Day 39 & 40, Sunday and Monday

Sunday was very relaxing, for Joanie. We worked on a few exercises, watered outdoor plants, and walked a little bit. We continue to push using the left hand and are seeing some progress. Now when she's drying her hands in the bathroom, she can reach up with her left hand to the hanging towel to dry it off. This is a big stretch for her. Her left shoulder continues to hurt because she's not able to use the arm enough. It tends to just hang. We have exercises that will strengthen it and we try to support the arm when she's sitting.

I had an interesting experience today. For the past two weeks, I've selected the clothes Joanie's going to wear. She's given me only a limited amount of input. Yesterday, I did the same thing and she would have none of my choices! I was annoyed and so had her go to her closet to select her own clothes. It takes way more time and I was impatient. After having my patience stretched it finally hit me that it is a good thing for Joanie to be engaged. It means that she's involved and taking more control. I see some trying times ahead as I practice patience and she regains more self determination.

Meanwhile, Troy and his girlfriend, Chelsey, have spent the afternoon gold panning. Chelsey was expecting to pan enough gold to pay off her student loans.

Today, Scott, the PT, was here bright and early. Among other tasks he had her carry a small cup of water in the kitchen, using only her left hand. Even opening and closing the fingers is a difficult task. When she spilled a small amount on the deck, Scott commented that she was smart to not spill on the floor or he would have had her wiping it up from the floor. Joanie really relates to him and spends a lot of time laughing and commenting on the difficult tasks he has her do. He then proceeded to have her walk up and down the stairs off the deck twice. We then moved to the front yard where he directed her to walk on our path made of river rocks. He described it as a trip to Europe with cobblestones! She did amazing well. Joanie took a short nap after Scott left.

"The miracle, or the power, that elevates the few is to be found in their industry, application, and perseverance under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit."

Mark Twain