2/25/09

Well Carol has really been rockn the last week or two. She has really been trying to step it up in her recovery. My guess is that she knows she is going to be laid up for a few weeks, so she is really pushing herself. Her balance on her legs and doing things has really gotten better, and her pain has seemed to decrease due to some new med's....Carol went to costco with Heath today after PT in covington. She was stopped by three different people that explained that she didn't know them but they knew of her and follow her story....crazy.

Thanks for all the dinners the last few weeks. I don't know who is doing it per se, but thanks. It makes things so much easier on me, I can't even tell you.


Thanks for the card Jacqui......we think of you often and plan to stop by sometime soon to visit you all at Swedish:)

Scott

2/21/2009

For those that don't know, Carol was on the news again on komo a couple nights ago. Here is the link...nuff said.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39897067.html

thanks for everything...scott

2/9/2009

Well what has been happening lately. As far as Carol....she has been remaining very busy during the week with rehab. She put on her makeup by herself for the first time last week, and even though she is blind, it looked much better than I can do. How do you get mascera (sp?) so close to the eye with out touching and smearing that crap, impossible to get perfect the first time for me...anyway. We've been trying to venture out doing things like going out to eat and stuff like that. On the weekends she get's pretty tired and has been slepping almost all day on Saturday for the past few weeks. When she wakes up from sleeping her eyes have been doing some wierd things, I think I have talked about it a little already. Her pupils have been contricting momentarily when she opens her eyes, and she says she has been seeing wierd things. Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day for us. When she opened her eyes in the afternoon, her pupils were staying constricted for quite awhile. When this happens she says she get's an instant headache, makes it so she can't move really. Just overall wierd symptoms. Anyway, she is seeing her neuroopthomologis tomorrow for the first time in months, maybe he can shed some light.

Carol is scheduled for surgery on her legs, and arm mid-march. She will be in casts for 4-6 weeks after that. I think I have posted what all that is about already. We plan to focus on more of her blindness rehab for that time. Setting up the house a little better for her. Things like having part of the fridge just for her, so everything there remains the same. That theme of things staying the same if very important for her. She gets very frustrated when I move something and don't put back in the same spot. Also, we plan to work on the ocmputer stuff more. She has had two trainings on in so far. It will be slow going with it. Carol says she feels like a baby trying to learn how to use a computer. It's completely different language and is going to take some time.

Yesterday morning, before the crazy part of our day happened we had Willow's Photography (http://www.willowsphotography.com/blog/)come over and do family photos since we havne't been able to do any formal ones. I will try and attach a couple here. Safiya is doing great. She said dad the first time back in January but it was hard to tell if she knew what she was really saying. Over the weekend it has become apparent she really knows I am dada, that is the only thing she can say. Chloe is pretty much great all the time still, but a hand full now. She wants to do everythings herself, and whatever is the opposite of I want her to do. Her most famous lines right now are "I do it", and "no, I don't like it". She also seems to be having some seperation anxiety issues again. I thought we were over that awhile ago..maybe not:)

1/24/09

Nice to hear from you Samantha in Oregon....although duck shirts are not allowed in this house:). Carol will be in touch at some point, and was touched by your letter. Interesting story from Brazil. It shows how lucky we have been through all this. I remeber how worried the doctors were about internal bleeding issues and permanent brain and organ issues from it, and we had none, and her kidneys miraculously started working again. Anywho how bout some pictures from the last couple weeks...

1/20/09

Just wanted to send some additional thanks out to some people while I have a quick second.

Everyone at the Sanders Christmas party who donated to Carol's healthcare fund...thanks!!!!

Jennie Hulbert, and Mandy Rawlings....big thank you.

And the people who got pictures taken by Willow photography in Tacoma...thanks!!! Your pictures all looked very cool.

Just wanted you all to know we really appreciate all the ongoing efforts people are making for us. It's been hard for me to get a second to say thank you lately, and just wanted you to know":)

scott, carol, chloe, and safiya

1/17/09

Well I have been getting alot people asking about what's going on due to my lack of posting...apologies.. Been a rough couple week with her future surgery, and Safiya has been getting up every couple hours at night...so sleep for me has been at a minimum...especially this week. The inlaws are here giving me a break right ...which is great.

Carol is doing fairly well. She hasn't set the next surgery date for sure...but it will probably be in February. Plans have been made to keep her busy rehabbing after while she is healing with blind issues. Organizing things in the house, and putting certain sticky thing on everything to make them identifiable. Many other things on those lines. I have been busy on trying to find a house for us to live in/buy. WE rent now, and longterm no house at least here will be turn key for us. I think we can make anything work, but a specific bath and kitchen remodel would be nice wherever we end up.

No real health changes for Carol. Her finger from the burn is almost healed. She is still getting up on her legs although painful.
She has been having some visual changes. Her pupils aren't really dilated like they used to be for some reason. You know when you see a blind person, there pupils are always very dilated, as was Carol's. There are times she thinks she is seeing shadows, blues, and bright light. Who knows.

Safiya has started eating rice cereal and other stuff. She is getting much taller lately. She said dada for the first time on the 15th ( a couple days ago). More later.

1/6/2008

Well a little bit of a rough couple days for Carol. She got her xrays back from Harborview yesterday on her legs, hand, and arm.

Her right leg has 2 bone spurs which explain alot of the pain she has been having while trying to walk. Each are about a half inch long. The are between her fibia and tibia...one on each of them. Her left arm also has exposed bone again and needs to be corrected. All this means another leg surgery, and another arm surgery, and about 6 weeks of not using them at all. They are talking about doing another in hospital rehab after that. She will need to be refitted for all the prosthetics again after the recovery time. Something she needed soon anyway. She is pretty disheartened by all of it, but I think we both knew it was coming. The arm surgery will shorten it another 1/2 to 3/4 inch. The leg surgery shouldn't change the length. So another 1 step forward and a couple back.....the timing of all this is to be determined. On a brighter note, she finally got her computer today. It talks to her, and she can talk to it. She has a bunch of training on it over the future.

night
scott