Paul's Update - 10/30/06

Dear Friends:

Paul continues to be very alert and uses his right hand more all the time. Tabby gave Paul his motorcycle magazines today. He was able to turn the pages with his right hand. He seemed to enjoy looking at them. Dad had to go out this morning and didn't get home until about 2pm. Tabby was outside working in the yard a good part of the day. She also cleaned the kitchen area which tends to collect a lot of junk and makes it hard to walk through. She also cleaned the bathroom floor (on her hands and knees!!). She was understandably tired tonight!! She has been doing more cooking so that Paul gets better nutrition. Paul likes her cooking and we are all benefiting from it! This evening Bobby put out the Halloween decorations. Halloween is a big time for Bobby & Paul. They usually spend it together and have lots of fun. Bobby has been a bit "down" and was planning to skip the Halloween festivities this year. He changed his mind and decorated tonight. Paul will be able to go outside and see the decorations on Tuesday night. I'm sure he will enjoy it! Tabby got a call from Paul's neurologist tonight. He reported that the Trileptol (anti-seizure) is still not at the level he wants it to be. It is at 11 and he wants it to be 14-15. He told Tabby to increase the Keppra by one pill so he will take 1 in the morning and 2 at night. In addition she will increase the Trileptol by one pill a day so he will take 3 in the morning and 3 at night. He also wants her to start decreasing the Dilantin from two pills a day to one a day. This is a decrease of 250mg of Dilantin. Don't feel bad if you can't keep up with this ... I have trouble with it. Thankfully Tabby has a pill minder that she puts his drugs in to keep track with! Dad will stay at Paul's house on Tuesday night since they will start the changes that morning. Paul will go back for another blood test on Thursday November 9th. Please continue to be in prayer that Paul will not have any ill affects from the new drug changes. He is doing so well and we'd hate to have another setback!!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/29/06

Dear Friends:

Sunday was a really good day. Paul was up early (the time change made it an hour earlier than usual), Max was up early too! Dad got to Paul's and he was up and ready to get his day started. Since the nurse left early yesterday and wasn't feeling well ... it was hard to know if we would have her show up today. Well ... she didn't. Dad ended up missing our usual breakfast with Bill & Ronda. Paul was able to get his shirt on and even put on his shoes by himself!! He seems to be doing so well lately and we are very grateful! Once he was up and dressed they got prepared to go to church. It has been a couple months since Paul was able to come to church and it was so nice that they were all able to come. Max was his usual cute self ... and everyone enjoyed seeing him. He looks so much like his dad ... many people commented on that! After church Dad & Tabby were able to get Paul back home and get lunch. Later in the afternoon they worked on getting Paul to stand up with the walker. They had him stand up and sit down a few times and then stand up holding the walker. He did pretty good. He is so much stronger these days. Alysa (our granddaughter) and her friend Nadia were at Paul's house today with Carolyn. They cut pumpkins for Halloween. Paul was able to go outside and watch them. It was a beautiful day and Paul enjoyed the outing. Tabby tried giving Paul 2 sleeping pills last night. She said it didn't really help ... Paul was still up several times in the night. She doesn't want him to take three pills because it knocks him out so soundly but two pills doesn't make him sleep soundly enough! What a dilemma. She is also concerned that he is having some trouble with depression since he seems to be understanding so many things lately and seems disagreeable more often. Until the drug changes are complete the neurologist will not consider any new anti-depression drugs. Hopefully we will hear from the doctor on Monday and can start reducing the Dilantin again. It shouldn't take long to eliminate this drug but it will be a couple of weeks at least. We pray that he won't have any setbacks during this round of reductions ... especially since he has been doing so well!

Have a great day!! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/25/06

Dear Friends:

Paul was up early this morning so that he could be at the doctor's office by 8:30. Paul didn't want to go and every time Dad moved his legs off the edge of the bed ... he pulled them back up onto the bed. He knows what happens at that doctors office!! Along with getting blood drawn today ... he also got a flu shot. After the appointment everyone went to the repair shop to pick up the old Ford truck that Carolyn now owns. It was being fixed ... it appeared to be an engine problem but turned out to be the computer malfunctioning. What we thought was going to be about $1800 turned out to only be a $600 repair. Everyone visited at the repair shop ... Tabby's friend Tye works there and everyone there knows Tabby and Paul. They all got a chance to see Max. After getting home and back in the bed, Paul seemed tired and didn't feel well. After Paul napped for a bit Dad had to take him to the bathroom in the wheelchair ... he hasn't done that for over a week now! I know they say you don't get the flu from the flu shot ... but I wonder!! Later tonight Paul was feeling somewhat better and Dad was able to get Paul to walk and hold Dad's hands instead of Dad holding him. Tabby followed behind to stabilize him if he lost his balance but he did pretty good. Starting Thursday Tabby plans to start lowering Paul's calorie intake each day. He has gained too much weight and needs to start losing it somehow. I was reminded today that we can see God in the things that happen each day if we pay attention. I know God speaks to us through the things we hear about and see as we travel through this process. I am always encouraged by hearing about and seeing people that have recovered from such traumatic injuries. I'm reminded that we are very blessed that Paul is with us ... and healing slowly but surely! I thank God for his mercy and love ... I know there is a plan for Paul's life ... he wouldn't be here if there wasn't!! Thanks for being on this journey with us. We are thankful for you, your prayers and your love!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/24/06

Dear Friends:

Paul is having really good days. He seems very alert and is gaining more function in the right side each day. He has been walking better the last couple of days. Dad still has to support him in case he loses balance but he is controlling his steps better. Today Paul was able to help Tabby take his shoes off. He used his right hand to try to push the shoe off his left foot. He wasn't able to do it without help but he sure tried. He was able to take the right shoe off by using his left hand. Tabby helped a bit but he got the heel of the shoe off his foot by himself!! Tabby tries to encourage him to try new things all the time and he seems alert and willing to try lately. Dad said that when he takes Paul to the bathroom he sits him on the toilet and covers his lap with a towel. Paul is very picky and tries to straighten the towel so that it doesn't have any wrinkles in it. The funny thing is ... he was like that before the accident. He even held the towel with his right hand so he could use the left hand to straighten it out! Tonight Tabby made Tortellini with homemade tomato sauce for dinner. It was great. Paul loved it. She made breakfast this morning too ... bacon and eggs. I think she is enjoying her role as a homemaker!! She does like to cook but it hasn't been something she has had a lot of time to plan or do! Wednesday is the doctor appointment to have Paul's blood drawn. We are hopeful that the Trileptol is now at the therapeutic level so we can decrease the Dilantin. We will know in about a week. After they get done at the doctor's office they will go for breakfast (Paul has to be fasting) and then run some errands.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/23/06

Dear Friends:

Sunday started out with Dad going to Paul's to find we had no nurse again. This wasn't unexpected since we already figured that the nurse probably quit. After Dad got Paul up and dressed he was sitting outside when a big truck came down the road (which isn't unusual) and caught Paul & Tabby's cable TV wire, pulling it down and damaging some of the siding on the house. The police were called and the cable company was contacted. The police couldn't do anything except take a report. Dad wasn't able to get the name of the company. The cable company couldn't send anyone out until Monday ... so Sunday was a DVD movie day. Paul is getting tired of "girly" movies though!! He was pretty alert most of the day. He is walking to and from the bathroom every time he needs to go. He won't even let Dad get the wheelchair. Paul didn't sleep well on Sunday night. This is possibly because Tabby decreased the Trazadone by another pill. He now only takes one of these medicines each night. Since this was for sleep ... it makes sense that he isn't sleeping as soundly. Monday Tabby had a job interview at a car dealership. It was for office work but it pays significantly less than she was making and is almost as far to go as her previous job. She hasn't told them no yet but she is not sure she wants the job. She still has a couple other prospects that she is waiting to hear back on. The cable guy (no pun intended) came by today and fixed the cable TV wire. Everyone was pleased to have it fixed. Paul was feeling pretty good all day. At one point in the evening he looked over at me and clearly said "Hi". Even though I know he CAN say this ... he doesn't usually and I always enjoy the interaction with him! Tonight he and I watched "Biker Buildoff" on Spike TV. They were building a bike out of mostly Harley Davidson parts and I was able to ask him about the parts. When I asked him if he liked the bike he nodded "yes". Tonight Paul was tired early. He started dozing off and suddenly I noticed that his right hand jerked and woke him up. This happened several times ... each time he'd start to fall asleep his right hand would do a spasm and wake him up. Tabby said he's been doing that a lot lately. We think this could just be a sign that the right arm is "waking up". Tabby talked to the nursing agency today. It appears that our weekend nurse is pregnant and won't be back. She injured her back moving Paul one day and isn't able to keep working for us. The agency is going to call on Thursday to let us know if we can expect a new nurse on the weekend. There is some thought that Audrey, one of the previous nurses, may come back. We really liked her and that would be OK with us! Wednesday is Paul's doctor appointment to have blood drawn. Maybe we will finally be able to decrease the Dilantin again!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

P.S. It came to my attention recently that some people may not want to continue to receive emails every day. If you would rather not get the emails but keep up with Paul's progress at your convienience, it is possible to go to Paul's blogspot and read the emails. I would not be offended if you would prefer to keep up through blogs instead. Just let me know and we can arrange to discontinue the emails.

Paul's Update - 10/21/06

Dear friends:

Carl and I are back home. We went to one of the most beautiful weddings we've seen in a long time on Friday. What a beautiful bride and she has a wonderful new husband! We enjoyed celebrating with them and their families! Then we went to the Renaissance Fair in Maryland today. It was a great day and the weather cooperated (last year it rained on us all day!!). There was quite a crowd but we enjoyed the day! Tabby had Dora at the house all day yesterday. She and Max went out for some errands but didn't stay out long ... Max has gotten pretty heavy to carry around. It is not often that Dora gets left at the house by herself with Paul. She has really been more attentive to Paul since the recent seizures! She had not been there during the previous seizures and I think it took her by surprise. Dad said she doesn't leave Paul alone much since then. Dad got over to Tabby's house this morning (with the Starbucks of course) and found that the nurse didn't show up!! This is the second weekend in a row that we had no nurse. There is speculation that she may have quit but we aren't sure. If that is true ... we don't know why the agency didn't assign another weekend nurse. This meant that Tabby & Bobby had to be there without any help. They can handle it but it is exhausting. Dad got Paul up out of bed and took him into the bathroom to clean him up and get him dressed for the day before we left. Paul was feeling pretty good. He is trying to use his right hand more. He used that hand to run the massager on his bed this evening!! His fingers still don't move well but he attempts to use that hand as much as he is able. I believe that the magnets are helping some but it could be just continuation of the healing that was starting before the seizures. Whatever it is ... we are thankful!! Tabby said Paul seemed more alert this evening. Dad went over to help her get Paul ready for bed. As of a couple days ago Tabby is decreasing and will eventually eliminate the Trazadone that Paul has been taking. We thought it was suppose to be for depression but the neurologist said that it is really just to make Paul sleep better and hopefully that will make him less depressed. Tabby decided that we don't see any real benefit to this medicine because Paul is still waking up during the night. This should help to keep Paul less drowsy since he is now taking an increase in anti-seizure medicines. Sunday should be a quiet football kind of day! Have a great day!!

Love, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/17/06

Dear Friends:

I was not feeling well on Monday so I apologize for not updating you yesterday. Not much has changed. Paul is now taking the new medicine Keppra to help the anti-seizure drug (Trileptol) work better. It is making him a bit dizzy and unstable which makes it hard for him to get his balance and walk without problems. He still wants to get up and do things but Dad has to assist him a bit more than he was doing. His right side still seems to be the only thing that was affected by the seizures last week. He can use his right side ... just not as good as before. The new medicine also causes him to fall asleep at night pretty early ... within about 15 minutes of taking it which is around 9:30pm. He is sleeping soundly all night. Tabby said it also makes him snore quite a bit ... sigh! The doctor called today and reported that the Trileptol (anti-seizure) level is still not high enough. He is increasing the Trileptol again and now he is going to remove one pill a day of the Trazadone (which is for depression). We expect this will make him more drowsy. After seven days he will go back to the doctor's office and have blood drawn again. If the Trileptol level is high enough at that time ... we can start the reduction of the Dilantin again. I don't know about you ... but this is hard to keep up with!! Anyway ... if it works ... it will be worth the work! Tabby also talked to the periodontist today about the gum surgery. He said he has been trying to get an anesthesiologist to work on Paul for the surgery. Everyone he has talked to is concerned about working on Paul in the dentist office. We may have to consider taking him to Children's Hospital to get someone willing to work on him. Monday a representative from the company that built Paul's wheelchair came out to the house. Tabby had asked them to come and review Paul's needs again since the chair that we have is really not useful for Paul. It is too big and is really designed for someone who is an invalid. It doesn't fit well through doorways and it doesn't fold up to make it easy to take with us when we go out. It appears that Tabby will have to work with the insurance company and Paul's doctor to see if a new chair could be ordered. What a shame ... all the money put into that chair and it doesn't meet our needs!! Hopefully something can be worked out. Tabby had to do battle with the health insurance company again today. When she went to fill Paul's prescriptions yesterday they told her that he had been cancelled. She has figured out that you go directly to a manager at the insurance agency to get anything fixed. She talked to that person today and it should be getting fixed. It is not a wonder that people get so frustrated with the system!! Overall Paul is doing OK. He is being stubborn about working with Tabby to do some things that we know he can do ... he is still a strong willed child!! LOL Thanks for continuing to pray!

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/15/06

Dear Friends:

Paul had another good day today but he was not feeling good. He complained about a headache so Tabby gave him Ibuprofen. He was able to sit upstairs and watch the football game with Bob. Yesterday's trip to WV turned out to be a really great day. Paul, Tabby and Dad got to ride in Bill's Cadillac. Paul did real good getting in and out of the car. He was positioning himself once he was seated in the back seat. He sat next to Max in his car seat. From time to time Paul would reach over and gently touch Max's face. Dad reminded Paul to be careful with him ... Paul gave Dad a dirty look ... after all he WAS being careful with him!! LOL! They made several potty stops on the trip but all went well. Everyone had a nice visit with Tabby's family. Dad got home around 10:30 and Paul was already sleeping when he left. It was a long day for everyone. Today Dad got to Tabby's to find that the nurse didn't show up. It is unclear if she thought Tabby was going to be gone all weekend but Tabby claims she made it clear that she would need a nurse on Sunday. The day went OK since all of us are usually there on Sundays. Tonight Paul started on his new medicine. It is Keppra. He will take 1000mg of this medicine each day along with the 400mg of Dilantin & 1200mg of Trileptol. Tabby is also increasing his antidepressant which will help him sleep better at night. When I left tonight around 10:15pm he was already sound asleep! Hopefully this will not make him dopey during the day! Apparently the doctor asked for a blood test on Friday when they were in his office. They will go back to see him on Tuesday to find out the results. It is possible that he will start to decrease the Dilantin at that time if the other medicines are at a high enough level. Honestly ... it is difficult to keep up with all the changes ... but Dad and Tabby seem to be doing a good job. Dad will stay over at Paul's for tonight since they are increasing his meds. Keep Paul in prayer as we go through this new change!!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/14/06

Dear Friends:

Paul is doing lots better. He has had three good days at this point. The increase in medicines seems to be working. Except for the weakness on his right side he seems strong and alert. Praise God we aren't seeing the same kinds of setbacks we've had previously!! Paul went to the doctor on Friday. We are still looking at getting rid of the Dilantin but the doctor is going to add a new medicine that will boost the effectiveness of the Trileptol. He said the two drugs work well together and there a not many side effects. I am hopeful that once Paul's seizures are being controlled for some time we will be able to eliminate the second drug but for now ... as long as it works we are OK with this addition. Sometime this upcoming week Paul will go and have blood drawn to determine how much of the drug is in his system and then we can consider decreasing the Dilantin. As it turned out Paul ended up going to West Virginia on Saturday (today). As of this writing I haven't heard that they have gotten back. Tabby had planned this trip a few weeks ago and she told the nurse not to show up for Saturday because they would be gone. Well ... they forgot about that and when Dad showed up this morning there was no nurse for the day. Since Paul has been doing so well it was decided that he would probably be OK for the trip as long as they had his medicines with them. I will update you on the trip in a future email. I am sending a link to some new pictures that I took last week. I hope to have some more soon. Enjoy.

More Pictures

Have a great weekend, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/12/06

Dear Friends:

Paul had a good day. Dad & Tabby managed to get him upstairs for a while. I'm sure he enjoyed the change of scenery! His right side seems to be a bit weak from the seizures but he said he felt better today and he even wanted to walk to the bathroom and back. Dad was willing to allow that today since he had a good day Wednesday and a good night without any seizure activity Wednesday night. He is having trouble opening and closing the right hand again. Hopefully that is only temporary. He is also having trouble controlling his steps with his right leg ... again we hope this is temporary. Tabby & Dad spent some time outside today putting sealant on the new driveway. It looks great and it is now two cars wide and extends to the back corner of the house. This gives them about 3 times the parking space they had before. The pavement also goes right up to the ramp going into the basement area and will make it easier to get Paul to and from the house to the Van. Friday Paul has an appointment to see his neurologist at 8:30 in the morning. This will be quite an early start for all of them. Since Dad will be at home tonight (Thursday) he will be up early to go and get everyone up. He will undoubtedly get Starbucks to bribe Tabby out of bed LOL. Hopefully the doctor will have a plan for what he wants to do next. He definitely wants Paul to discontinue taking Dilantin so we expect he will have a plan for that. I pray that the Trileptol will start to work to control the seizure activity that we have been seeing very soon. It would be disheartening to have to start yet another medicine change. It appears that the trip to Tabby's parent's house in West Virginia this weekend will include only Tabby and Max. It would not be a good idea to try to take Paul so far away from home when he hasn't had a good week. Dad will stay and help the nurse. There will also be other family around to help. It will be good for Tabby to get away and spend time with her family!

Have a great weekend! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/11/06

Dear Friends:

Today was just a quiet day. After Paul's troubles last night it was decided that he would not do any "work" today. After Paul went to bed last night he had another episode of throwing up. Once he was cleaned up and the bed was changed he was able to go to sleep and he slept through the night. Dad & Tabby were up almost every hour checking on him. It was a long night. Tabby was tired today and had a headache. She was able to go out and do some errands this afternoon. Paul hasn't had any more problems with seizures today. He seems to feel pretty good and Dad said he even wanted to walk from the bathroom back to bed a couple of times. Dad wouldn't allow it. He made Paul use the wheelchair. Tabby called the doctor's office today and set an appointment for Paul to see the neurologist on Friday. Hopefully he will be able to give us direction on what to do next. We are grateful that he doesn't seem to have any serious affects from the seizures. The only obvious setback is that he doesn't seem to be using his right hand quite as well as he had been. I pray that it is all from the healing that his brain is doing. It is possible we were premature with the elimination of the Dilantin. Paul will take an increased amount of the Trileptal for the next ten days and have another blood test before we consider any more changes. We have been blessed with so much progress lately. I pray that that will resume once he is stable again. Thanks for your prayers!

Love, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/10/06

Dear Friends:

Paul woke up this morning refreshed. He slept all night after his episode with the seizure. He was alert and didn't show much sign of effects from the seizure. Paul had a double dose of the Trazadone this morning per the doctor's orders. They had a quiet day for the most part. TV and playing with Max was the agenda. Dad only stood him up long enough to transfer to the wheelchair and go to the bathroom. He was eager to try to sit up without help and he was able to do some exercising of his right hand. He had a little trouble with that but ... hey ... he still can do it. Unfortunately we didn't have a quiet night. Just before Paul's dinner he had another small seizure. It was a little worse than last night but didn't last long. He bit his tongue a little this time but it turned out to be minor. He started coming back out of it within a few minutes. Tabby called the doctor again and he advised her to get another dose of medicines in him as soon as possible and then give him his regular night dose when it was time (which is 9pm). After he was feeling better Tabby got him to take his meds and eat a little dinner. He did pretty good although he was tired and had a little trouble chewing and swallowing so it took a longer time to eat. We thought it was good that he was able to eat ... but then shortly after he got his night meds at 9pm he threw it all up (including the meds!!). Tabby called the doctor again and he advised her to wait about 1/2 hour and give him more meds. She finally got him to take them around 10pm. When I left at 10:30pm he was sleepy and Tabby was ready for them both to go to bed! Dad is staying again tonight and will do that again tomorrow night to be on the safe side. This round of seizures is difficult to accept ... just when he was doing so well. We have to be concerned about the potential setbacks in his progress. Dad & Tabby are already exhausted and this really wears them out. Please keep all of them in your prayers.

Have a good day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/09/06

Dear Friends:

Today was another really good day for Paul. Dad was there early for the arrival of the pavers. However they decided not to pave today since the ground was still too wet from the rain. They will come back on Tuesday to finish the job. Paul was walking very good today. He is also doing good when he sits down. In order to sit you must bend your knees which has been a difficult concept for him. Now he bends them to sit. Tabby did more work to get him to move his mouth and make new sounds. She was successful in getting him to say "WOW". She started by getting him to pucker his mouth and do the "w" sound ... "wa". Then she had him combine it with "ow". He did it several times ... it was great. Then she had him blow out about 6 tea light candles at a time. She put them all on a plate and had him blow them out. He was able to do that about 6 or 7 times. Paul spent some time holding Max today. Max smiles at his Daddy and Paul sounds like he is trying to talk to him. It is good to see them together! Unfortunately ... tonight we had a setback. About 10pm Paul had a small seizure. It only lasted about 2 minutes but they are scary to watch. He came back out of it quickly and began squeezing and rubbing Tabby's hand within the first few minutes. This is the first time he responded to anything that quickly. It took about 1/2 hour before his breathing was almost normal. Tabby called the doctor and he advised her to give him another dose of his night medicine and then she will double his dose in the morning. He didn't feel Paul needed to go to the emergency room as long as he didn't have any more seizures tonight. After about 40 minutes Tabby was able to get Paul to take his medicines. It was difficult for him to swallow but he chewed the tablets and was able to finally get them down with a tiny sip of water. Shortly afterward he began to doze off. I left about 11:30pm and he was sound asleep by then. Dad is staying there tonight just in case there is any more seizure activity. Of course we won't know how much this has set him back for probably a couple of days. It seems just when he is doing real well ... he has another setback. What a roller coaster! Tuesday will be a quiet day for Paul. Dad & Tabby were going to try to take Paul out but that has been postponed and they will stay home for the day. We are grateful for your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray that God will keep Paul safe and continue to heal him.

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/08/06

Dear Friends:

Dad got over to Paul's house early on Sunday. The shed was suppose to be moved this morning. As it turned out the fellow that was suppose to move it didn't come but Paul's cousin Tony had one of his low boy trailer parked on the street in front of Paul's house and a policeman came by and told Tabby that it needed to be moved. Since Tony had to come over anyway ... and since they were planning to use Tony's Mini Ex tractor to move the shed with ... Tony went ahead and moved the shed while he was there. It was a bit of work but they got it moved. This will enable to pavers to do the driveway on Monday. Paul was feeling really good today. This morning Tabby got Paul to do the "vulcan hand greeting" which is moving his index finger and second finger away from the middle creating a "V" in his hand. It is challenging for most people to do ... even without any brain injury!! Paul was able to do this ... it was something he could do before the accident and he still can do it ... WITH HIS RIGHT HAND!! Later Dad got Paul to touch each of his fingers on the right hand with his thumb on that hand. He used that hand to drink with and he used a fork to eat with that hand this evening!!! It is really amazing how much he is trying to use that hand! Paul watched the football game with everyone this afternoon. It was a disappointing game for the Redskins ... but several of the fans in the house were wearing their Redskin jerseys ... including Max! (Actually he has a onsie that is like a Redskin Jersey!! LOL) Uncle Bob has already promised Max a real Jersey for next year's football season!! Carolyn and Alysa came by to visit for a little while and Paul got to sit on the swing outside with Carolyn. He enjoys the swing and likes to use his feet to move the swing. It is good exercise too! Paul did lots of walking today and he seems to be making better steps when he walks. Dad still has to hold him but he gets himself into a sitting position in the bed and Dad helps him get up and then walks him. It is really amazing how much Paul is being able to do lately. Within about another week Paul will be completely free from Dilantin. It seems like the new drugs are doing a great job! What a miracle!

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/07/06

Dear Friends:

Paul is doing so many good things lately. Friday was no exception. Tabby worked with him to do facial movement. She had him making faces at her and trying to do sounds. According to Dad it is pretty funny to watch! He is also using his right hand more and more. Dad asked him if he was beginning to feel his right hand again and he nodded "yes". He is trying to use it to hold his water bottle and soda can and drink with it. He can open his fingers on that hand now too. He can get the fingers open but has a little trouble remembering to open out his thumb. He can do it but Dad or Tabby have to remind him to lift it up. Dad arrived at Paul's early this morning. He got Starbucks before he arrived. Paul & Tabby really enjoy that. Paul did some sitting up by himself today. He actually has to come from a laying down position to a sitting up position. He struggles to get up but he can do it. He did that about three times before he got tired. The new medicine seems to be doing a good job and he hasn't had any apparent side effects from decreasing the Dilantin. He goes back for blood testing on Friday next week. Sunday Tabby has a friend coming to move her shed that is too close to the neighbor's property. She and Dad had to empty the shed today so that it could be moved more easily. She has a guy coming on Monday to pave the driveway and he will pave all the way to the back corner of the house if the shed is moved....this will give her lots more parking area in the driveway. It looks now like the trip to Tabby's parents will be postponed to next weekend. We are grateful that we can consider taking this trip. We are approaching the "one year" mark. November 4th will be a year since Paul's accident. It seems like just yesterday and yet it feels like a lifetime ago. So many things have happened but we are so grateful that Paul continues to heal. It is only by God's grace that he is here and we pray that some day he will be completely healed.

Have a great day!! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/05/06

Dear Friends:

Today was a busy day. Tabby has been looking into doing some much needed home repairs with some of the money she received from the AD&D policy. She had people come to look at paving the driveway & fence the yard. An electrician also came today to repair the electrical wire that had been damaged some time ago when a truck pulled down an overhead line that was attached to their house. Paul had a pretty good day. He seemed tired this evening but he had been out a bit today. Dad & Tabby loaded Paul in the van and went to the Periodontist. This is the dentist that will be doing the gum surgery. The regular dentist that she saw a month ago was also there. The Periodontist said he would not be comfortable sedating Paul since he takes medicines that could be a problem. He plans to call an anesthesiologist that can come and do the sedation and monitor Paul during the surgery. It looks like Paul will lose about three of his molars and will need some bridge work on top of the gum surgery. The dentist seemed to be very good and was reasonable in his approach to Paul's needs. Last night was the first night of the decreased Dilantin. Paul seems to be doing fine. Praise God for that!! Dad stayed over at Paul's last night and will do that again tonight. The first 48 hours are the most critical after a med change. If Paul continues to do well, Tabby would like to take him for a trip on Monday to visit her parents in West Virginia. It is not too far (about 3 hours) and it would be nice for them to take a little day trip! Dad will go along to help out with Paul. We are thankful that we can even think about doing that kind of trip.

Have a great weekend! TGIF Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/04/06

Dear Friends:

Most days are pretty much the same it seems lately. Paul continues to do well with his walking. He is up several times a day to transfer to the wheelchair or walk to the bathroom. His steps have become increasingly better. Although Dad still has to hold him he does a lot of the work himself and Dad is only there to balance and direct him. He seems to understand things more clearly as well. When you ask him questions he seems to have a definite answer for most everything. Especially if the answer is "no"! He is also using his right hand more and more. He picked up his water bottle on Tuesday night with his right hand and proceeded to drink it while holding it with that hand. After he took one drink he wasn't able to do it again and promptly switched hands ... but he was able to use it a little!! Tabby has been catching up on some organizing of the house. The baby's clothes are sorted by age and item. Now she can find more of the cute clothes that Max has! Max is very cute and enjoys playing with his mobiles and the toys on the jumper chair that PapPaw (Carl) bought for him! He is such a happy baby and he is a joy for us all. Wednesday Tabby talked to Paul's neurologist. The blood test shows that the Trileptal level is good enough to begin lowering the Dilantin. Paul currently takes 400mg of Dilantin and the doctor wants to decrease it by 200mg starting right away. He is a bit concerned about the liver count that came back in the blood tests. Evidently Dilantin is processed by the liver and can cause damage in high doses. Hopefully that problem will go away with the elimination of Dilantin. Dad will be staying at Paul's house for the next two days (the first 48 hours after decreasing the medicine). This has become a regular procedure for Dad. Paul will be going to the dentist on Thursday. This will only be a consultation in preparation for the dental surgery he may have. Overall ... things in the Johnson household are going well. We thank God for so many blessings!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 10/02/06

Dear Friends:

Paul continues to improve every day. Saturday Tabby & Bobby were in charge while Dad & I took a restful weekend away in the mountains with Bill & Ronda. Paul was alert and ready to be up most of the day. He is doing better at standing up and transferring from the bed to the wheelchair. Tabby had to do this moving some of the time so it was good that Paul helps. Tabby's parents came to visit on Saturday for her birthday (which was actually Sunday). They had a good visit and had a big ham dinner together. Sunday Tabby took Paul to visit some friends in Warrenton. They had a BBQ on their deck. Paul enjoyed visiting with friends and was able to wheel himself all around the deck (which I understand is HUGE). He also stood up at the rail and held himself up to see over the side of the deck into the yard. Tabby said he stood there for several minutes!! The house is wheelchair accessible and it was easy for Paul to get around. Several of the folks there were willing to help Tabby when Paul needed to be moved. As soon as Max showed up someone grabbed him and they passed him all around most of the afternoon so Tabby got a chance to visit and relax. Once they got home Paul wanted to sit outside. Tabby opened a couple of birthday gifts while they sat on the swing. Dad had conferred with Paul and they decided to get Tabby the "Alf" series on DVD. Dad also bought a present from us that Tabby had said she wanted. Paul was also going to send flowers but it was Sunday and Dad didn't get them ordered for Paul (they came on Monday instead!!) Dad brought roses in on Monday morning and handed them to Paul so he could give them to Tabby himself. When she came in the room ... he held them out for her! This is something that he did a lot prior to the accident! Monday night we all went out for dinner to celebrate Tabby's birthday since we couldn't go on Sunday. Carolyn and Alysa came also. We all met at the Cracker Barrell and had a very nice dinner. Paul was very alert today but Dad thought he seemed a bit sad. We still haven't heard back from the neurologist about the blood test last week. Tabby may try to call him on Tuesday. Later this week Paul goes to the Dentist to consult about the dental surgery that needs to be done on his gums. This will be laser surgery to cut away the gums that have grown over his teeth (the side effect of Dilantin). It will also be sedation dental work so the dentist wants to see Paul before agreeing to do the surgery. Hopefully we will be able to start decreasing the Dilantin soon and this side effect will go away! We are thankful that Paul has had so much progress lately. Thanks as always for your continued prayers and support!

Love, Lynne & Carl