Hello friends! I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus in writing...
Here's the latest as we hit the 10 week mark. Our life pretty much goes this way now...
Each week, Dan goes to a combination of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy sessions. He also has 2 "classes" a week - one a cognitive therapy class and the other a neuro psych group. He is being extremely cooperative and dedicated to his therapies.
A couple of weeks ago, he had a comprehensive neuro-psych evaluation in which he scored highly in certain areas (yay Dan!) but alarmingly low in others. His neuro doctor told him, after this eval, not to drive or work for some time yet. He wants to do another evaluation in February. So we're in it for quite some time yet. I am very content being the chauffeur, especially when I think about the alternative. And Dan is becoming adept at the bus system in Seattle, making his way to the hospital when I am working and our schedules don't align.
Physically, there is still pain in his rib areas. Soft tissue around the broken ribs will be a problem for a while. Also, there are new aches and pains popping up as he compensates, loses muscle tone, etc. So as one thing may start to feel better another becomes a problem. We are working to get answers and figure our way in, around and through the system to optimize Dan's time and therapy. It's complex and has not quite let up yet. But we are positive and optimistic and more than willing to do the work this will take to get Dan back to where he was before August 11. Dan very much wants to get his body back and be able to do what he used to do.
Work is picking up for me and I am getting busier by the day. This is typical for this time of year. I'm feeling quite weary but making sure to use the weekends to rest. Hanging in there until we can take a vacation in December! Meanwhile, looking for a little weekend retreat sometime soon...
It's been 10 weeks. 2+ months. 70 days. None of those numbers seem huge when I think what happened to Dan.
A couple of nights ago, I met a friend for a drink. She was about a half hour late so I ordered a beer and sat and waited, watching the sun go down and feeling the quiet, the stillness wrap itself around me. People were talking and laughing but not at my table.... I was alone and completely content to be so. I thought about Dan and how glad I was that he was just down the road on the boat. And I felt a wave of fatigue waft over me. It was almost a relief in a weird sort of way because it was so true, so uncomplicated, so lacking in any distractions. Just plain tired.
But we are resilient and determined.
Hope to see some or all of you very soon!
Love,
Irene
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
DAN GETS A PEDICURE!
I never thought I'd see this day.
Pedicures have always been the mysterious realm of the females in our family. Mysterious to Dan, that is. The girls and I occasionally treat ourselves to an hour of foot care, coming home with sparkly toes and soft skin from the knees down. Dan may or may not have understood what we did there, but he did understand that when we came back we were happy and relaxed and so he just accepted it.
Last week Dan mentioned that he is having trouble with one aspect of self-care. He can shave, he can shower, he can take care of most things. But his toes and feet are being neglected. "I can't trim my toenails because my ribs hurt too much to bend over," he said. Plus when he bends over in certain directions, he gets really dizzy and is in danger of falling.
SO. I suggested we go get a pedicure together. He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no. Our brother-in-law, Daniel, is from Brazil and it is common for men there to get manicures and pedicures. It is normal, manly, and just a part of their culture. And he is one of the manliest guys we know.
A few days later, he brought it up. "Let's do it," he said. So I made an appointment and, yesterday, at 3:00 we went to a nail salon in Ballard and sat side by side in the chairs while lovely ladies tended to us. We didn't read trashy magazines or talk about recipes. We just sat there in silence while the ladies trimmed, cleaned, massaged, scrubbed, even gave a hot stone treatment. I glanced over at Dan a few times and he was staring out the window in complete ecstasy.
Oddly enough, there were other guys in there. At one point, of the four chairs available, three were occupied by members of the male species. I was the only female. Weird. I guess our secret is out - pedicures rock.
Dan said not only did his feet feel clean and cared for but his numb right foot enjoyed the massage and circulation that no doubt occurred as a result.
Damn. I guess this is no longer just "me" time anymore. Ah well. When Dan started asking about J-lo and Mark, Jenn and Brad and Angie, and who the hell the Kardashians are, I was worried. But when he started asking about cut and colors and waxing I got downright scared.
Hmmmm.... ladies.... help me out here....
Pedicures have always been the mysterious realm of the females in our family. Mysterious to Dan, that is. The girls and I occasionally treat ourselves to an hour of foot care, coming home with sparkly toes and soft skin from the knees down. Dan may or may not have understood what we did there, but he did understand that when we came back we were happy and relaxed and so he just accepted it.
Last week Dan mentioned that he is having trouble with one aspect of self-care. He can shave, he can shower, he can take care of most things. But his toes and feet are being neglected. "I can't trim my toenails because my ribs hurt too much to bend over," he said. Plus when he bends over in certain directions, he gets really dizzy and is in danger of falling.
SO. I suggested we go get a pedicure together. He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no. Our brother-in-law, Daniel, is from Brazil and it is common for men there to get manicures and pedicures. It is normal, manly, and just a part of their culture. And he is one of the manliest guys we know.
A few days later, he brought it up. "Let's do it," he said. So I made an appointment and, yesterday, at 3:00 we went to a nail salon in Ballard and sat side by side in the chairs while lovely ladies tended to us. We didn't read trashy magazines or talk about recipes. We just sat there in silence while the ladies trimmed, cleaned, massaged, scrubbed, even gave a hot stone treatment. I glanced over at Dan a few times and he was staring out the window in complete ecstasy.
Oddly enough, there were other guys in there. At one point, of the four chairs available, three were occupied by members of the male species. I was the only female. Weird. I guess our secret is out - pedicures rock.
Dan said not only did his feet feel clean and cared for but his numb right foot enjoyed the massage and circulation that no doubt occurred as a result.
Damn. I guess this is no longer just "me" time anymore. Ah well. When Dan started asking about J-lo and Mark, Jenn and Brad and Angie, and who the hell the Kardashians are, I was worried. But when he started asking about cut and colors and waxing I got downright scared.
Hmmmm.... ladies.... help me out here....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)