Paul's Update: July 21st at 7:30am
Karen's recovery continues to be steady. She is getting much better atwalking with the walker. She can stand and walk virtually unassisted foralmost the full length of the house. She does tire quickly, but we can seeslight improvement each day. Karen actually looks forward to the our walking sessions each evening when I come to visit. Some days she walks farther than others, but she does make an effort every day.
I keep telling her that this weekend we are going to tackle the stairs, butshe is quite scared of the stairs when she looks down them. This is quite understandable given the view from the top.
Karen does get a little bored some days. Especially the days in which no therapists show up. They only come twice a week, and when they all come on the same day she often will have no visitors at all during the other days, except for me.
It also seems as though the number of visitors that have been stopping by has dropped considerably. This could be due to the fact that it is summer, and many folks are away on vacation. So, if you are in town and you find yourself with some free time, please consider coming to visit Karen. She enjoys seeing each of you, and we see it as a critical part of her therapy. She keeps a journal of everything she does each day, and likes it when she can put in her journal that someone paid a visit.
Paul's Update: July 13th at 10pm
I just returned home from my nightly visit with Karen, Ken, and Kai. Man, there are an awful lot of K's there now. I haven't had an opportunity to see them as much lately because I have been working or traveling, but the absence allows me to see more readily the progress that Karen makes each week.
She is getting better, and showing us more and more of the Karen we all knowand love. She gets a little feisty at times, but heh, that's part of the Karen we all know and love too.
Although her left side is still not back to normal, she is getting more range of motion in both the arm and especially the leg.
Tonight, as I do every night that I am there, I encouraged her to try and use the walker to walk down the hall. Tonight she was able to walk the entire distance without me touching her to steady her, not even once. She used only the walker to maintain balance and move her feet forward. Just last week I had to stand behind her and hold her up to make sure she didn't fall backwards. Tomorrow we'll do it again.
She also is getting very good at getting in and out of the car, chair, and bed, to and from her wheelchair.
Sometimes, she also surprises us with her capacity to remember people, events, and places.
All together, her progress continues to be extraordinary to us. She does get a bit disappointed, and bored at times, but we try to keep her in good spirits and looking forward to the day she walks again, unassisted.
Paul's Update: July 2nd at 9am
Karen is home. She was discharged from the hospital without a hitch. As aparting gift, we were able to secure an entire case of "Magic Cup" deserts. For those of you who have been at the hospital you know that Karen had acquired quite a taste for the orange creamsicle tasting cups.
She had one final physical therapy session before leaving, and with the assistance of the special walker that they devised for her, she walked over twenty feet. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it, but her accomplishment doesn't surprise me.
She is getting settled into her new room, and is having to get used to the silence at home while sleeping. So, no more trips every day to the hospital for her dad. She is in the comfort of her parent's home, and is getting thefull attention of Kai, her new best friend.
...and she is looking forward to your visits :-)
