Week of July 20 to 26

**Updated Sabbath afternoon

Sunday, Joanie spent a good amount of time doing exercises from her three therapists. We started the day by taking a walk down at the lake and kept busy for the rest of the day. Monday she has four appointments in Sonora, beginning at 8:00 AM and not finishing till about 4:00. I'd imagine we'll find ourselves at the library so Joanie can take a short nap.

Monday dawned an hour before I wanted it to. I awakened Joanie at 6:00 so she could eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, and allow us to leave by 7:30. Until yesterday we'd not had an appointment in Sonora before 9:15--and we always were scrambling to get there on time. We arrived at the doctors office just before 8:00 AM. Joanie's test today confirmed that she has no neurological problems with her eyes! We're so thankful! We just made it to her next appointment to check her Coumadin level. From there we drove to see Russ H, her internist. He spent plenty of time with us and made minor changes to her drugs and answered several questions we had. At this point I expected things to slow down before the next appointment in three hours. I was wrong. We went by a tire store to have a slow leak repaired in one of our tires. Then it was off to get some lunch, which proved to be the only relaxing part of the day. We stopped by school for a few minutes so I could make a couple calls and send an email. All thoughts of taking a rest at the library were dismissed as we then drove to Joanie's OT appointment so Kristin could work on strengthening Joanie's shoulder and arm muscles and push the limits of her range of motion. She had to ice her hand while she worked with Talitha, her speech therapist during her last therapy of the day. By know it was 4:00 and she requested that we drive straight home for a much needed rest. It is fortunate that Sunday was restful, other than the time spent in exercising.

Tuesday was a rest day for Joanie after Monday's three-ring circus. Our Siamese cat, Sophie, loves these days. She can find a lap for a nap. Joanie took it easy, did her home exercises, and tried to live with the pain. As usual, she slept fitfully until about 4:00 AM, at which point she got up and moved to the recliner to finish the night.

Wednesday, she had all three therapies. Talitha, the speech therapist, is always chagrined when she sees Joanie after PT and OT. Like most other patients, Joanie is so physically exhausted that she wasn't able do her best. Today was unusual because she had only one hour between her two therapies in the morning and a neurological support group we chose to attend in the early afternoon. We had to eat in the hospital cafeteria. The food was great but Joanie still prefers a more private place to eat and rest. The support group meeting was interesting, but mostly served to remind us that there is always someone who has a more difficult time with life!

Thursday, Joanie had speech before the other two. They were all scheduled for the afternoon, with no breaks between them. Talitha (speech) commented that Joanie was beginning to talk with more expression. That is something they've been working on for the past month. Kristin (Occupational) was pleased that she was able to move Joanie's arm farther before reaching the point of too much pain. Diane (Physical) mentioned that Joanie continued to make progress with walking. Her gait is improving and after practicing walking backward on the treadmill, she can now also walk backward on the floor which she hasn't been able to do in the past. Great news from all three therapists!

I continue to be amazed at the things we take for granted and how much work it takes to regain them once they're lost. Joanie remains positive and continues to take an increasingly active part in daily functions in the home. We're getting ready for me to return to work in about two weeks. We're beginning to talk about and plan for the things that need to be "set up" so Joanie can function at home, alone.

**Updated

Friday we were able to stay home and Joanie relaxed after two challenging days of therapy.

Brenda arrived Sabbath afternoon and the sisters are catching up on the past few weeks. She is impressed at Joanie's progress. Today, Joanie walked out to the driveway to greet her. When Brenda was last here in early June, Joanie wasn't walking outside at all. It is nice to get this perspective from Brenda who spent a week with her six weeks ago. Brenda also brought food--an entire cooler of individually wrapped frozen entries for us to enjoy. When she was here last time, she spent hours every day cooking. This time, she did the cooking at home and brought the food frozen. The girls anticipate some relaxing times together, between therapy appointments. I'm flying up to Seattle on Sunday to spend the next week with our son, Troy. It was Brenda's idea to take another week of vacation, come up here, and led me go away for the week. Brenda is just thoughtful like that!

As always, thank you for your prayers and concerns. Your support means so much to us!

"O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."
Isaiah 33:2