11-5-2008

So today is the big coming home day for Carol. I will post on how that goes. She is abit nervous about it, but more excited than anything. She is nervous that she won't keep progressing in her recovery. We have in house rehab continuing for the forseeable future. Making goals I think is the key...at least for us it usually is.

A few people keep asking about her vision. She just knew I didn't put enough makeup on, she can't see. Her optic nerves, which are nerves that come right out of your brain to your eyes have degenerated. Her visual cortex in her brain is fine, and her eyes are fine. Having your optic nerves degenerate is much like a spinal cord injury in that the body doesn't allow them to regenerate, unlike the nerves elsewhere in your body like her right hand. Her right hand is gradually getting more feeling back in it and more motion becuase the periphal nerves regrow. Science and medicine is working on regrowing optic nerves and all other cranial nerves for that matter. But it is pretty complicated. In any case, the moral of the story is that, it would pretty much take a miracle for her vision to "come back". That is, without medical intervention. Much research is being done in this aread right now, both with stem cell, and other chemical means. Hopefully in her lifetime...other things are being worked on like retinal chips and things of that nature. Hope that clears things up.

Scott