10-8-2008

Phew....what a week. Finally settling down for some dinner. Got the girls down. We are going to the tricities tomorrow in a rv...thanks Jay and Beth for providing that. Should be an interesting trip. Carol always took care of getting Chloe all packed for trips. Lot's of stuff to remember I never had to think about. But I think we are all set....

Carol has had another busy week of rehab, although I haven't gotten all the details. I haven't seen her since Sunday night. I have had the girls every night this week, and work has been crazy busy. Both good things, but it will be good to get the family together for a few days. They are letting Carol stay out until Sunday, which puts her a little behind, but the trip to the tricities is unfortunately a necessary one. I am counting on an emotional couple days. I hope it doesn't snow in the pass. I hate driving in the snow...another thing Carol used to take care of.

Again, thanks to all making food for us, it's unbelievable to not have to worry about that big detail.
Not sure if I mentioned it last week, but the prosthetist took cast impressions of her residual limbs (stumps) at the end of last week. The plan was to get her on her first new feet by weekend this week. This will be postponed until next week. They will be heavy and uncomfortable they are telling us. Most amputees we have talked to, say this is common, and that they will intitially be uncomfortable until her stumps really get set into their final shape. This may take up to 18 months. But in the end they should be light and feel very comfortable. Kind of reminds me making a denture.

Her right hand continues to get better, and Carol is learning to do things with it, with the help of different gripping tools. I think it will never have full function again, but I am hopeful. She actually uses her left arm more than her right for getting herself up, and stabilization. I think besides her vision her right arm is the most frustrating to her. The comment from her is "if I could only get my @#$% right hand to work". Mostly in a humerous way, but there is alot of truth to the way she says it also. She continues to have seperate hand therapy on a different floor at Harborview. Her vision remains the same, no changes. Another neuro-opthomology appointment is coming next week I think. They will continue those regularly througout her life. They/we want to make sure her actualy eyes stay in good condition. She can't really tell if she get's her eye scratched or any other trauma occurs. The thinking there is that when the technology arrives to fix her optic nerves, her eyes won't be a problem, because of some other unrelated event she doesn't even realize is or has happened.

What else has happened this week. I got her wedding ring and other rings fixed and put on a necklace. Thanks to Tom Poe for doing all that....it looks excellent. Not sure if I ever mentioned this. I thought she had been at the hospital for awhile, but after reading her chart is was on the third day at Swedish. Her body had swelled so much from fluids...to over 200 lbs, and we had finally stablized her BP sort of and temp, we finally had a moment to think of other things. We realized her rings were stuck on her fingers. The fingers were so swollen we couldn't get them off. Circulation was an obvious concern. They had to be cut off. I think this is why she lost her right ring finger. Sort of neglectful on the hospital maybe, but being there the whole time......that was the last thing anyone was thinking of those first couple days. Anyway they look great...Carol will be excited to have them back.

Chloe and Carol's relationship is seeming to really be getting back on track. Those first couple weeks having Carol home, I think Chloe was a little confused and upset. She is right back to wanting to be with mom all the time. She even talked to her on the phone for awhile before putting her to bed tonight. I really have it pretty easy at home with the two of them. Chloe has slept from 8-8 since she was 3 months old. Safiya sleeps from 8:30 to 4 or 5am usually...and has for quite some time.

Over the last couple weeks, we have had several offers from different companies and people to pay/provide for Carol's prosthetics. Thank so much. I have just started getting back to some of you, and will get back to the rest of you by the end of the week. It has been really busy during the day at work, and hard for me to make the calls then. Words can't describe the gratitude. I have no idea how I am ever going to repay all this good karma people have been sending us. People continue to donate money, food, time, and prayers and thoughts.....Carol really wanted me to make sure and thank all of you.

night
scott