Day 8

Progress continues to be made in Sonora. Tonight, when I returned to see Joanie after spending the afternoon looking for the floor of our house, I discovered Joanie on the phone talking to our son, Troy. Before speaking with him, she'd been on the phone with her sister and mother. As a matter of fact, the staff told me that Joanie was getting too many calls and it had been interfering with her supper. They've also placed a sign near her door requesting visitors to check in at the desk. They continue to turn people away so that she can have a break between therapy sessions. While that doesn't seem all that friendly, she needs that protection.

I was able to bribe her into finishing her tomato soup tonight by offering to take her outside to smell the rain. It took a long time but we made it and she enjoyed the sensation. It's the first rain we've had in a long time. Her food continues to be pureed and unrecognizable. They want to make sure she can swallow adequately. After much thought, Joanie had decided that there is real value in pureed food--it's a money saver. You don't need to purchase and use floss.

Speaking of smells...Joanie loves flowers and has thoroughly enjoyed the arrangements she's received BUT she is finding the blend of scents overpowering. If you'd thought of sending her flowers, now is not a good time.

Joanie's latest trick is to be able to move her thumb and first two fingers on her left hand--just a tiny bit! I'm jazzed and continue to expect more progress. Joanie is working hard at all her therapy exercises and tells me that she and the other the patients really like Jim Nord, her PT.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. The body is an amazing thing.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalms 139:14

Day 7

When I visited Joanie this morning she indicated that she'd had a pretty good night. The staff said she'd had a very good night. I brought her clothes from home because they are starting her therapy today and they need her up, dressed and on a schedule. The occupational therapist was already beginning to help her get dressed and eat breakfast. I'm impressed that at 8:00 AM they'd changed her bed and had her busy getting about her day.

The New Digs

Joanie is settling in to her new room tonight. It's a large room--at one time it had three beds but now houses only two. The other bed is empty at this time. She has had several visitors, so many in fact that the nurses began trying to limit visitors because she was getting tired. I was in her room watching her eat with many words of encouragement thinking how our roles have reversed. Several years ago, it was Joanie watching me stare at my food after my BMT. She was trying everything to get me to eat! After helping her continue to take bites of pureed food, she finally said in her new monotone voice, "Meal time should be a pleasant time. It is good for the digestion!" After she finished eating I left to grade more papers. When I returned at about 8:00 PM her door was closed. The nurse said she was exhausted and had fallen asleep.

Day 6, The Move

Joanie has been moved from the hospital to the Transitional Care Unit. While part of the hospital, it is on another campus located within a 1/4 mile of where Joanie & I teach. I saw her stand up, with help, and walk with the aid of a one-handed walker, to a wheel chair. She's exhausted but ready to begin her therapy. She will likely be here for the next two weeks or so. God is good!

Wednesday, Day 6, 9:41 PDT

Joanie had a restless night and managed to dislodge her IV but they are preparing right now to move her to the rehab unit. They hope to move her around noon today. She's jazzed. I just had a full report from the third member of the "fun bunnies". Beth (the reporter), Julie, and Carole (the hair washers) had girls in Joanie's classroom 8-9 years ago and had so much fun together that Joanie gave them that nickname. I'm hearing that the rehab unit is a great place to be so we're anxious to experience the change. Joanie is gearing up for some hard work! Earlene (wife of a fellow teacher, Bob) sent me lunch with her husband so I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. Friends are amazing and wonderful creatures. It reminds me of the many prayers and support when I was having my Bone Marrow Transplant.

Tuesday, Day 5, 21:32 PDT

I'm trying desperately to stay alert long enough to write a few sentences. Joanie & I have shed more than a few tears (actually quite a few) as we've been touched by the outpouring of love of friends in the form of cards, flowers, emails, and prayers--especially prayers! I've heard of offers to give Joanie a neck & back rub (she's looking forward to that), from people willing to sit with her, and several requests from friends to come and visit her (that's coming soon). Several friends have offered to go shopping or cooking for me. Another insisted on making me lunches this week! It's wonderful beyond belief.

Joanie continues to improve slowly. Tonight when her neurologist was examining her, she was able to raise her left arm just slightly. I was amazed! She seems to move her left leg and ankle fairly well, although standing and walking a few steps remains a challenge. Her speech is much more clear although she speaks in a monotone! I was even able to feed her some food tonight--her first since lunch Friday. She says some truly humorous things and I'm often laughing out loud. She's beginning to sound like my brother, Galen.

Joanie is very sensitive about how she sounds but tonight I had her talk on the phone to her sister and 91 year old mother in Loma Linda. She also talked to our son, Troy, in Auburn, WA. It was great and we all survived.

She has been evaluated by the rehab director and she may be moved over there in the next day or two. I'm hearing that she may spend about two weeks there. We'll miss being at the hospital where the physicians, nurses, and aides have been wonderful but we hear the rehab clinic is great.

Joanie enjoyed having her hair washed tonight by those same two friends from last night. They each had a plan as to how the task should be accomplished and had been bringing what they needed throughout the day. Joanie loved all the attention.

Tuesday, 09:15 PDT

I saw Joanie this morning and she had a restful night. Her nurse said she was being a great patient, something I've heard several times. I spoke with her doctor and he said they found no evidence of a blood clot in her heart from yesterday's TEE. The MRI also gave them little new information. They believe the stroke to be embolic; a clot originating from the heart and so her neurologist is placing her on Coumadin. She still has a headache that they anticipate will abate as the swelling goes down. She is to be evaluated by the rehab specialist with the possibility of moving her to the rehab unit soon. That would be nice as the unit is closer to school!

Monday 22:08 PDT

I was at the hospital this evening waiting for Joanie to return from her latest test--a TEE. This test is to given to provide a closer view of the heart from inside the esophagus. I believe they are looking for blood clots. When Joanie returned, somewhat sedated from the test, I asked her how the ride was. She said, "It was a very bumpy ride--much like the roads of Tuolumne County!" I had a good laugh over that comment. A few minutes later two mothers of former students of Joanie (and mothers of current students of mine) showed up with a "plan". They proceeded to wash Joanie's hands and face. They then washed and massaged her back with body cream. I was forced to back out of the way as these two attended to Joanie. When they finished helping her brush her teeth, they retreated. I'm hoping to be somewhere else when they descend tomorrow to wash her hair! Joanie, by the way, loved it. My reward tonight was when she gave me the best smile I've had since Friday.

Thank you for your prayers. They mean so much to both of us!

Monday, 17:00 PDT

Based on today's MRI it appears that the medium-sized infarct was in the right middle cerebral distribution (frontal/parietal region) over the sylvian fissure. There was no bleed and it looks like it previously appeared on the CT.

Joanie has also begun speech therapy involving her tongue. They want to make sure she can swallow properly. She still needs her rest and I'm concerned that too many people will feel they should "drop by".

Monday, 12:00 PDT

In speaking to her nurse this morning, she felt Joanie's smile was better and she felt a twinge of movement in her left hand. Joanie has been moved to the med-surgery ward. She's still not up to visitors because speaking is so fatiguing. Much of the time she still spends sleeping. She had some PT this morning. They had her sit up & stand for a few moments. Currently she's out for her MRI/MRA. They have scheduled a TEE for later this afternoon to check on the possiblilty of a blood clot in her heart.

Joanie's stroke

Pardon my incorrect spellings of medical terms. I've neither time nor inclination to look them all up.

Sunday, May 18
Today she has been much more alert. Her speech has been affected and she has lost feeling and control of her left arm. We have seen slight improvements in her condition today. I'm hoping the neurologist will call tonight after he examines her.

Saturday, May 17
Today she spent 95+% of her time sleeping. Conversations were brief and very fatiguing. They did Echo cardiogram of heart and saw no clots. Checked out carotid arteries but found no blockage. A second cat scan showed a blood clot (6.3 cm by 3.3 cm). They are calling it a "moderate" embolic stroke of the right frontal parietal.

Friday, May 16
Joanie had a stroke on Friday, May 16, as she was leaving school to run some errands. She had stopped to talk to a friend and as she walked away she realized something was wrong. She returned her friend Beth's car and sat down. Beth ran into my room and we returned to the car. We called 911 and asked for an ambulance. Joanie was in ER withing about 25 minutes of the first sign of trouble. In ER, they ordered a cat scan but found nothing. She was admitted to ICU.