Joanie's email: joaniecarle "at" gmail.com
Well, we've now survived two weeks at home. Joanie is very appreciative of everything I try to do for her. She is beginning to do more things on her own as we try to figure out what she should do and what I should do for her. Sometimes, in the interest of time, I find that I'm doing things that she could do on her own. I have been following her everywhere she's walked for the past two weeks, but now I'm beginning to let her go around the house on her own. It makes for some interesting conversations when she asks if she can get up or do something and I'm wanting her to do it on her own. The irony is that we've been working so hard to make sure that I'm right with her when she gets up the past two weeks and now it's time to become more independent. Everyday is a learning experience.
Troy got up this morning and took a nice bike ride, on my bike, to explore some of the areas he used to run around in when he was just a kid here. He commented the other day how much time he'd spent outdoors. He said that he knew each gully, hill, ditch, creek, etc. in the entire neighborhood. He'd explored all over by foot or mountain bike. Today he was annoyed that some favorite riding areas have been fenced off--possibly because he used to ride them so much.
We just were outside on the front porch watching a very rare summer thunder story. The sound, smell, feel, and temperature drop were delightful.
"I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds."
2 Corinthians 7:4
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Day 37, Friday
We hustled today.
After raking in the yard for a little while in the morning, I got Joanie up and moving about 7:40. I made her get her oatmeal for breakfast and then she had to put her dishes away in the dishwasher. She finished up by wiping down the deck using both hands. As always, the goal is to encourage use of the left side. She then showered and got dressed and we left about 5 minutes late to drive down to her doctor appointment at 10:00. She walked into the office using just her cane! Russ H, her internist, was impressed with her progress. He last say her about 3 weeks ago and couldn't believe her speech progress. He had her walk around the examining room and was delighted with that. He's trying a variety of thing to stop her cough, which has been with her for the past month. He's ordered outpatient PT, OT, & ST beginning next Wednesday. Joanie has really connected with her visiting therapists and would like to take them with her to outpatient therapy!
On the way home I could see we weren't going to have time to make lunch so we swooped by Taco Bell drive-through and grabbed a couple of bean burritos. We finished eating and still had dishes on the table when Sandy, the OT, arrived. She also gave Joanie a good workout and left numerous tasks for us to work on. Sandy had very nicely postponed her usual Thursday visit because she already had her other two therapies scheduled.
We finally were able to catch our breath about 2:30 PM. Joanie took a short nap and when Troy returned from some errands we did some housecleaning.
Friday evening was a very relaxing family time as we all tried to stay awake until at least 9:00 PM!
"The body is an instrument, the mind its function, the witness and reward of its operation."
George Santayana
After raking in the yard for a little while in the morning, I got Joanie up and moving about 7:40. I made her get her oatmeal for breakfast and then she had to put her dishes away in the dishwasher. She finished up by wiping down the deck using both hands. As always, the goal is to encourage use of the left side. She then showered and got dressed and we left about 5 minutes late to drive down to her doctor appointment at 10:00. She walked into the office using just her cane! Russ H, her internist, was impressed with her progress. He last say her about 3 weeks ago and couldn't believe her speech progress. He had her walk around the examining room and was delighted with that. He's trying a variety of thing to stop her cough, which has been with her for the past month. He's ordered outpatient PT, OT, & ST beginning next Wednesday. Joanie has really connected with her visiting therapists and would like to take them with her to outpatient therapy!
On the way home I could see we weren't going to have time to make lunch so we swooped by Taco Bell drive-through and grabbed a couple of bean burritos. We finished eating and still had dishes on the table when Sandy, the OT, arrived. She also gave Joanie a good workout and left numerous tasks for us to work on. Sandy had very nicely postponed her usual Thursday visit because she already had her other two therapies scheduled.
We finally were able to catch our breath about 2:30 PM. Joanie took a short nap and when Troy returned from some errands we did some housecleaning.
Friday evening was a very relaxing family time as we all tried to stay awake until at least 9:00 PM!
"The body is an instrument, the mind its function, the witness and reward of its operation."
George Santayana
Day 36, Thursday
Scott, the PT, gave Joanie a series of physical tests involving strength and balance. She has improved in all areas during the two weeks she's been home. He's delighted. He also took her outside for a walk on the street--without even using her cane. She was slow but steady. While I was outside watching them walk, I was talking on the phone to Bob C, another teacher at MLAJA. Across the street I spied a tortoise on our neighbors walkway. I finished talking to Bob and called the neighbor. Frank is quite deaf and so when I asked about "his" tortoise, he had no idea what I was talking about. We finally communicated enough for him to come outside and check it out. He has no idea where it came from. A few minutes later Earlene, Bob's wife, called to ask if she could have it if nobody owned it. I said sure. Her granddaughter was frustrated at the tortoise and kept knocking on the shell and saying "Come out, come out!" because there was no head or legs visible. The tortoise has a new home in Jamestown where it will be warmer in the winter.
After Robin, the ST, left, Joanie opened about 4 more cards from Kathy K. Kathy has sent perhaps 20 cards. Each one also contains a photo of something from or near her apartment in San Francisco. We look forward to them and Joanie reads them with great interest.
"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles."
Psalm 34:17
After Robin, the ST, left, Joanie opened about 4 more cards from Kathy K. Kathy has sent perhaps 20 cards. Each one also contains a photo of something from or near her apartment in San Francisco. We look forward to them and Joanie reads them with great interest.
"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles."
Psalm 34:17
Day 35, Wednesday
Troy arrived here this morning, after driving up from Loma Linda with his girlfriend, Chelsey. Chelsey is moving up to the Auburn area so the two of them spent several days getting her moved out of her house in Loma Linda. She just graduated with her MA in Speech Therapy.
We are so enjoying having Troy home for a few days that the blog has taken on a lesser importance.
Wednesday, Joanie managed to stay busy after Scott left. She always needs a nap! In the afternoon, we went down to Sonora to the anti-coag clinic to see if she needed to increase/decrease her Coumadin. No changes, so they have the dosage just right. We then went to an appointment with Jim C, her cardiologist. He said she's doing just fine but will need to stay on Coumadin the rest of her life.
"Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble."
Carl Jung
We are so enjoying having Troy home for a few days that the blog has taken on a lesser importance.
Wednesday, Joanie managed to stay busy after Scott left. She always needs a nap! In the afternoon, we went down to Sonora to the anti-coag clinic to see if she needed to increase/decrease her Coumadin. No changes, so they have the dosage just right. We then went to an appointment with Jim C, her cardiologist. He said she's doing just fine but will need to stay on Coumadin the rest of her life.
"Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble."
Carl Jung
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Day 33-34
We continue to be impressed with how great Joanie's therapists are. Scott, the PT, comes to the house and finds practical things to have her do. Today, Wednesday, he had her putting some dishes in the dishwasher and putting come canned foods in the pantry. He has a great personality and Joanie really responds to him. He even had her going down the stairs from the back deck to the yard. She was very nervous but he was right with her and she did great.
Yesterday Robin, her ST, came by and did some mouth, lip, and cheek exercises with her. Sandy, the OT, was also here giving suggestions to improve her left shoulder, arm, and hand movement. Joanie finds them difficult but continues to make small improvements.
With therapist approval, Joanie & I made a short run to the market. It is the only time she's been in the car since coming home a week and half ago from Transitional Care Unit. She sat in her wheel chair and used her feet to propel herself around. We needed to try it out since we're down to the Cardiologist this afternoon.
Teri D just called to say that she had two voice mails from Joanie about three weeks apart. The most recent one, form last Saturday evening, sounds just like Joanie. The voice mail from three weeks earlier shows the great progress she's made. We're exploring ways to record that and listen to. Joanie does not enjoy talking on the phone and still feels that she doesn't "talk right". When she hears this, she will be amazed.
Romans 15:4
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Yesterday Robin, her ST, came by and did some mouth, lip, and cheek exercises with her. Sandy, the OT, was also here giving suggestions to improve her left shoulder, arm, and hand movement. Joanie finds them difficult but continues to make small improvements.
With therapist approval, Joanie & I made a short run to the market. It is the only time she's been in the car since coming home a week and half ago from Transitional Care Unit. She sat in her wheel chair and used her feet to propel herself around. We needed to try it out since we're down to the Cardiologist this afternoon.
Teri D just called to say that she had two voice mails from Joanie about three weeks apart. The most recent one, form last Saturday evening, sounds just like Joanie. The voice mail from three weeks earlier shows the great progress she's made. We're exploring ways to record that and listen to. Joanie does not enjoy talking on the phone and still feels that she doesn't "talk right". When she hears this, she will be amazed.
Romans 15:4
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Day 32
We were ready for Scot, Joanie's PT, when he arrived at 8:00. What Joanie was not ready for was the great workout he gave her. After some quick assessments he asked if their was anything we thought he could help us with. With a negative response on our part, he asked us if we had had any problems. Joanie wished he'd never asked that! I mentioned that last week Joanie had been talking to Brenda and not paying real close attention to what she was doing when she started to sit on a footstool and slipped to the floor. We'd had a difficult, but successful time, getting back onto the sofa. Scot had Joanie practice three times getting up from a prone position on the floor. I got to watch the procedure that is essential to know, but wears her out. The next exercise was to stand at the kitchen deck and touch it with her "vacationing" hand (the left) while she traces the digits 1-10 on the floor with each leg in succession. Then she balances on each leg. Improving balance is an important part of regaining independence. The last task was for Joanie to use her cane and walk up our sidewalk to the street. She walked to the edge of our property in both directions. When she returned, he took the cane away and she walked without it. She did great but after he left, she took a nap for an hour or so!
While the nurse was hear later, Russ (Joanie's doctor) called to check on her blood pressure and made a slight change in medication to bring it down. The nurse also brought her a spirometer to encourage deeper breathing. She still has a cough.
Later in the day we practiced all the exercises Scot had had us do in the morning. We also went outside unto the deck so Joanie could water the plants. Some have been very neglected and were looking very droopy. No deer can get to them, but we have at least one squirrel who enjoys digging up many of the most recently planted flowers!
We're looking forward to Troy coming to see us in the next few days. He went to Loma Linda to be with his girlfriend, Chelsey, when she graduated from Speech Therapy on Sunday. He will be helping her move up to the Seattle area where she has new job.
"Nobody has things just as he would like them. The thing to do is to make a success with what material I have. It is a sheer waste of time and soulpower to imagine what I would do if things were different. They are not different."
Dr. Frank Crane
While the nurse was hear later, Russ (Joanie's doctor) called to check on her blood pressure and made a slight change in medication to bring it down. The nurse also brought her a spirometer to encourage deeper breathing. She still has a cough.
Later in the day we practiced all the exercises Scot had had us do in the morning. We also went outside unto the deck so Joanie could water the plants. Some have been very neglected and were looking very droopy. No deer can get to them, but we have at least one squirrel who enjoys digging up many of the most recently planted flowers!
We're looking forward to Troy coming to see us in the next few days. He went to Loma Linda to be with his girlfriend, Chelsey, when she graduated from Speech Therapy on Sunday. He will be helping her move up to the Seattle area where she has new job.
"Nobody has things just as he would like them. The thing to do is to make a success with what material I have. It is a sheer waste of time and soulpower to imagine what I would do if things were different. They are not different."
Dr. Frank Crane
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Day 28-30
I'm in a recliner with a laptop on my lap. The cat is on my lap between the computer and me. She has her head and right paw resting on my right arm. I move around quite a bit but she refuses to be disturbed.
Today we started our raking project. Actually, I started the project. Normally Joanie rakes and I haul oak leaves to a trailer. We fill up the trailer 2-3 times and haul them away. It is a nuisance to remove them but the fire hazard requires that they be removed. Now, she sits on the front porch and supervises. She said she was exhausted when I was done because she remembers what it is like! Joanie will be able to "supervise" many little projects around the house as I work on things that I can do and still have her near.
Sabbath was a very restful day. We sat around and talked, watched a little 3ABN TV (an Adventist network) with a great series on early Christians, and had visitors. Kathy and Elaine K were here for about 45 minutes. Elaine is Troy's "other grandmother" and Kathy considers Troy her nephew & Joanie her sister-in-law. While they are no relation, they are "family". They've been trying to get up here for several weeks. At one point they wanted to come and clean house, but I put them off. I might have been offended when they commented that guys don't really know how to clean! (OK, not really offended) Teri (of "let's finish off Joanie's paperwork and room fame") and Gary came by on their way home from a hike. They stayed about 20 minutes. Gary had to shake Joanie's left hand as he did most days when she was in the Transitional Care Unit. He's a PT and would stop during his lunch break and chat for 5 minutes.
Friday, Joanie had no therapy but had a visit from her nurse. The nurse comes to draw blood as they continually monitor her INR level. They then call to change her Coumadin levels. I finally got all my tasks completed at school and got home about 7:30 PM Friday evening. I'm glad to be checked out.
Thursday, Joanie had visits from her PT. Under Scot's direction, Joanie continued to work hard. She also had visits from her OT, and Speech Therapy. She took naps between visits in order to keep up her energy. I worked at school trying to complete my tasks to get checked out. Thanks to Brenda, Joanie's sister, I spent most of the day gone. It came to me that I needed run as many errands as I could before I Brenda left. All the tasks that I've been putting off, I have tried to complete. Meanwhile, Teri & Kathy, have been working in Joanie's classroom again and got her all checked out. They've also gone through the room and arranged and cleaned the room. Joanie is overwhelmed with gratitude for all the hours those two have spent in her room. Their help has allowed Joanie to concentrate on her therapy and not worry about school. Kathy told me that when she was substituting in Joanie's room the last couple of weeks, the kids would run laps. Sometimes Jason, or other students, would shout, "let's run one more lap for Mrs. Carle!"
Friday, I removed this quote from Joanie's classroom where she and her students had been memorizing it each monring.
Isaiah 41:10 (New Century Version)
So don't worry, because I am with you.
Don't be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you;
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.
Today we started our raking project. Actually, I started the project. Normally Joanie rakes and I haul oak leaves to a trailer. We fill up the trailer 2-3 times and haul them away. It is a nuisance to remove them but the fire hazard requires that they be removed. Now, she sits on the front porch and supervises. She said she was exhausted when I was done because she remembers what it is like! Joanie will be able to "supervise" many little projects around the house as I work on things that I can do and still have her near.
Sabbath was a very restful day. We sat around and talked, watched a little 3ABN TV (an Adventist network) with a great series on early Christians, and had visitors. Kathy and Elaine K were here for about 45 minutes. Elaine is Troy's "other grandmother" and Kathy considers Troy her nephew & Joanie her sister-in-law. While they are no relation, they are "family". They've been trying to get up here for several weeks. At one point they wanted to come and clean house, but I put them off. I might have been offended when they commented that guys don't really know how to clean! (OK, not really offended) Teri (of "let's finish off Joanie's paperwork and room fame") and Gary came by on their way home from a hike. They stayed about 20 minutes. Gary had to shake Joanie's left hand as he did most days when she was in the Transitional Care Unit. He's a PT and would stop during his lunch break and chat for 5 minutes.
Friday, Joanie had no therapy but had a visit from her nurse. The nurse comes to draw blood as they continually monitor her INR level. They then call to change her Coumadin levels. I finally got all my tasks completed at school and got home about 7:30 PM Friday evening. I'm glad to be checked out.
Thursday, Joanie had visits from her PT. Under Scot's direction, Joanie continued to work hard. She also had visits from her OT, and Speech Therapy. She took naps between visits in order to keep up her energy. I worked at school trying to complete my tasks to get checked out. Thanks to Brenda, Joanie's sister, I spent most of the day gone. It came to me that I needed run as many errands as I could before I Brenda left. All the tasks that I've been putting off, I have tried to complete. Meanwhile, Teri & Kathy, have been working in Joanie's classroom again and got her all checked out. They've also gone through the room and arranged and cleaned the room. Joanie is overwhelmed with gratitude for all the hours those two have spent in her room. Their help has allowed Joanie to concentrate on her therapy and not worry about school. Kathy told me that when she was substituting in Joanie's room the last couple of weeks, the kids would run laps. Sometimes Jason, or other students, would shout, "let's run one more lap for Mrs. Carle!"
Friday, I removed this quote from Joanie's classroom where she and her students had been memorizing it each monring.
Isaiah 41:10 (New Century Version)
So don't worry, because I am with you.
Don't be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you;
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.
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