Paul's Update - 09/22/06

Dear Friends:

I'm sorry I haven't been in touch for the last few days. It seems the days go by so quickly and by the time Carl gets home it is late and I'm in bed so I don't get a chance to find out how his day has gone. Now that the Depacote is getting out of Paul's system he seems to be more alert. The addition of a mild anti-depressant seems to help as well. Paul was waking a lot during the night so he takes this anti-depressant at night to help him sleep as well as make him feel better. Paul is spending most of his days upstairs. He really enjoys the change of scenery and the ability to control his environment a bit. He even eats his meals up there. Tabby had bought a bedside tray when he was in bed most of the time and he can use it sitting at the couch as a table for his drink and meals. Wednesday was a very good day for Paul. Dad was able to get Paul to do some sit-ups. He did about eight of them. This will strengthen his stomach muscles and make him able to do more. Tabby continues to work on Paul's right hand. He is getting better use out of it each day. Tabby gave Paul a soda on Wednesday and handed it to his right hand. He was able to hold it in his right hand and pop it open using his left hand. He was even able to lift it up with his right hand and take a drink from the can!! He even had to lift his right elbow up a bit to get his hand high enough to put the can to his mouth! It still moves very slow but this use is encouraging. Thursday was the funeral for Billy's mother. She was buried in Silver Spring MD which is about an hour drive from home. We all went including Paul. He did really well. Tabby went for a job interview. It is a job almost exactly like she was doing before. It would be a good job and we hope she will get it. Friday was the trip to the ophthalmologist. This was a follow-up from the visit where she found blood clots in Paul's eyes. Dad & Tabby got there late. Getting everyone ready to go took longer than expected but when they arrived at the doctor's office they were still able to keep the appointment. The ophthalmologist said that the blood clots have been reabsorbed by Paul's body!! Yahoo! She still sees a "floater" in Paul's right eye. She didn't explain what exactly it was but that sometimes they go away on their own and some people live with them. It is an object that floats in the eye and sometimes blocks vision. She was pleased that Paul was able to follow commands like "look up", "look down", and "look side to side". He was also able to put his chin on the machine for her to look into his eyes. Maybe when he goes back in six months he will be able to communicate even better and tell her what he sees!! Overall we have had a pretty good week. God continues to bless us with improvements!

Have a great weekend, Lynne & Carl