Prayer Request

Hi - Heidi again - the wheels are turning, however slowly. David has an appointment to go in for testing (heart MRI) mid-January in Sacramento. We will consult with the heart surgeon at some point after those results are read, but not, unfortunately, on the same day. At least things are finally coming about.

We are at a fork in the road with his therapy. We were so grateful that he was able to stay with English Oaks as an outpatient, which was an answer to prayer - genuinely a miracle, as that is something that is just never allowed by insurance. At this point, however, insurance requires that he move on. I can tell that David is concerned. From what we have heard other places in the area focus on orthopedic rather than neurological issues, but David needs therapy focused on neurological issues. He is not in therapy because of a hip replacement or a knee replacement or a sports injury. He's had a stroke. We are concerned that his future care, no matter how good, may just not be directed at the right thing.

His physical therapists at English Oaks were able to address the neurological issues very specifically, and they knew him and his needs so well from having worked with him for 5 weeks, that it was an ideal situation. He had been going in 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time working with two therapists, one for occupational therapy, one for physical therapy. His last session there was this past Monday; he begins at the new place this coming Monday (Jan. 31). I'm not sure how many days a week he will be going, but he will only have 45 minutes of therapy each time he goes in, and it will be exclusively (or almost exclusively) physical therapy.

At this point in his progress, things have really slowed down simply because he's already made the giant leaps forward - moving, standing, walking. He continues to make progress, but it is in fine increments. It was so much more encouraging for him early on to SEE such significant progress daily. As everyone who sees him says, "If I didn't know he'd had a stroke, I'd never know there was anything wrong," and it's true, but there is a lot he is yet missing, especially in terms of sensation and fine motor skills, and he'd sure like to get it all back if he can. He cannot yet run, and he IS a runner. He'd sure like to get that back, but it's not just a matter of trying hard or exercising a lot; his brain needs to be rewired to once again be able to tell his body how to do that, because the brain cells that used to know how to do that died.

Some of the little things get reasonably significant too, especially if alone - such things as buttoning his right sleeve cuff or clipping his fingernails (no can do!) or cutting fruit or vegetables - trying to hold the object in the appropriate position for cutting without cutting fingers off at the same time!

I need to add here that as he and I were talking last night he said, "I know I'm OK, and if this is as much as I get, I can live with that." And I know he could, but . . .

We are praying that this move he has to make will not cause him to lose ground or stall his progress but that someone there will have interest in and training for working specifically on the neurological aspects of physical therapy. David has worked so hard; we sure don't want to just settle for something less than full recovery when it could be a full recovery.