Busy Days!

Here I am again.  Sorry it took me so long.

Things are going well. Bobby continues to have Home Care courtesy of Medicare! He has Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy three times a week each, plus a nurse that comes to check on him every so often, plus an aid that comes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to bathe him, so that I have a little break on these days.  He has speech group on Wednesdays.
On the days that he does not have one of the therapies, I work with him on that modality.

He is still very dedicated to his work, and he is getting stronger on his right leg.  He walks better, and even though he still needs to be followed he needs much less help then before.  He even started to use a regular cane inside the house.  Whenever we go to a doctor, he uses the walker to walk from the parking lot to the office. The wheel chair in the house became his exercise chair, where he has to practice moving back and forth with his right leg while the left (the good one) does nothing. 

The recovery of the arm and hand movement is still very slow. There seems to be a little response on the shoulder area, but it takes time.  We have purchased a machine to exercise his arms. The theory is that we have, like with the leg, teach the arm to move again. By using both arms to move the handles (like the pedals in a bike), we hope to remind the right arm how to move.

The speech is still very problematic.  Although he makes all sorts of sounds, the words only come when prompted or cued.  I have to say, however, that the repetition of words is coming much easier.  He can even say Shella now, which he could not before; I use the automatics theory (ex: good and bad, up and down), and say "Bobby and .... "and he says "Shella".  We are trying an App called Proloquo2go to see if it can help him communicate better.  It is a long process to teach him how to use it, but we (the speech therapist and I) are starting with basic need words, and hopefully he will improve on it.  The yes and no is still a problem, and we are constantly having to reinforce it and give him visual cues. 

We have a few visitors here in the past month to brighten our lives.  And of course help us.  If you are planning a visit (which I love) be prepared to work.  I always make my guests work with something I cant' do alone or simply do not know how to do.

Sally and Roger were here on May 21 and 22, and besides being such great company and fun, and bringing in a delicious Greek Meal, helped me with taking the car for a tune up (unfortunately I don't have a picture of them on this visit!).

Pam and Robin were here June 2 and 3.  They came with bringing a delicious Sheppard pie homemade by Pam, and Robin helped put together the hand exercise machine for us. And we have fun watching the Queens Jubilee with the Brits!

Ana Beatriz and Pedro were here for a week.  They arrived on Tuesday June 5 and left on the 13.  It was wonderful having them here.  They helped a lot and were such good company.  Pedro filled in some holes on the wall, put together the recumbent bike and then but it apart again since it did not work well for Bobby.  They helped me move the furniture in the living room, and went even further, and moved a few things around to make more room for Bobby to walk.  Pedro stayed with Bobby so that Ana could take me out shopping - such needed time off the routine.  Ana and Pedro had the idea of having Zoe and Nico for a sleepover so that we could enjoy them, and Malu and Jason could have movie night (yes, Olivia went to the movies!).  Pedro prepared a delicious BBQ.  Ana left the house immaculate before leaving. Just to name a few of the things they did while here.  I just love them so much.  It was very hard to see them leave....

Malu, Jason, Zoe, Dominic and Olivia continue to be very present in our lives.  Malu has been coming here every Tuesday after Zoe's school and I am going there on Thursdays to enjoy the grand kids while Bob stays home with the aid (Aldaci - yes, he is Brazilian).  And of course whenever possible we see them on weekends. 

I would like to thank everybody that emails me, or calls me, or send cards.  Even if I don't answer the email very promptly, or return the calls on the same day, or do not send thank you cards back, please know that you have been very important for us.  I would like to give a special thanks to Maggie and Stan that almost every week send a lovely card from Maggie's studio.

I am counting the days to July when I will have my friends Tethi and Carlinhos and their daughter Maria here, and then my dear sister Rita will come too.  By then Bobby will have started with outpatient therapy (we will go to the therapy place) and will be able to be more out and about.  We are even trying to plan a quick trip and also a visit to the NY dentist.

Until next time. Thanks for reading and rooting for us. With all our love. 

Home Sweet Home

Here I am writing again.

We are slowly adapting to being home and learning all the ropes.
The most challenging was mastering the morning shower.  But after a few trials and errors it seems we found a way that works. 

Our house feels more like Grand Central Station, with people in and out all the time.

Home Care Service started the week we came home.  We have a nurse, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist.  Each one of them come about 3 times a week.  I like them and Bob is working well with them too.And he is working well with me too, whenever we have some time.

Bob continues to work hard at this therapy and still in good spirits.
Although we have a wheel chair on the ground floor, one on the first floor, and one on the second floor, he mostly walks using his hemi-walker (a walker for one hand only), and with me guarding him just in case.  He wears a gait belt (I hold this belt from the back while he walks) and splint to hold his right arm to prevent it for hanging down too much and damaging the shoulder.

Ours friends Bruce and Simone came on our first Tuesday at home bringing pizza and salad and joined us for dinner.  Bob had a little bit of wine with dinner for the first time in a long time....

The next day, Wednesday, we had a visit from Achilles and his son Henrique (our godchild).  It was nice having them here for these 5 days, and to see how big and gorgeous Henrique is.  We went for walks together, and as you can see, Bobby did not need to use his wheelchair (we took it just in case), and walked all the way from the house to the mail box and back.

Unfortunately, on the first Saturday home, he had a fall.  I was not holding him from the front as he was going down the step to the den, and he lost his balance and I could not control him. And down he went.  He hurt his face with the glasses frame, but other than that he was fine.  I, on the other hand, was a mess, crying a lot!  I could not lift him by myself and had to call 911.  They came very quickly, picked him up, established that all was well and that he did not need stitches on the face. 

 On the following day it was Mothers day, and we were going to Malu and Jason's, but because of the fall, they transferred the party here.






  Bobby got to meed Olivia for the first time.

 But, when Malu and Jason were leaving, Bob, who was upstairs alone while we were saying our good byes, sitting on the wheel chair, fell again.  We think he must have been trying to reach for this glasses that were on the bedside table and perhaps the wheel chair tipped over. This time nothing happened, and Achilles and Jason were able to lift him up.

I finally found a guy to come and stay with Bob for a few hours a week (3 hours 2 times a week) so that I can take time for myself.  He started last Tuesday.  I am slowly building the confidence to leave him alone with Bob for the 3 hours.  On Tuesday I stayed home and trained him, but on Thursday I left for about 1 of the 3 hours and the other 2 just stayed doing my things and left him in charge.

My friend Brenda once again showed what a great friend she is.  On Tuesday, she brought us dinner.  A delicious shrimp dish. 

Zoe turned 6 on Thursday, and they all came here for dinner on Friday to celebrate with us.  They brought dinner from a nearby Italian restaurant, and I had an ice cream cake for dessert.

Yesterday I took Bobby for a very needed haircut.  I took the opportunity to have a hair cut myself too.

Today we visited the Rodriguez for the first time.  We stopped at Paneras to get lunch, and headed their way. Jason played the role of handrail.  Bob climbed the side steps and walked up the grass area towards the backyard like a pro. It was good being able to do that and lovely to be with them. I was able to play with Zoe and Nico and to hold Olivia and Bob blew bubbles with the kids outside.

Tomorrow our friends Sally and Roger come for a visit again.  We are looking forward to having them here again.

So we go on...One day at a time, working hard.

Thanks for reading and for all the support.

Almost home

Hello everybody

In first place let me tell you that this is Shella writing, not Malu, so the writing may not be so good...

Malu had the baby on the wee hours of Thursday May 3rd. A gorgeous girl called Olivia Celina. I was lucky again and was able to be there at the delivery room, when this big girl (9 pd 7 oz and 19.5 in) arrived. Isn't she beautiful?












Bob is doing well, very anxious to go home. I think I have everything ready for him, but I am sure that when we are actually living there one thing or another may have to be changed.

The stair lifts are working well. Cecilia, Claudio, Lulu, Juju and Rita can attest to that. They came to visit Bob on the weekend of 4/28. I was supposed to meet them for lunch and then we would come to the Rehab to visit with Bob, but Bob surprised them and went to the restaurant too.

The next day Bob went out again, this time to the Japanese restaurant, with Malu, Jason, Zoe, Dominic, Bruce and Simone.

For both outings we only used the walker, not the wheel chair. He is getting stronger with the walking. I still am supposed to hold the gait belt, just in case he looses his balance, but I feel that this is happening less and less, and when it does, he balances himself and goes on walking. 

Debbie was here visiting this week. She arrived Wednesday afternoon and left Friday early evening. It was very good having her here, not only for Bob, but for me too. I was able to see Olivia being born, knowing that Bob was in good company.
I was finally able to sell my car, thanks to Jason's advice regarding the price (I had it too high), and Debbie's dedicated efforts posting it in Craig's List, filtering the emails and finally arranging the meet with the buyer. My friend Brenda helped too, driving with me to meet the buyer. It was such a relief for me. And I am so grateful, for all the help I had with that.

Bob is supposed to have some Home Care.  The visiting nurse should call  within 24 hours of us being home and then they will show up, evaluate Bobby and tell how many hours of therapy he will get, and for how long. Bob is aware that on the days that the therapists do not come to the house, he will have to work with me. That will be interesting.
After home care we will have outpatient therapy. But it is too early to say when and where.

I found a guy that will be helping me twice a week for 3 hours each time. This way I will be able to go out to do stuff and see the kids.

It was hard "moving out" of Jason and Malu's house today.  I am officially back at home tonight on my last night without Bobby. I am afraid of what lays ahead, but I will do my best to take good care of my dear husband.

Once we are settled I will try to write again.

Thanks for reading and for being so supportive. It has been very important for us.

When will Bob leave Kindred?

There have been a lot of new developments since I last wrote. No baby yet though there was a false alarm! I don't know when I will be able to write another post after this one, as my due date is fast approaching but my mom will try to take over for a while. And who knows, maybe resuming writing this blog will be a nice brake for a mom of a newborn?


We now know when Bob will leave Kindred, the skilled nursing facility he has been in since leaving Spaulding. My mom met with Bob's team on the 17th and it was determined that he will leave Kindred on the 7th of May. Bob was adamant about leaving as soon as possible. My mom would have preferred he stay a bit longer because once Bob leaves he will not be getting three therapy sessions daily on weekdays. Bob will receive some sort of home care but that has yet to be arranged. It is important that he continues the rehabilitation process at home and I think he understands that as he has been more willing to work with my mom on their own. After the period of home care expires, or after he is no longer "home-bound", then Bob will continue his rehabilitation at an outpatient clinic. My mom went to visit Spaulding's outpatient clinic in Framingham this morning to check them out. It is one of the options she is considering.
 
As for preparations for Bob's return home, my mom is almost done with her check-list of things to do. The ramps are installed. There are three of them. One from the garage to the basement, one from the deck into the side door and one from the living room into the dining room. My mom's friend Brenda has completed the paint job of this last one. She painted the ramp so that it would blend in with the carpet. One of the stairlifts has also been installed and the other one goes up tomorrow and so do the support bars. There will be nine bars in total, most in the bathrooms and one in the basement.


About two weeks ago Amanda, Bob's occupational therapist from Spaulding, sent Bob a T-shirt in the mail and here he is posing with it:

On the 13th I spend part of the morning with Bob and was surprised to find him getting ready for a field trip when I arrived in his room. I accompanied him, his physical therapist Karen and his speech pathologist Emily to the nearby Roche Brothers supermarket. We walked about a block there while Bob rode in his wheel chair. It was the first time he had been in such a setting since before the stroke. When we got to Roche Brothers Bob and I browsed the perimeter of the inside of the store. He seemed to be taking everything in and enjoyed seeing sights we take for granted. After about ten minutes we met up with Karen who got him standing behind a tall cart. Bob walked pushing the cart with Karen closely behind him for the length of almost two aisles. Emily gave him an exercise in comprehension where he had to find five items from a list after identifying the categories these items belonged in. Here are a few pictures from that day. The first shows Bob walking an aisle. The second shows his hand completing Emily's exercise and identifying the categories of the food items he was asked to "shop" for. The woman next to him is Emily and the one in front of him is Karen. The third picture is of him at the beginning of his visit, wandering along the supermarket.

On the sunday after, Bob went out to dinner for the first time at a restaurant. My mom, Bruce and Simone took Bob out to La Cantina, an Italian restaurant. Everyone had a great time. Here is a picture:

Bob's been walking with the help of his hemi-walker very well. He often walks along the entire second floor hallway and has gone to the dinning room using it, not his wheel-chair on more than one occasion. This is great practice for when he goes home. This level of independence will be good for him and my mom who will have no help from nurses once Bob is back home. Yesterday Karen told us that she is hopeful Bob will walk independently, meaning without a contact person, one day. Here is a short video of Bob my mom shot this afternoon. You can see he is moving his right leg very well as he walks the hallway of the second floor:

Bob's speech and word comprehension is improving as well albeit at a slower pace. He still has a difficult time with "yes" and "no". Bob's utterances are more varied as he tries to communicate in longer sentences. Emily has been giving him worksheets to test his comprehension and he is more successful with one word texts than with sentences but this isn't to say he can't understand them. Bob usually scores between 60% to 80% with those types of exercises. 

One thing hasn't changed since I started to write this blog. Bob never tires of trying. His humor is still intact and his motivation has remained steady. Bob is a fighter and his attitude has helped him (and us!) cope with the effects of his stroke. It's a long fight, but we aren't giving up.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.  

After two weeks at Kindred

Tomorrow will mark Bob's two week anniversary at Kindred. He is doing well, participating in his therapies with enthusiasm (most of the time, there was a day when Bob was not too excited about the whole thing but everyone has days like that).

Bob's physical therapist has been working on his balance, sometimes giving him a little shove while he is on his feet. The electronic stimulation has not been very effective at reviving muscles on Bob's right arm. His right leg has showed lots of improvement. Bob goes for walks around his floor with his hemi-walker daily with my mom, most days twice a day. He once even walked to the dinning room on the first floor. Bob's room is on the second floor.

Bob's right hand is less swollen now after lots of massaging, elevation and ultrasound. He continues to wear the compression glove most of the time. Bob still must sleep with the arm brace and the leg brace and he is not protesting wearing these too much now.

"Yes" and "No" are still used interchangeably so unfortunately they are not reliable answers to binary-type questions. Sometimes we can deduce what Bob means when he chooses one over the other based on context, but it isn't always accurate. In the middle of a conversation he will use "yes" or "no" correctly. Bob has been using the word "wait" properly.

My parents still play the traffic game. Today they finished the deck that came with the game. My mom already bought another set of cards with more puzzles. The letter tile game is not played as frequently any longer. Today Bob and my mom played connect-four for the first time. Bob's occupational therapist suggested it would be a good game for exercising counting, planning and tactics.

My mom had the ramps installed at their house this past week. Her friend Brenda offered to paint the ramp in the living room so that it will blend in more. My mom was very touched by this offer and grateful to have such a thoughtful neighbor and friend.

Speaking of friends, I'd like to share a few pictures of friends that came to visit Bob. I mentioned Sally and Roger in my last post. They came to visit from Florida and spent last Friday afternoon and Saturday morning with Bob.

And below is a picture of Bruce and Simone with Bob in his room. They have come to visit Bob every Sunday since the first week he arrived at Spaulding. This picture was taken last Sunday when we crossed paths for the first time since their visit to Rio with my parents. My husband and I took our kids to celebrate Easter with my parents.

Here is the picture of the grandkids and the grandparents after the egg hunt that occurred in Bob's room:

I can't believe it has been a whole week since I last wrote! I think I will follow my uncle Felipe's advice and write once a week until the baby comes. There are about three weeks until my baby's due date! Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Movement on the right side

Today Bob had a great physical therapy session, I just had to share some of the video footage my mom captured. I am unable to post long videos but this one captures Bob moving his right foot forward, backward and to the right side as he supports his body weight with his left foot. Later, Bob is able to support his weight on his right leg as he moves his left knee up and down. Unfortunately this part was cut out. I tried posting two videos but had no success, but I hope you enjoy the one I chose:

I think back to when we all celebrated the first time Bob stood up since the stroke. Today brought another cause for celebration. Bob continues to literally take steps towards his recovery.

My kids and I went to visit yesterday and I watched part of is occupational therapy and his speech therapy. I was pleased to see Bob's continued investment in his recovery. It has been almost three months since the stroke and Bob has not lost the drive to improve. He continues to apply himself to all the different kinds of therapies. His speech therapist told me yesterday that the fact that Bob recognizes a wrong word or sound as it comes out of his mouth, is a very good thing.

Bob is adjusting well to his new place. Our family is pleased with the level of care he has been receiving from the therapists. Unfortunately the assessment meeting will only take place on the 17th of April. It will be then that his team of care givers will set goals and determine his long term prospects at Kindred.

Tomorrow marks one week that Bob is at Kindred. He will celebrate with a special visit from old friends from Florida, Roger and Sally.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Continued Progress

Today Bob had physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Unfortunately I cannot report on the first two because Bob can't tell us what happened during them. My mom was present for speech therapy and therefore we have some insight into what went on.

The speech therapist worked on a few simple words and also played with the letter tiles. She varied the game Bob is used to playing by asking him to spell a four letter word after being given five tiles. Bob did not do very well with this game, he formed only three words. Bob still surprises us by uttering words in correct context. For example yesterday, when asked where he wanted to go, Bob said "my room". It's always great to hear his voice.

My mom met Bob's new doctor and she is putting him back on two heart medications that he had been taken off of. The doctor will wait on more week and if everything goes well, which she expects it to, Bob will be put back on Lipitor.

My mom continues to provide Bob with unyielding support and care. She spends every afternoon with Bob. My mom exercises with him, goes for walks with him, massages his arm and hand, and advocates on his behalf. My mom has taken on more responsibilities than are usually expected from a wife and she has done so with no hesitation or resentment. Whether my mom is by Bob's side or not, she is constantly thinking about how to better his predicament. The plans for ramps, support bars and stairlifts have been finalized and these should all be installed in my parents' home by the end of April.

Well, after seventy one posts and over 2600 reads, I have decided to cut back on how often I write this blog. Bob is doing well and continues to progress steadily. The daily surprises are more rare now, so I will write a few times per week instead of daily. I thank the friends and family that read the blog daily and provide encouraging comments and emails; in particular Janice, Stan, Maggie, Diane and José Bernardo. Please continue to check back often or better yet, subscribe to receive email updates. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Another visit from New York

Bob had a good morning at Kindred. When my mom arrived he was doing well. They walked around Bob's corridor for one hundred feet and Bob did well. The physical therapist showed my mom how to provide the minimal assist using a special belt to hold Bob by the waist instead of holding on to his pants' elastic band. This is much more comfortable for Bob.

After Bob was done with his lunch, he had some visitors: My husband and I took our kids as well as his parents, who hadn't seen Bob since last year. Since Bob has a single room with a lot more space (and furniture!) than his room at Spaulding, we were all able to hang out in his room. The four grandparents had a nice time catching up and after a while Bob got tired. While he took a short nap, we headed to the dinning room and sat around talking while the kids watched a movie. After about forty-five minutes we went up to see Bob and say our goodbyes. Here is the picture of Debbie and Jim (Jason's parents) with Bob in his room:

This was the first sunday in a while that Bob had therapy. The physical therapist met him a bit before four in the afternoon. Bob pedaled on a recumbent bike for twenty minutes. He used both legs but just one arm. Tina Turner was playing and it kept the exercise tempo. My mom got a good impression from the therapist who was patient and explained to Bob the reasons he needs to wear his boot to sleep. She convinced him and Bob did put it on before my mom left for the night.

George, Bob's neighbor came and introduced himself. The two of them share a bathroom. George is a very nice guy and it made me feel good to know that Bob will have a friendly person who will check in on him. Bob's last roommate at Spaulding seemed nice but he wasn't very talkative. His roommate before that was a grumpy guy. His first roommate was very nice and he would always start up conversations if we met him in the hallway. My mom and his wife became quite friendly.

Today was my first time at Kindred and it is a very different place than Spaulding. It doesn't have the hospital feel that Spaulding has, it feels more like a long term care place. It is decorated with drapes and nicer chairs, there is even a fire place in the dining room. There is no cafeteria, although the staff has offered my mom food free of charge. I found the staff in general to be attentive and my mom was happy with the nurse and assistant nurse on Bob's floor. We hope he adjusts and has a good stay there, that he continues to improve and progress in this new environment.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

First Full Day at Kindred

Bob had a good day. My mom arrived at lunch time and they ate lunch together. A physical therapist came to evaluate Bob this afternoon so it was a good for him to get some exercise.

Bob did some walking with his hemi-walker, he was tired as a result. He napped in the afternoon.

Bruce and Simone came to visit Bob, the four of them had a nice time together.

It's a short one today, thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

A New Place

Today Bob got into his car for the first time since last December! My mom arrived at Spaulding at 9am and they were on their way to Natick by 10:15am. Bob signed his own discharge papers and said goodbye to his team of therapists and nurses. It was a MUCH less stressful ride than the one to Spaulding. My mom said the car ride was smooth and Bob did very well.

Bob has a room to himself at Kindred. Upon arriving there, my parents were greeted by the rehab coordinator. She provided my parents with an introduction to the facility and the staff that will be part of Bob's team. Bob was aware of his move. When asked where he was and give three choices: hospital, rehab, or home Bob circled rehab.

My mom and Bob ate the lunch provided by rehabilitation hospital and after lunch she went to pick up health records at her house. My mom was back at Kinder for Bob's evaluations. He was evaluated by an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist. Bob will be evaluated by a physical therapist tomorrow. He will have his first physical therapy session on Sunday. Normally there will not be any therapy sessions during the weekends, but since Bob won't have had any therapy since yesterday, they will make an exception. Bob's schedule will be as follows: no therapies during the weekend; during the week he will have one hour of speech therapy, and fifty minutes of physical therapy and fifty minutes of occupational therapy daily.

Bob was given a new wheelchair and hemi-walker. His new doctor talked to my mom about Bob's medications. She felt good about the level of care Bob will be receiving at Kindred.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Bob's Last Full Day at Spaulding

Today was Bob's last full day at Spaulding. He had physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. It was the first time that Bob refused to attend a therapy session; he did not want to attend group occupational therapy. It was speculated that Bob didn't want to be the center of attention. Being his last day, they would have made a fuss about him graduating Spaulding.

Bob expressed that he is nervous about the move during speech therapy today. He circled the word as a response to a question about his move.

Dan helped my mom put Bob in their car to prepare for tomorrow's drive over to Kindred. Bob liked being in his car. This helped my mom feel good about her choice of which car to keep. She is going to sell the accord and they are keeping the CR-V.

Tomorrow Bob leaves Spaulding at ten in the morning. He is not scheduled for any therapy sessions. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

The Answer to Last Night's Question

Bob will leave Spaulding on Friday, March 30th at ten in the morning. That morning my mom will drive Bob to his new temporary home, Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation Center in Natick. Clicking on the name will take you to their website so feel free to explore. I have not been there yet.

Bob worked really hard today. He had physical therapy, group occupational therapy, music therapy together with speech therapy and occupational therapy.

During musical therapy, Bob tried to sing songs along with the therapist who played the guitar. One of the songs was "Over the rainbow". I saw a video of it and it was hard not to tear up. Bob really strained to copy the words. He was in good spirits and enjoyed the session. Caitlin was there helping him along.

Dan, Bob's physical therapist, taught my mom how to walk with Bob and how to help him travel from the chair to the bed and back. She saw Bob walk up ten steps. Dan felt it wasn't time for her to assist him with steps yet.

I arrived at Spaulding with the kids while Bob was finishing up his occupational therapy session with Amanda. They were listening to a song called "Amanda" and trying to get Bob to say her name. We all saw Bob get up on his own and take steps on his own. Here is a video of it:

You can see Bob using his hemi-walker. Unfortunately he will not be able to take the hemi-walker with him to Kindred nor will he be able to take the wheel-chair. Bob will be able to take the brace for his right foot as well as the arm brace for the right arm that he wears while sleeping. My mom was told that the next facility will provide Bob with a walker and a wheel-chair.

After therapy was over we all hung out in the lobby and my mom treated the grandkids to munchkins while Bob had a donut. It was nice to hang out until it was dinner time for Bob. He seemed happy. This was our family's last visit to Bob at Spaulding and I felt an odd sense of relief mixed with apprehension. I was glad he is well enough to have "graduated", but anxious about how Bob will adjust to his next rehabilitation place. Well, when things are out of your control you just have to go with it, there is no other choice.

Tomorrow Bob will have his last day of therapies at Spaulding. My mom will start to take down the room decorations: all the pictures and drawings by grandkids as well as get well cards sent by friends that were hanging up on the wall. Another chapter of the story of Bob's recovery ended - it was sooner than we expected. But here's to new beginnings.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

When Will Bob Leave Spaulding?

Today Bob had physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational and group occupational therapies and a new therapy: music therapy.

My mom met with Bob's case manager and was told he was ready to leave Spaulding as early as tomorrow. My mom was surprised by this because she did not know that Bob has met the goals set by the team. After speaking with Bob's occupational and physical therapists (not just in passing but in a meeting setting), my mom became more aware of how much Bob has progressed. For example, he can put on his shirt and pants independently now. It is the team's consensus that Bob should leave before the April 5th date set early on in order for him to qualify to be a patient at a skilled nursing facility. Bob needs to be able to be skill-able, to still have things to improve upon, living skills to be taught so that he can be admitted at a skilled nursing facility.

Tomorrow my mom will be at Spaulding early to attend some of Bob's therapies. Visiting hours are at one in the afternoon during the week and my mom usually arrives at Spaulding for lunch around noon. As a result she has not been able to witness Bob's progress up close since a lot of the therapy sessions happen before lunch. She is looking forward to watching Bob demonstrate his new skills and I look forward to reporting on them.

It is likely that Bob will leave Spaulding by the end of this week even though Bob has not met one of the speech goals. Bob's speech goal is not being taken into account and my mom was told that this is normal in deciding the patient's discharge date. One of the goals set by the team in late February, was for Bob to be able to speak 8 to 10 words that express need like "hungry", "toilet" and he unfortunately is not there yet. But this isn't to say that Bob's speech hasn't come a long way in the thirty-seven days Bob has been at Spaulding. Today, for example, Bob said "my foot" when referring to his foot, in the middle of a conversation about his foot. Sometimes he blurts out words that relate well to a conversation, yet he has a difficult time reproducing them out of context. If you were to ask him: "Bob, say foot", he probably wouldn't be able to out of the blue. But these blurted-out-in-context-words come more and more frequent, and his usage of "yes" and "no" is getting more consistent. Bob's ability to make sounds has definitely improved from the grunts in February. His vocal pattern resembles the cadence of regular speech with ups and downs in inflection and tone. This in another one of those times when we have to look at the big picture and realize then that he has come a long way.

He will continue to go a long way, whether at Spaulding or the new facility and then later at home. And we'll be cheering him on. Thanks for reading and keep the thoughts and prayers coming.

Dear Old Friends

Today Bob had full plate of therapies: occupational, physical, group occupational and speech.

During occupational therapy he practiced using a long grabber to put on his socks and pants by himself. Bob controlled a trigger which would open and close pincers at the end of a long stick. This can help him gain some independence while getting dressed.

At physical therapy, it was decided that a size eight and a half six wide would be the best fit for his right foot to comport the brace. His left foot will be his regular shoe size. My mom can now return the other pairs to the very generous New Balance store in Brighton. (I don't mind giving them a plug, they allowed my mom to purchase all pairs at a 50% discount!)

My mother took my son to see Bob at noon while I had a routine OBGYN appointment. I met them at Spaulding shortly after Bob had eaten his lunch and the four of us hung out for a bit until Bob's speech therapy began at one in the afternoon. It was right around that time that Max and Bill, friends from New York, came to visit Bob. They have been friends for decades, having met while living on Browning Drive across the street from each other. We all left Bob with Caitlin for his speech therapy and went to have lunch at the cafeteria. At two we came back up and after Dominic and I said our goodbyes, the two couples that used to have dinner together every single friday night, hung out until it was Bob's bedtime. Here is a picture of Bob with Max and Bill (and a little guy who loves to be in the middle of the action):

Bill showed Bob pictures from trips to Europe on his ipad and they all talked a lot. As blog readers, they were curious to see the traffic game and the tile game so my mom showed them what I have been writing about. It occurred to me to post a link to these two things in case anyone else out there is curious. Just click on the links that follow to get directed to the amazon site for these games. This is the traffic game, and this is the letter tile game. Bill and Max gave Bob a Nintendo Wii console along with some games so that when Bob goes home, he can continue to challenge his coordination and motor skills. Bob was very happy to see both Max and Bill and they had a good time catching up.

At the end of the day, after Bob was dressed for bed and my mom was getting ready to come home, Bob surprised her. Every day when my mom leaves she tells him she loves him. Today Bob said "I love you" back to my mom for the first time. She was very happy when she walked in the door this evening at our house.

On a sad note, one of Bob's dear friends passed away yesterday from a stroke she suffered on friday. Eleanor was Bob's associate Dean for part of the time that he was Dean of Arts and Sciences at Farmingdale. She was currently the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Farmingdale. Bob and Eleanor kept in touch both professionally (Bob would continue to give her advice long after retiring) and personally (Eleanor attended my wedding and came to visit my parents after they moved to Massachusetts). We are all shocked and deeply saddened by this news. We have decided not to tell Bob about her passing at this time. My mom has concluded, and I agree, that there is little Bob can do to comfort her family or even express his sympathies. We are also fearful that Bob could fall into a depression given how much Eleanor was dear to his heart. Her cause of death might also trigger feelings that would best be avoided at this time. I hope one day Bob understands our decision to keep this from him even if only temporarily. Again, I draw parallels to how I recently handled giving bad news to my children: It took me a few days to tell them about Bob's stroke and I did it in stages. Maybe that would be the way to approach Eleanor's death with Bob.

Thanks for reading. Today we offer our thoughts and prayers to Eleanor's family. She will be missed.

Puppy Love

Today Bob had no therapies. Sundays are his rest day. 

He did have a different kind of therapy: Bob spent some time with therapy dogs. Below is a picture of him happily holding a pup on his lap. 

Bob played another "expert" traffic game well. He also did three five letter words using the tiles. He is doing ok with them. My mom remembered that in the beginning of him practicing with four letter words he had a similar experience so she isn't very concerned about Bob's less than perfect track record with five letter words. 

My parents had lunch in the cafeteria for the second day in a row. In the afternoon their friends Bruce and Simone came for their usual Sunday visit. 

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. 

Bob's Burger

Bob had a good day today. He had physical therapy, speech therapy and group occupational therapy.

During group occupational therapy Bob played with the cones again, but this time it was a different game where he had to use them to bat away balls. My mom said she was not as good as Bob playing this game. The therapist commended Bob for his improved speech, noting Bob was making more sounds.

Our whole family went to visit Bob in the late afternoon and we noticed that he is more prolific with the sounds he has been making. Bob's "yeses" are more purposeful and actual words are popping out more frequently. This happens mostly when Bob is not being prompted to say anything in particular. The words just flow as a result of a particular circumstance. For example, my mom mentioned that the New Balance store (where she bought a lot of his sneakers) was close to Spaulding and then Bob said: "Where is it?". This was as much to his surprise as it was ours. When we made a big deal about his improved speech he protested, he even used his left hand to close up his left ear in an effort to shut out the praise. This "It's no big deal" behavior has been present from the start. Bob is very reluctant to accept compliments. I can just picture him saying: "Naaahh..." if he could.

My mom and Bob ate lunch at the cafeteria today. Bob chose a cheeseburger and when asked if he wanted lettuce and tomato on it, he was puzzled. The person working behind the counter was patient and showed Bob a piece of lettuce, to which he said "no" and then showed him a piece of tomato, to which he said "yes". My mom thinks Bob appreciated having choices to make. I imagine that after losing control and independence, it must be a big deal to choose what goes on the burger. When Jason asked Bob what he thought about the burger, Bob was not very enthusiastic. Jason asked him if he missed eating his own burgers and Bob replied "yeah".

My parents did not go out today, as the weather was chillier than it has been all week. But they enjoyed hanging out in the cafeteria and then in the dinning room on Bob's floor. There Bob played the traffic game, beating the first card of the "expert" variety. He has completed all of the "advanced" cards. Bob also played the word tile game but did not complete all ten words he is supposed to on the weekend. He did the exercise for seven words. Bob breezes through words that have consonants separated by vowels like "bagel" but has more trouble with words that have many consonants in a row such as "bench".

Below is a picture of Bob's leg brace. I have mentioned this brace on previous posts. Here it is inserted into one of the many shoes that Bob tried on during the past week. Behind it you can see the Charles and the patio that is connected to the cafeteria.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. 

New sneakers for the new brace

Today Bob had another full plate of therapies. All the basics plus group occupational therapy. 

Bob's custom made leg brace has been made and is being used. My mom shopped at half a dozen stores and bought several pairs of sneakers over the last few days to find a pair that will fit his foot with the brace. Today she may have found the one! Bob did a lot of walking with his hemi-walker as he tried on all those different pairs of shoes. Tomorrow if Bob has physical therapy, Dan will test out a few pairs to see which one is the best fit. By the way, Bob now says "Dan" regularly!

When I called in the mid afternoon, my mom and Bob were outside enjoying another sunny spring day. Bob was playing the word tile game. He got "apple" right away but struggled with "grape". My mom had to get off the phone to give him undivided attention so I can't report on the last word of the day. 

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. 

Plans for the future

Today Bob had physical therapy, occupational therapy, group occupational therapy and speech therapy. He had a good day, and was in good spirits. Bob completed a difficult car puzzle but had some difficulty with the five letter words during the tile game.

My mom made some important decisions today. She chose the companies that are going to install the stairlift and ramp in their house. She also spoke at length with someone from the assisted nursing facility that Bob is most likely going to after he leaves Spaulding. This person will speak with Bob's case manager at Spaulding to talk about Bob's discharge date. My mom spoke with Bob's case manager today and two of them discussed the reasoning behind Bob's new discharge date. In short, my mom was trying to understand why Bob would be released earlier when he has yet to meet the goals set by his team.

Thanks for reading and thanks to those that are writing encouraging emails snd comments. Keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Shella's Birthday

Today Bob had physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy as well as group occupational therapy.

Bob had speech therapy outside today to enjoy the sunny day. He was very talkative and even said the numbers one through ten after Caitlin wrote out the numerals on the board. Bob also practiced saying the days of the week. Sometimes he would say "oneday".

Bob played the word tile game well again, today. He only tripped up a bit with the word "April". Bob got "brave" and "close" right away. He continues to play the traffic game daily, one card per day, but he missed it today because of the birthday party.

My mom organized a birthday party at the dinning room on Bob's floor. She brought cake and Brasilian docinhos. Jason was able to leave work to attend and met me and the kids at Spaulding. Bruce and Simone also came to celebrate. Lots of staff werer there, too and we sang "happy birthday" both in English and Portuguese. Bob sang very well. He was happy and in a good mood. Bob had cake and a few docinhos. Everyone had a nice time.

After the party ended and everyone left, Simone described to my mom and Bob her impressions of the skilled nursing facilities she visited earlier in the day. Simone went back to the places my mom had liked the most to gather some more information and be another set of eyes. Bob listened attentively and followed along well while Simone provided details of her visits.

Tomorrow my mom will meet with Bob's case worker to discuss his progress. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Five

Today Bob had five therapy sessions: the usual three plus group occupational and group speech.  He worked hard on all of them and continues to progress.

My mom met with Bob's doctor today who told her that she is considering moving up the date that Bob will get discharged from Spaulding. This is because if Bob gets "too good", he will not qualify to be admitted into a skilled nursing facility. So far we don't know what the discharge date will be. My mom has yet to meet with Bob's case worker to discuss this.

Bob spent a bit of time outside today, but he decided to come back indoors quickly because the breeze from the Charles was too chilly. By the time my mom and Bob headed outside it was already late in the afternoon and the sun wasn't shinning as brightly. The weather will be nice for the rest of the week, we are supposed to hit eighty degrees by thursday so there will be plenty of opportunities for Bob to catch some sun light.

Bob did well with the letter tiles games today. He played three five letter words and correctly built and copied them all: "table", "chair" and "house".

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and she reserved the dinning room on Bob's floor for a party from four to five in the afternoon. There will be cake, soda and Brasilian docinhos. We are looking forward to hearing Bob singing the birthday song! There might be a surprise...

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Recap of the weekend and Monday

On saturday Bob ate lunch at the cafeteria and ate corned beef and hash to celebrate Saint Patrick's day. On Sunday Bob had group music therapy. He enjoyed playing with instruments and immigrating the sounds the therapist made. Bruce and Simone went to the hospital to spend the afternoon and the two couples spent some time outside enjoying the sunny weather.

Today Bob had physical therapy, and he climbed ten steps. Bob had group occupational therapy and one on one occupational therapy

My son and I visited Bob today and we watched Bob finish his lunch. Then he joined us in the cafeteria along with my mom while we ate our lunch. After lunch we spent some time outside and Dominic fed the geese while the three of us looked on.

At three Bob had speech therapy. My mom said he was very talkative.

Bob played the word tile game. He finished seven four-letter words he had not done over the weekend and did well. One of the words was "mark", which after writing down he then pronounced. Unfortunately Bob did not do well with a five letter word my mom introduced. It was "baguel". Next time my mom will try words that represent more tangible things like "table" and "chair".

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Up and Down

Bob had a good day today. When I called in the afternoon my mom and Bob were in the cafeteria. They had just finished an ice cream popsicle and were starting to play the tile word game. Bob zipped through the three four letter words of the day. Next he was going to play the traffic game. I spoke with him a little. Bob's grunt pattern has the cadence of a regular speech pattern. He also varies the kinds of sounds that he makes now, he really tries. 

During speech therapy, Bob said the words "up and down" without Caitlin saying them first. She wrote them on the board and Bob said them out loud for the first time without listening to the words before speaking them.

Bob used an arm bicycle during occupational therapy. He did well with it, his right hand "gripped" the handles and did not fall off. 

This morning my mom toured two assisted nursing facilities. One she really liked, the other one not at all. The time is coming when she will have to decide where Bob will go after he leaves Spaulding. 


On Saturday Bob will have speech therapy and physical therapy. Sunday Bob will have a group music therapy session. Friends Bruce and Simone will also stop by for their usual Sunday visit. 

I will not be able to write this weekend but I will post again on Monday. I plan on visiting Bob that day. This weekend will mark the first time that I don't write the blog since I started and I am feeling anxious about that. I like reporting Bob's improvements, even if they aren't monumental. I get comments and emails from friends and family who read the blog and they encourage me to keep on writing. It isn't easy to find the time with two kids, one on the way, and all the ups and downs of Bob's journey so far...  Writing this blog has helped me cope with this catastrophe, organize my thoughts, define my feelings and find my place in his recovery. But skipping a day or two doesn't mean I am not as invested as I was in the beginning. The fact of the matter is I have to learn to let go a bit. My new baby will be born in less than two months and as I have said before she will prevent me from getting to the computer as frequently as I would like. So thanks for understanding my absence, thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. 

New Wheels

Today Bob got a new wheelchair. This one is lighter than his last and Bob can use his left foot to help move forward as it doesn't rest on any kind of support like his right foot does. My mom said he has gained significant independence already, going out of his room by himself and strolling around the cafeteria by himself.

During physical therapy today Bob used the lokomat again. Bob also had occupational therapy and speech therapy. Caitlin, Bob's speech therapist practiced saying "Mark" with him and he did a great job. Below is the video shot by my mom. Tune in until the end when the always joyful Caitlin finally convinces Bob to turn to the camera and he displays the famous "meh" face:

Bob continues to improve and impress. We are happy with his progress. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming. 

An improvement in mobility

Today Bob had all three therapies as well as occupational therapy group. He also had an ultrasound this morning to examine his liver. Bob's doctor wanted to take a closer look to see why some blood tests had come out abnormal. We will have the results tomorrow.

Tomorrow Bob will be fitted for a custom made plastic support for his right leg and foot. I mentioned this kind of support about a week ago on the blog after I spent last thursday observing his many therapies. Bob wore a generic one during his physical therapy session. It is made of a hard plastic and it is in the shape of an "L". It goes from his toes to just below the back of his knee. It is fastened by Velcro straps and its purpose is to prevent his right foot from flopping down. Without this Bob could easily trip on his own foot as it would drag on the floor when he lifts his right leg off the floor.

Today Bob walked from the toilet to his bed using the help of the one sided walker (whose proper name is hemi-walker). The nurse hovered to provide help if he needed it, but Bob did not need her assistance. My mom spoke with Bob's physical therapist and he thinks Bob's mobility will be 50% wheelchair and 50% walker.

During speech therapy today Bob practiced more opposites including "up and down" and then during occupational therapy Bob said "up and down" as he did reps!

I went to visit Bob today with my kids this afternoon and we spent some time together in the sun room. We watched him play the first advanced card on the traffic game. Before staring, Bob lined up all the cars by size. He completed the card in less than five minutes. After that Bob played the letter tile game and got all three words. If he keeps this up through the weekend, next week Bob will graduate to five letter words.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Uncertainty

Today Bob had all three therapies plus the occupational therapy group. He also spent some more time outside taking advantage of another warm day by the Charles.

During occupational therapy Bob moved his right arm on a special "skate board". Here is a video of it:

The range of motion Bob has is impressive. Considering that is the arm that is supposed to be paralyzed! Bob still can't move his wrist or hand and he must wear a brace that holds his right arm at the shoulder in order to prevent it from being dislocated. The physical therapist explained to me that Bob's right arm is sort of dead weight, Bob's muscles can't hold it in place. But the video shows that Bob is gaining some muscle control back. How much will he regain is anybody's guess.

One of the hardest parts about watching Bob recover is the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next. My mom met Bob's case manager today and his team of therapists and doctor did not change their previous goals from the last assessment. His target discharge date is still April 5th. Today is about the half way point of Bob's stay at Spaulding and it is hard not to want more improvements than the ones outlined by Bob's team. We want him to come home walking and able to communicate better. We want him to be more independent. Bob deserves so much more than this.

It is difficult to make arrangements for the next phase of Bob's recovery because we don't know how much more he will improve in the coming weeks. The team has asked my mom to make a decision by the end of next week regarding where she would prefer Bob to be: at a skilled nursing facility or home. Despite feeling insecure about such a huge decision, my mom has taken proactive steps towards the future. She has visited skilled nursing facilities and met with companies that install stair lifts and ramps in their house. My mom has had extensive talks with Bob's therapists regarding his future. The one person I know she would love advice from is Bob. I really wish he could express to her what he wants, how he feels, and what he is thinking. Maybe someday.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Opposites

Today Bob had occupational therapy, group occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy. A busy day.

During physical therapy Bob practiced walking with the one-sided walker. This time he did it with the help of just one therapist. When I saw him last Thursday, he was being helped by two therapists. Bob also practiced walking up and down steps. These steps are shorter than most, just six inches tall. Dan is doing most of the work with the steps at this point.

Caitlin, the speech therapist, practiced saying opposites with Bob today. They did this in a sing-songy voice. Bob did well repeating the words, some examples are "up and down", "boy and girl", "all and none", "stop and go". He did all of these well except the last one. Bob said "top" instead of "stop". Caitlin said this is the same kind of mistake toddlers make when when they are learning how to speak. The therapist did not play the tiles game with Bob, she assigned that task to my mom. She will do three words a day during the week and ten on the weekends.

My son and I visited today and we brought a present, a tangram puzzle game. They proved too hard (even for this math teacher) but Bob played it by copying the solutions to create the shapes from the book. Bob did play two more cards from the traffic game and found them to be very easy despite the fact the cards were for intermediate boards.

My mom took Bob for a walk outside to take advantage of the warm weather. They spent about twenty minutes taking in the fresh air. Bob enjoyed the ducks swimming along the Charles river.

Today is Bob's third week anniversary at Spaulding. He has progressed well and we are looking foreword to the next three weeks there. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Puppies!

Today Bob had no therapies as it was Sunday and it was his rest day. He was in good spirits as usual. My mom went to spend the day and they were visited by their friends Bruce and Simone in the afternoon.

There was puppy therapy today and Bob loved petting the little guys who kept him smiling and happy.

The nurse that helped him with his bath said Bob put on his shirt completely by himself today for the first time. Each day Bob is a little more independent than the day before, relying less on other people's help. Bob is progressing well. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Horners come to visit

Today Bob was up early and had speech therapy at eight in the morning. Then he got a visit from the barber and got his hair cut. My mom had asked for the barber to wait for her to get there, but he didn't so the barber cut Bob's hair shorter than usual. I think he looks good, he has a military hair style now, it reminds me of major dad. Does anyone remember that show?

Bob played the letter tile game before lunch and then did a few more words after lunch. He had occupational therapy group at one. He will have this group every saturday at one and at ten during weekdays. Bob played the traffic game in the afternoon after the group. He did the first card on his own and the second one with my mom. They are getting more challenging!

My cousin Celina came to visit with her husband Geoff and sons Samuel and Alex. Geoff took the boys to the museum of science after visiting with Bob for a little bit then he came back for Bob's dinner time. That's when I arrived with my family. There were ten of us hanging out in the sunny room. Bob had a good time watching the kids bounce around the room. He was in a good mood as usual. Here is a picture of the Horners with Bob:

Notice the glove on Bob's right hand. My mom said it has already reduced the swelling significantly.

Tomorrow Bob will have a break from therapy and have the established sunday visit from friends Bruce and Simone. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

Stair Lift News

Today Bob had his three therapies as well as occupational therapy group. He hasn't had speech group because the other patients that were in his group have left Spaulding. Since we all thought it was a valuable experience for Bob to attend this group, my mom is trying to reinstate it with patients from other floors. 

Amanda, Bob's occupational therapist, is making him wear a glove on his right hand to help the swelling go down. He is still sleeping with that support that goes up to his elbow. 

Dan, Bob's physical therapist, practiced climbing stairs with Bob today. As some of you may know, my parents house has two floors and the second floor is where the bedrooms and showers are. This week my mom had stairlift companies over their house to give her an estimate for two lifts. One from the basement to the first floor and another from the first floor to the second. This later one would cost more money because it would have to be custom made to fit the initial curvature of the stairs. One of the companies suggested putting in a regular stairlift after the first three curved steps because this would significantly reduce the cost as long as Bob could handle climbing a few steps in his own. Upon discussing these options with Dan, he suggested installing just one lift from the basement to the first floor, since it would be more utilized. He thinks it might be worth waiting to install the other stairlift because Bob might be able to handle climbing those stairs just once or twice a day. After seeing Bob take all those steps yesterday and knowing that Bob still has four more weeks at Spaulding, I believe there is a lot of room for improvement in the weeks ahead.


In the afternoon my mom took Bob to the cafeteria where he had an iced tea and played another card from the traffic game. It was tough, but he again persevered through it and finished it. 


The weekend will bring another out of state visit: My cousin Celina and her family! I'll report on that tomorrow. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

First hand account

Today I spent the morning with Bob. I was there for his physical therapy, speech therapy, lunch and occupational therapy. I saw first hand how hard he works everyday. It was great, I took tons of notes and took some pictures and videos.

Bob could not use the lokomat because it was broken. The physical therapist, Dan, fitted Bob with a supportive plastic structure that prevented his right foot from drooping down when he lifts it off the floor. Bob practiced walking with a one sided walker. He took steps by moving his right leg forward holding on to a special type of walker that is made just for one side. Bob did really well. He took about one hundred steps, broken up into groups of about twenty. Dan was amazingly encouraging and provided support when Bob neededed it but allowed Bob to take the steps on his own most of the time. Here is a short video of Dan and Bob right before he got up to walk another twenty steps. Notice how Dan talks to Bob, the two have a great rapport.

Then it was straight to speech therapy. Bob worked with Caitlin in the sun room. She practiced sounds with him, sang words and played a game using tiles of letters. In it Bob had to unscramble four tiles to make it into a word, copy the word onto the board and then write the word without looking at the tiles, recalling it from memory. Bob also went over the communication boards the tech therapist from yesterday made for him. When quizzed on it he was correct about 65% of the time. At first it will be the job of the staff and family to show him the board and ask him questions, but Caitlin hopes that Bob will initiate its use when he needs something.

After speech, Bob had lunch. Jason came to meet us and hung out with us during his lunch hour. Jason hadn't seen Bob since Saturday and noticed improvements. He mentioned that Bob was speaking more, seemed more comfortable in his wheel chair and communicated better.

Then Bob had occupational therapy with Amanda. She practiced standing and sitting from the wheel chair to a raised mat and back. Bob did a series of exercises while sitting on the mat. The therapist integrated Bob's right arm into the exercises by making sure he was always working both hands together. Bob used a one pound bar and did rows, arm curls and extensions forward. All the while his right hand loosely grasped the bar. This was an improvement from last time when the therapist used to wrap his hand to the bar to prevent it from slipping. Amanda said Bob is using his bicepte, triceps, some muscles on his right shoulder but not his wrist or hand. She is happy with Bob's progress.

My mom arrived with my son during the last part of the therapy. They came to meet us and then back to the room to wait for the therapy session to end. Right after Bob arrived back in his room, a staff member brought in a small therapy dog. Bob loved seeing the dog do tricks. Soon after the puppy left, I took my son home and my mom stayed with Bob until after dinner.

After a quick stroll outside to enjoy the warm weather, Bob played two more cards from the traffic game. The second one was particularly difficult but Bob persevered and did it. My mom says he likes the routine of doing these cards.

It was interesting seeing Bob's day first hand. I saw how invested he is in his recovery, I saw how much effort Bob puts into all the different types of therapies, and I also saw how tired he gets after all that hard work. Rehabilitation is a full time job for him. But Bob also seems to have fun doing it. He manages to inject humor into the routine, and in two weeks has forged a partnership with each of his therapists.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

I told you!

Today instead of speech therapy, Bob had tech therapy. It was a session where they discussed how different technologies can help him. The therapist recommended an iPad game that my mom is going to get. The therapist said it is too early for Bob to play computer games. The therapist is going to make two new communication boards for Bob. Each one with eight pictures on it instead of three. One board will be for needs and it will include pictures to represent food, bathroom, shaving, etc... The other board will have fun things like tv, iPad, games, etc... Bob will continue to work on pointing to the images on the cards to communicate.

Bob's writing is still inconsistent. Today he wrote "Robert V Mark" and "Celina" very well. But he also wrote some nonsensical words.

Bob tried on a leg brace during physical therapy today and Dan said it will help him walk eventually. Bob walked with it on with Dan's help. Bob's foot did not drag on the ground, but he didn't like having it on. Dan thinks Bob's plantar faciatis is acting up.

Bob completed the tenth card of the traffic game. The next card is an intermediate, so long beginner cards! Janice really hit a home run with this gift.

In the middle of a conversation Bob blurted out "I told you!" and surprised himself, my mom and Debbie. The ladies reacted with such enthusiasm that the people around them came over to see what the commotion was all about. It was another one of those almost involuntary reactions; born out of frustration that my mom wasn't grasping what he was trying to communicate. He was unable to repeat it.

Tomorrow I am going to visit Bob earlier in the day to try to attend some of his therapies. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.

A Busy Day

Today was special because Debbie came to visit from California. She spent the day with him and attended his therapy sessions and participated in some of the games and discussions throughout the day. I showed up later in the the afternoon/early evening with my kids and we all spent time together hanging out with Bob in the sun room at the end of the hallway. It was a mini family reunion and everyone was in good spirits. Bob was very happy to see Debbie. She is returning tomorrow to spend another full day with Bob before her evening flight. I took this photo while Bob was playing another card from that traffic solitaire game (which he beat!):

Today Bob had five therapy sessions. Besides the newly added speech group therapy, now Bob also has occupational group therapy. In this new occupational group therapy Bob plays games that develop his motor and visual coordination, sharpen his focus and strengthen his muscles. It is a valuable experience for Bob to interact with others who have had strokes and have different levels of aphasia. Today they played a game where each person held a cone and they had to balance a ball on top of the cone and move it from one hand to the other and from one person to the other.

For lunch, Debbie treated my mom to lobster rolls and the two of them ate with Bob at the dinning room on his floor. Bob spends most of his awake time on the wheel chair now, going to bed only for naps and night-time sleep.

At group speech therapy today Bob was using his "yes" and "no" cards to answer questions. Last weekend he wasn't too keen on using them but it seems that peer pressure has had an effect and seeing others use them might have persuaded him to do so. My mom noted that one other patient had the same writing tablet that Bob got from my cousin Cecilia. He copied Bob so once again we give props to Ciça and Claudio for such a thoughtful and admired gift.

During physical therapy Bob used the lokomat. It is doing 80% of the work for the right leg now. I am going to try to sneak in before visiting hours on thursday to see him on the lokomat. I'll post pictures if I end up making it. I was told Bob has been cursing at Dan, his physical therapist! He says the word (stop reading this out loud if you are reading to a kid!) "fuck" quite well when he gets frustrated! Dan came into Bob's speech therapy session and was teasing him about it with the speech therapist...

Bob's speech therapist made him a sheet with a picture of a bed, a wheelchair and a bathroom. Debbie said Bob answered the therapist's questions correctly by pointing to the appropriate picture every time. For example, when asked "How did you get here?" Bob pointed to the wheelchair. Debbie also heard him say the word "up" four times when they were practicing opposites and singing "up and down". She said the "down" was hard, and he could only get a "d" sound out. This frustrated Bob because he knew that it wasn't quite right.

It's impossible to say for sure what Bob comprehends or how much he understands of his surroundings. Bob is in such good spirits, laughs easily and is in general in a great mood. It isn't unreasonable to wonder "Does he know what has happened to him?" or "Does he know the extent of the damage that the stroke has caused?" I'm often amazed to see how happy he is when I visit. Debbie and I joked today that he was happier than he used to be before the stroke. I don't want this to come across as callous but most people that know Bob know what a serious guy he was, he had a dry sense of humor. He would never have been described as jolly or chipper. I don't know where I'm going with this but I know I believe that he is committed to his recovery. Whether or not he sees how big the mountain is, I know he is willing to climb it and reach the top. I have no doubt whatsoever that Bob's understanding and comprehension is increasing with each day. Bob continues to be an example of dedication and hard work and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.