Paul's Update - 03/09/08

Dear Friends:

Another busy week has gone by and Paul is doing quite well. On Friday the 29th Dad started Paul on the new medicine that the Physiatrist prescribed. This is supposed to help loosen the muscles in his legs and allow him to walk a bit better. That day was quiet for the most part. Since there are no therapies on Friday, Dad, Paul & Dora stayed home. That evening we went out with Bill, Ronda and two of their kids. We went to Centreville for Chinese food. We haven’t done that for a while!

Saturday morning Mayah showed up on time (well almost … about 7:10am). Carolyn brought Chris & Alysa over while she went to her dance class. We always enjoy having our grandchildren! We went to Warrenton that afternoon and Paul did fine. Dad gave him some Dramamine before we left … just in case. We rode in Carolyn’s van, that way most of us can ride together. This was the first time that Mayah had actually made it all the way to the Mexican Restaurant … I think he enjoyed it. We got home pretty early and spent the evening at home. Mayah stayed late to make up for some of the time he took off.

Sunday morning we went to breakfast as usual. Mayah didn’t join us so he could go to his own church. They were installing the new choir that day and he wanted to be there. Bill & Ronda only had Lew because his baby sister was sick the night before. Max didn’t come, he had a birthday party to go to that day. It made for a pretty quiet day. Paul was VERY tired and not walking well. The medicine that Dad started on Friday was having a negative effect on him that was visibly noticeable. Dad had to stay right with him and make sure he didn’t lose his balance and fall. Paul decided to go and lay down in his bed about 3pm. He actually took a NAP! He doesn’t usually do that … in fact … he almost never does that! He stayed in his bed for quite a while and watched some TV back there. I went in and watched with him … and I actually got a little nap too!! The decision was made to discontinue the medicine that evening.

Monday was the first day of my 30 day leave from the Park Authority. Every year I am required to have a 30 day break in service that occurs in March. Paul had a doctor appointment that afternoon to see the Neurologist. Mostly we were concerned about Paul’s frequent nausea. It was time to do a follow-up with the neurologist anyway. When the doctor asked Paul to do things he would hesitate a bit (which is not unusual) and then he would do what he was asked to do. He did good when the doctor was listening to his chest and back. Paul had to take deep breaths in and out and he did them on cue! Paul had been sitting in the chair next to the doctor’s desk so Dr. Levinstone asked him to get up on the examining table. Paul got up on it all by himself!! It was quite impressive. The doctor was very surprised that he was able to do that! There didn’t seem to be anything obviously wrong with Paul. The doctor checked the shunt tube and said it was “soft” which is good. He said that if the shunt was failing Paul would be much sicker … and all the time not just occasionally. He decided to check Paul’s med levels as a precaution. He also said it would be best to stop giving Paul the new medicine because it was just trading “muscle tone for weakness in his muscles” and would not really give us the results we were hoping for!! We agreed!!! Paul really doesn’t have enough tightness or “tone” to worry about. So, we headed off to the lab after we finished at Dr. Levinstone’s office. We got to the lab just in time … they close at 4pm … and it was 3:55pm!!

Tuesday was therapy day. I was able to go with them. Paul’s therapy was at 1:30pm. He started with Physical Therapy. He was not very cooperative with the therapist. She started by having him practice sitting and standing from the exercise table. Since the medicine was still affecting him, his form was terrible. She tried to get him to do some stomach crunches and was able to finally get 10 out of him … but it took a while. Leg lifts were even harder to get him to do. He just seemed very weak. They did some walking in the hallway and he did OK but he still wasn’t as cooperative as usual. After PT we met with the occupational therapist. She had him do the clothes pins on a vertical bar. They are different colors and tightness and some are way above his head. He was able to get them off and back onto the bar without any real trouble … including the ones above his head. He seemed to have a bit of trouble picking out the colors she asked him to pick however. Then she had him stand and put different size and weight objects on top of the cabinet against the wall. He had to reach just above his head to achieve that. He did really well and was very careful as he reached up there … he put two soda bottles up there with liquid in them and they did not fall over!!

Wednesday morning Aunt Shirley came by. Paul was beginning to feel better. Apparently the medicine was mostly out of his system by then. Shirley and I went out shopping for a bit. Dad & I had an appointment that afternoon with Paul’s attorney. Paul stayed with Dora for about an hour. Paul does really well for Dora. It is so nice that she can handle him by herself. Ronda & I went out shopping later in the afternoon to get a bridal gift for Jen. We went out to dinner with Bill & Ronda that evening since Bill was home early. We went to Logan’s and Paul had the Teriyaki Chicken. After we got home I asked Paul if he liked his dinner and he said “no”. Dad asked him if he would have rather had fish and he said “no”. Then Dad asked would you rather have had steak? Paul emphatically shook his head “YES”. LOL … he didn’t give him that choice when we were at the restaurant … so next time that is going to be one of the options!!

Thursday Dad, Paul & Dora went to therapy. I stayed home and watched Chris for Carolyn so she could paint Alysa’s room. It is lots easier to paint WITHOUT the baby!! They didn’t get back from therapy until after 12:30pm. They only had PT because the OT had a sickness in the family. Dad said that Paul did much better. He had to walk down the hallway with his cane while the therapist timed him. It took about 4 minutes for Paul to go about 200ft down and 200ft back. She was happy to see that Paul was walking better too! Thursday is bible study night and Ronda brought dinner. Paul enjoyed his dinner … so did we!!

Friday Dad was heading out to go to Richmond for a Brain Injury Conference that the Brain Injury Association of Virginia was sponsoring. This is the first time he has done anything like that … AND the first time since Paul has come to live with us that Dad has been away from Paul overnight. Dora and I took care of Paul for the afternoon so Carl could leave after lunch and beat the afternoon rush hour traffic on I95. Billy (Carolyn’s husband) came over and was planning to spend the night so he could help with Paul. Dad had called the nursing agency earlier in the week and told them we didn’t need a nurse for the weekend since we are all home on the weekend … that meant that we weren’t going to have a nurse while Dad was away for the conference. We (Billy, Paul & I) went out for dinner with the Davis’s. Carolyn and the kids joined us too. We went to Applebees and had a wonderful dinner. Paul got to have a Ribeye Steak and a baked potato. He ate about ¾ of it … mostly by himself (we usually have to help a bit!). After we got home Billy, Paul and I watched TV until about 11:30pm. Paul seems a bit shy around Billy … but I think it was just because it was something new!

Saturday morning was quiet for the most part. Once Paul was up and dressed Billy got him to the living room and we got him breakfast. We spent the morning watching the Science channel on TV. It was pretty interesting. Billy had an appointment to get a new stereo put into his car so Bill, Ronda and I took Paul to El Agave while he did that. Paul did real well and enjoyed lunch a whole bunch. He had chicken sticks, cheese sticks and French fries. He used his fork and at the whole plate of food by himself. Dad got home from the conference about 5:30pm. He met lots of people there that were either suffering from Brain Injury or had family with TBI. I think he learned more from the folks attending the conference than he did from the speakers! It was a good experience and he may go to another conference in June that we already have some information about. Ronda and I went out for a bit in the evening to get out nails done and the rest of the evening was quiet.

Sunday we went to breakfast & church as usual. After church Ronda & I went to Jen’s bridal shower. Bobby & Jen’s wedding is just a little under a month away!! Paul stayed home with Dad. It was a quiet afternoon. Once we got home Dad loaded our car and we headed out to go to South Carolina and visit with my mother and sister. We are staying in a hotel for the night and will arrive in Conway SC on Monday morning. Paul is travelling well and we are looking forward to a little vacation time!

Have a great week, Lynne & Carl

P.S. Please add a young man named Todd to your prayers today. He is a 25 year old who suffered a brain injury in a Rugby accident last week. His condition is very serious!