January 14, 2011

Dear Friends,

A banner, red-letter, bang-up day today.  And first, for those planning on visiting on Saturday - WE HAVE A HOME PASS for 9:30 to about 1:30.  So, if you're planning on stopping by the hospital, plan on being there after 1:00 or so.  We are going to go home for a few hours to check out the house, see how things work with Dwaine getting around, getting in and out of the car, reaching things in the bathroom and kitchen, and just generally enjoying being home.  Dwaine hasn't been home since December 11, so he's SUPER excited about this opportunity.

Today was a busy day and Dwaine just hit everything out of the ballpark all day.  His Physical Therapy focused on walking and balance issues.  He had to sit on a giant orange ball and keep his balance while keeping his feet together and apart on the floor.  Tricky, especially when you have pulled a groin muscle the morning before.  He's able to walk quite a long distance, as well as up and down stairs with no assistance at all.  And not just one step at a time either.  *&*(# Overachievers!

Occupational Therapy involved taking a long, hot shower.  Which I'm sure was heavenly, since he missed shower day on Walpurgisnacht.  So he got himself scrubbed and shaved and teeth brushed and was back in bed just in time for Speech Therapy.  The therapist first worked on applying an electrical stimulator to various nerves on the left side of Dwaine's face to stimulate the muscles into action. Even the one application showed remarkable improvement on his eyebrow and lips.  That will become part of his regular therapy for a while.

We spent the last part of the day meeting with a psychologist for about an hour together.  He asked many questions about mood changes, what kind of support Dwaine had at home, and probed a bit on depression.  Dwaine was very clear that he was not depressed in the slightest, and was very encouraged about his own progress and just wanted to keep on working to get better.  It was amazing to see that Steel Magnolia determination flowing forth from him.  Haha! 

We had lovely visits from friends Lynn Moran, Paul Oser and Katie Bailey.  Lynn and Katie brought treats, so they're in the doubleplusgood category.  Paul gets a check (haha!  Just kidding, Paul).  But the conversations were lively and stimulating and again I saw Dwaine give a good belly-laugh unlike any I've heard in two weeks.  It was a joy to see.

The doctors are very encouraged with Dwaine's progress.  There is a meeting Monday with all the different therapists to talk about a release date, and they all believe it will be very soon.  At that point, they are recommending Dwaine for the Daily Intensive through an outpatient program.  This is basically the same program he has now, except he gets to come home each day.  We both believe this would be FANTASTIC.  The program is good and challenging, and being able to be home at night to rest would only add to the effectiveness.  The trick will be finding drivers each day.  So, for those who are still interested in helping our Dwaine, let me know if you are available to give him a ride to therapy at about 9:00 a.m. in the morning and return to collect him at about 3:00 in the afternoon.  You can even mix/match the inbound and outbound if you want.  Once I get the word, I'll let all of you know and we can try to work out a schedule that will work for everyone. 

I've just never felt so encouraged as I have today.  Perhaps it's just the slight giddyness I feel knowing he is going to be home for a while tomorrow.  Or from seeing him doing so well with everything today.  Or from the great lively conversation I saw him have today.  I dunno.  But I think it's going to be hard for me to sleep tonight. 

Good Night and Sweet Dreams everyone!  And wish us well tomorrow.  We love you all and appreciate so much all of your thoughtful cards, flowers, plants, balloons and calls.  It's really quite overwhelming.