chased them down to play his favorite song, "Volver, Volver".
Wednesday was another super day! Bob was a man on fire! I've noticed that his brain needs to rest and gear up and so multiple intensive days lead to a slow day so I just have to learn to be patient. (I am not so great at waiting.) Anyway, his new nurse, I., told him that he was going to relearn toileting. Guess what? Bob said "pee and poop" accurately. I never thought I'd be so happy to hear a grown man say those words but I kid you not! I was jubilant! And we made it to the bathroom on time. YEAH! Carrie, he loves your puzzles! We use them to practice recalling shapes and colors. It's the weirdest thing - we think he's reading again because now he follows my reading when I read the menu and he circles the food choice. I'm wondering if he recognizes the first and last letter?? Anyway, the Alpha puzzle is great and we're working on that. Oh yes! Today he pushed the stool forward and back with his right hand, stood in front of the mirror, pretended to shave (using a cone), did extended crossovers. I read books to him (rhyming poems) and he can end each line appropriately. So, really, he is learning at the speed of light.

Well, I'd better get to the hospital. I'll add photos later. Another full day for us.

AND KEEP THOSE PRAYERS COMING! The team has recommended that Bob's in-house therapy be extended because he's making great progress. So pray that the insurance company and whoever else makes decisions concurs. We need the intensive therapies.

Much love to all,

Sharon

WTL! What the Lorp#@!

It's 4 am on Saturday morning - can't sleep so thought I'd catch y'all up on the last two days which have been an emotional rollercoaster for us. First, here's what our typical daily schedule looks like:

• 7:15-9:00 AM - Pre-stroke, Bob was an early riser - morning person. Now we have to start early to wake him, kind of like my youngest nephew Chad who gets up at 5:30 and leaves for school at 8:30. Anyway, Bob has to get dressed, wheel to breakfast group occupational, speech, and neuropsych therapy.
  
• 9:00 - 10:00 - Individual occupational therapy (practicing dressing, putting on shoes, personal hygiene, toileting)
• 10:00 - 10:30 - Singing, puzzle time, outside wheelchair walking time (with Sharon, lucky Bob)
• 10:30 - 11:30 - Speech therapy (speaking, reading)
• 11:30 - 12:00 - Rest on patio (he's usually so exhausted by now he can barely keep his head up)
• 12:00 - 12:30 - Lunch (which is therapy - using utensils, napkins, opening containers. Who knew eating a meal could be so physically and mentally exhausting but when one is relearning linear thinking - what to do first, second, third (e.g. open the milk carton before trying to drink, put the utensil in the food and bring it to mouth vs. putting mouth in food). The nurses let me use their microwave to heat my lunch so that I can eat when Bob does.
  
• 12:30 - 12:50 - Nap time (sitting in wheelchair although he'd really like to be in bed. Right now we're at the mercy of nurses to help transfer from wheelchair to bed and back and they won't do it when there isn't much time between sessions.) I wake him after 20 minutes so that he's alert for PT.
  
• 1:00 - 2:00 PM- Physical and occupational therapy in the gym (I take notes, cheer him on, and participate on demand)
  
• 2:00 - 3:30 - Recreational therapy with Sharon (He wheels to the cafeteria, selects a yogurt flavor, I scoop.He holds the money so that he has to interact, figure out how much money to pay the cashier, and then we wheel out to the rose garden/sensory deprivation garden, admire flowers, practice closed sentences, sing, play pass the ball)
• 3:30 - 3:45 Head back to room for a chair-bed transfer (we have to wait for someone to help me get him into bed)
• 3:45 - 5:00 Quiet time - Nap/Visitors (at this point, I want to crawl into bed with him but this seems to be the time when the case manager/social worker tracks me down for some task I have to follow up on). If he's sleeping, I don't like to wake him because his brain needs rest - so if you visit then,
  
• 5:00 - 6:00 Dinner (which we take for granted but imagine eating in s - l - o - w motion and he is VERY focused on his food. Is that primal behavior?)
  
• 6:00 - 7:00 Recreational Therapy (with me or a certified RT) - Dominoes, Crazy 8, Old Maid, puzzles, etc.
• 7:00 - 8:00 Bath time (nurses wash him every other night so I wash him on alternate nights because I know he doesn't like to be dirty or stinky Bob)
• 8:00 - Lights out. This is the part where I tell him to close his eyes, remember I love you, to sleep tight, don't let the _ _ and he finishes the sentence and I'll be back in the morning

So as you can see, it's pretty intense. The schedule can vary slightly from day to day but but it's pretty much the same all week. Weekends can be slightly lighter but tomorrow is full . . . and yes, I'm in there with him. (Loma Linda believes that family support and participation is crucial for recovery so there I am.)
Thursday - April 30 was a super day in OT and PT for the Bob! He practiced dressing himself, cleaning up in a mirror). The morning OTs worked on transfers to and from toilet (yeah!) and he did well. Bob was awesome in PT! 4 PTs/OTs positioned themselves around Bob, strapped his bad foot, and then made Bob walk around the platform (size of two king size beds side by side), all the while coaching him to lean left/right, shift/balance his weight, tuck his rear, lift his head, lift his leg, step off. It was extremely challenging and all the while, they told him he could do it, shared their expectations for his success, praised him, told him to correct his movements (watch your foot, Bob; open your eyes, Bob). When he passed one side, they'd ask him if he thought he wanted to stop and he'd look at them, take a deep breath, and start moving again. It was pretty remarkable. It really looked like 4 angels surrounding Bob. Then they made stand in a kitchen and practice putting cups into the cupboards, but not just any cup. He had to pick the color they called out (multi-step directions) and if he didn't do it right, they'd have him take it out and start over. The difficulty is that Bob doesn't have use of his right side, so he had to remember to hold himself up, balance/shift weight while standing, reaching, and placing. He got it! Then they wet the counters and made him wipe them down (I like that part, Bob always used to tidy up for me). If only we would/could do this for every struggling child in our classrooms - put all of these resources on them immediately Wow! I thanked them for today's miracle and they said, "We love our jobs and we thank you for teaching our children." I LOVE the OTs and PTs! I LOVE BOB! Speech therapy wasn't as good for Bob and I could tell that he was perplexed that he couldn't read the sentences aloud (HELLO!) or answer her questions orally but after a few practices, he could point to the correct answer. She assured him that his reading would come with time and lots of work. He's told me which songs he wants to sing (I'll ask and he'll start singing the first words). The PTs and OTs said that he's a model student and we're the model rehab family. You know how Bob and I are overachievers - even in rehab. :)
Oh yes, cards, letters, and packages arrive for Bob daily (the staff teases Dr. Popularity) and he LOVES opening them. I wish you could see how happy he is - I just KNOW that he feels all of the love and support coming his way. Thank you all: Barry and Leslie for the napping kit, Michele D for the Healing Angel (which I put on his nightstand to watch over him), Lois W (for the chocolates that I and my sisters and mom gladly ate since he's restricted-whoo hoo!) Virginia G, I read the message in your card, to Bob, "Pamberi: Never Give Up" and he kept repeating it so I made a poster for his room so that he can see your words - okay, so he's not speaking English fluently yet but he can say a Zimbabwe word), Joyce W, Terry & Nina, Ken & Judy, Team DASD: Cindy M, Melissa W, Lizette, Sue, Chris; Dr. Jonathon, Ed & Peggy L, Sandi & Frank, Jan V, Arlene A, Audrey E., and Carrie (for the real elephant poop card - who else would give such a thoughtful card? I only washed our hands 500 times).

Friday, May 1, 2009was a down day. Very down. D (next bed) told me that Bob didn't sleep well. I was concerned with I left on Thursday night because he got so cold during his bath that his body shook and his teeth chattered but he didn't have a fever. Anyway, the new male night nurse didn't turn the heat lamp off all night (so it got to be blazenly hot and sunny) and Bob couldn't tell them so he didn't sleep, which meant he was sleepy and lethargic all day, he missed his breakfast therapy (I had overslept) and wasn't "on" or performing as well in his therapies. So I was disappointed and let's just leave it at that. Here's what he did do: he sang with me, tried to do everything his teachers asked even though he was exhausted, happily opened his cards and letters, completed closed sentences with me with about 75% accuracy. So I just have to remember what Jill Bolte-Taylor wrote in My Stroke of Insight: the brain knows when it needs sleep and heal, that Bob will have up and down days.

I think my saving grace is knowing that my family and friends are out there. Sonia and Mom (they can't come in 'cuz of flu) sent fajitas with Jeff who hung out with Bob (he always gets happy when Jeff comes over, even tonight when he was so tired). Josh cooks, cleans, packs lunch, takes care of my business calls/forms, stops in and spells me so I can get away from the hospital for a few minutes. He was supposed to go home yesterday and extended his stay thru next Wednesday when he has to go back for commencement. Shadi and Jeanie call and write every day and remind me that I can do this-BELIEVE Bob will recover. Dr. Bill arrived today and will go thru bob's medical chart with me on Monday so that I can see Bob's brain and understand better how the stroke is affecting his brain, and he's meeting with the docs on rounds. I got home tonight and the downstairs bathroom was torn out - drywall, tiles, shower. Jeff is on a roll creating the perfect bathroom and bedroom for Bob.

Dear Friends: Thank you, thank you: Rick C (and Gigers)-thanks for stopping by to read today (the day after yesterday, just like bob asked, even though he wasn't up to it; Pete, Walt, Bonnie, Beth, Melissa, Roberta, Gail #1, Gail #2, Laurie, Bryan and Terry Taco - for being persistent in touching bases and checking in on me and reminding me to take care of myself. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and it's just nice every now and then to have a two-way conversation although if you can believe it, I'm pretty talked out from talking to Bob all day long (poor Bob and now he really can't get a word in). And to everyone else who's contacted me via e-mail, home phone, facebook.

Oh, by the way, Becca Watson - have a wonderful wedding shower today! I REALLY would rather be there (and we all know how much I love showers but really, I'd go to every one now).

So, here's my request from y'all: Visualize Bob's brain healing, recreating new vascular pathways, new connections. Picture his brain switching ON. Pray for his determination and strength to continue.

May the Lorb be with you,

Sharon