Recovery

Aug 16, 2004

Today marks the 5th month since Jenny’s stroke. I am very pleased with her progress compared to what I had imagined things to be like 5 months ago. We continue to find new ways to utilize Jenny’s movements. Two days ago, I supported her arm while Jenny wrote words by moving her hand that had a marker taped in it. She would write a letter, pause, and I would move the paper over for the next letter. That worked out, so we played our favorite game again (MasterMind), but this time Jenny would point to the colors as I supported her arm. Last night, I took it a step farther and I put a 3/8 inch diameter dowel rod in her hand (which she held by herself) and she pointed to letters on a letter board. It was so much faster and easier to communicate. Instead of sentences, she spelled paragraphs.

I also had an early morning thought that turned out to be a good idea. I had been frustrated by the fact that Jenny could not take advantage of showers now that her trache is out since out bathroom addition would not be done for at least another month. The idea came into my mind that her showerchair might fit into our master shower/bath upstairs since Jenny demanded that the builders put in an oval tub. Sure enough, it fit perfect! I carried Jenny upstairs to surprise her with her first real shower in 5 months. Usually we wash her hair with a basin and cups of water. This time, she sat under the shower and let the water flow through her hair and over her body. For the first time, her hair looked clean and Jenny cries with happy tears the whole time. Melissa and Dustin left for California yesterday and we will really miss them. It made things easier and they made our lives more entertaining and uplifting. The kids miss them so much already. My mom is now with us and she does a great job and cooks like none else.

Aug 12, 2004

Jenny got rid of a few more medical related things today and did some aqua therapy indoors today. The weather has been cool in Indy this summer – which happens to be the first year we try to get to a pool more often. Anyhow, with just under 2 weeks’ break from aqua therapy, Jenny was able to demonstrate new movements in the water with her left leg, as well as right arm and leg. Many times, Jenny surprises herself when she is asked to try something and she ends up doing it. I have learned that it does not hurt to ask. I ended up getting Jenny’s face in the water, by accident, and she did fine – despite my error. Her biggest problem was laughing too much.

Aug 10, 2004

Jenny enjoyed her birthday last Sunday and is most positive that now she is 31, things can only get better. She really liked 2 parts of her party. The first was the lasagna that her sister made (with plenty of leftovers). The second, which was a surprise to me, was a simple watch that speaks the time on the hour. It appears that we have erred when it comes to keeping Jenny informed of the time and date. I did hang a large wall clock, but I guess that is only good if I also placed her so she could watch it when she needed to know the time. It appears that this simple gift was another way to lift one more barrier.

We have been slowly getting rid of medical related equiptment which the act of doing so serves as a symbol of her progress. The trache is obviously gone (the hole seems to be completly closed now), I have removed head and trunk supports form her wheel chair. The medical rental company removed medical equiptment from her room. There are also various plans to removed or reduce other medical related things in her life. At times when progress has slowed, or she has experienced decline in her vision, it tends to be a positive boost to have these medical things removed.

Aug 7, 2004

Jenny is still doing great with not having a trache. Our theapies are more aggressive since we are not limited to doing activities that will not aggitate her throat. I gave her her favorite choking food (rice), at her request, and she does a great job coughing it back up. She eats other foods much better though. We have not been doing water therapy while the neck heals and I see how much it has helped her. Jenny has a tiny hole in her neck right now, and I assume it will be totally closed up by a week from the removal date.

At his moment, Jenny is birthday clothes shopping with her sister. As a matter of fact, Jenny pretty much wants to go somehwere any time she has the chance. We have a great routine now where we get ready, do therapies, relax and cuddle on the couch as we watch a movie or tv show, Jenny tries to get me to go someplace with her (and demands that I lift her into the front seat), therapies, eat a lunch of pasta, read together, do more therapies, and get ready for bed. All the while we do med stuff, interact/play with the kids, and clean up our huge messes. At this moment, our home is in disarray while we get an addition placed on. Anyhow, things are looking good despite some setbacks.

Jenny has complained that her eye sight is bothering her again and her left side is not as active as it was, but her right side continues to get stronger and she has much bigger movements.

Aug 3, 2004

Jenny had her trache taken out yesterday and she is so very happy. Our family had a great party for her where everyone but her had to wear a trache of some design and Jenny would be the only one without a trache. Jenny got a kick out of our traches. Dustin had a speaker mounted to his that played “Celebrate good times…”, Melissa had the only trache that looked like a real one (but was rigged to spray water for paybacks of all the times Jenny sprayed us). I had a long tube that wrapped around my body. Jessie had an elephant head. Zach had a pez dispenser strapped to his neck that looked like it had a trache with the little pez coming out of the neck. Jordan, our neice, had lip gloss that was strapped to her neck for easy access. Finally, Sophia had a pacifier (her weakness) on which she tried to suck, but it was strapped to tight to her neck, so all she could do was put the tip of her tongue on it. We later had a ceremonial trache burning and various party activities related to trache removal.

Jenny is doing well and has good breathing and clearing of secretions. She tells me it is much easier to breath without the trache. She swallows/eats better. Daily activites are less painful because it does not bump her trache. Her head turns more because it does not irritate her. I could go on, but the bottom line is that Jenny is getting better and overcoming. We wait to see what this will do in relation to regaining speech. If anything, Jenny has to pass air by her vocal chords at all times now and she has more time to practise.

Out of the blue, Zach has began to cuddle with his mom again. He does not say anything, but will lay down next to her in the mornings and place her arm over his body. Jenny has missed this so much. Zach was her biggest cuddler. It just seems that life is good right now despite the large obstacles we have to face (especially those Jenny has to face). I have really noticed how much growth Jenny has made these past couple of weeks. I have always admired her, but she has definately began the process of becoming the extraordinary person Heavenly Father has seen that she can be.