Home at last!!!!

Paula is really doing great.....she will come home for a visit tomorrow, and she is REALLY happy about that.......I may need to call on several strong men when I try to take her back though!!!

Please feel free to visit....I'm sorry that I do have to ask you to make it between 1-3:00 PM.

Plans....

Paula called me at 6:00 this morning....and several times since....she told me that she wanted me to start arrainging things so that I could come get her this evening and carry her home and she could come back in the morning to eat breakfast......I told her that she could come home for a few hours on Saturday......I told Alvin that I may need his help when I get ready on Sat to bring her back to the hospital.....maybe some more people also, to get her in the van!!!

I hope that will not be a problem, but Paula IS....ready to come home for good.....she's bored stiff at the hospital....which really shows her mental state is well enough to realize what her situation is.

On her first 3 fingers of her right hand, Paula says she has no feeling, although she CAN write. Also, she shows that she's having some problems with her left eye....but she is reading some things.

Leigh is with her this afternoon, and I'll be going down this evening

Good days.......

I went to MCG the last week for some insurance matters...and told some of Paula's nurses about her progress....and I saw Dr. David Wang (a great guy!). Dr. Wang operated on Paula's head/brain when she was admitted, and continued to see her. He said that he knew we were having some good days, then backed up some, then good days. I told him, "NO......everyday has been a good day....nothing but progress!!!!" He was glad to hear it and wished us well.

Since Friday, I've seen Paula do, and say so many things that indicated rapid progress......she's talked in detail about things that have happened over the last year....that we haven't even discussed prior to her making statements about it.

Her coordination is improving daily.....although it still needs to improve....but today was even SO much better than last Friday.

Paula ate a great breakfast and lunch......and only a few bites for supper. But they will take her feeding tube out as soon as the Dr. can schedule it.

She's been pleading for me to take her home. I went down there yesterday, and to calm her, I spent the night, got home at 9:30 this morning. By 12:00 she had called me 4 times wanting to know when I was going to get there. I got back down there at 3 and stayed 'till around 6. I don't know what I will need to do tomorrow, but keep me in your prayers for strength......and also, my partner, Alvin, as he handles most all of our business. I am trying to help as I can.

Paula will get one of her most immediate wishes......she will come home for a visit on Sat. This will be part of her therapy, I don't know how long she will stay, or if we will have time for visists. I'll have to look at the situation when I find out the times, and determine if visists are appropriate.......

All of you have been such a great support to us during this time, and we appreciate it SO much....I and Paula would REALLY like for you all to come visit......but we will have to look at the fact.....Are visits at this time really what Paula needs.

As I find out more info, I'll keep you informed.

Paula....the comedian!

Paula's laughter normally matches her "glow!" When Paula laughs, she LAUGHS!!!!

So far, she's only called me once today......insisting that I come get her and take her home......I told her no....we can't bring you home now, you've got to get better. She said I will go CRAZY if I have to spend another night here....PLEASE! Take me home! I told her I would be there after lunch, and I would spend the night with her......she said, "Do you promise?".......

Yesterday, she called me 4 times before noon....the last time, she called me, she wanted me to bring:

• some loose fitting pants
• some tops
• a jacket
• a clock.....I said why do you need another clock....there's one on the wall. She said she couldn't see that one at night (which is true, it is not a lighted clock), and she needed to know her schedule and what time they were doing therapy. I said where are you going to put the clock......she said on my pillow behind my head......I said do you have eyes in the back of your head....she said YES!
• and.....a pair of scissors.....I said scissors???? Why do you need scissors? She said to get me OUT of this place!!!!! (she was referring to cutting herself out of the net surround that they've got around her bed)

She told me that she passed her "swallow" test, so she'll be going on a regular diet.

If there is any other substantial news, I'll post again this evening.

Thanks again for your emotional, physical, and financial support....but especially for your prayers.

Healed......

Paula had a good day today.....but she has REALLY gotten fixated on coming home. They will do another swallow test on Paula, and the Speech Therapist said she felt sure Paula would pass it and be able to go on a normal diet. The "thickened" liquids that they're giving her are NOT quenching her thirst. They will also take out her feeding tube VERY soon. Also, they may let Paula come home for a 6-8 Hr visit in the near future......and I think this will be good for her rehabilitation. She told me yesterday that she didn't remember her cats or our house, so I took pictures this AM, printed them out and showed her this afternoon....and she DID remember our house.

The Physical Therapist today was amazed at the difference in Paula since last Friday.....she told Paula, "You have improved SO much since Friday.....what happened over the weekend to make this BIG difference?" Paula replied, "I was healed."!!!!!!!!

God IS good!!!!

Experiment.....

Paula had another good day.....she has been a lot more coherent the last two days than before......but as she told me, "I've got a lot to catch up on." And she does despite the progress of the last 4 weeks.

Every day when I get there, she says "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" When I leave, she says, "Please don't leave!" When I tell her that I'm going to feed the "catilinas"....she's O.K. until I start to put the net enclosure around her....then she says, "No, NO!!!, please don't....." Tonight, I talked to Paula about why it was SO important that she not get out of bed by herself (although she is doing GREAT!) She promised if I didn't put the net up, she would not get out of bed and would push the red button to call a nurse. I talked to the nurse and he said it would be O.K., so we experimented with having only once side of the net up. I ask the nurse to watch her closely. I'd been home about 5 minutes, when Paula called, and ask me to call her at the hospital.....I said, "Paula, I'm talking to you now...." I heard the nurse in the background, and Paula said, "Let me let you talk to the nurse." The nurse said she had gotten out of bed twice, and that when he went to put her in the bed, with the net closed.....she really got upset and VERY loud and insisted on calling me. I told him that was the only choice we had.....so I'm sure I'm on her "No good" list again......oh well!!!!!

Paula pushed ME around the hospital appx 4 times today in the wheelchair and used the stationary bike in between. Big John, the nurse, laughed as he saw us coming down the hall. He said a week ago, he walked Paula around the hospital, and he had to rest her 5-6 times!!!

She ate better today than she ever has.....I believe they will put her on regular liquids and diet tomorrow or Tuesday.

Happy Valentines Day, and may God richly bless you.

"Hey!......Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!!!!".....the comedian

Paula's improving everyday. We've realized that when Paula wants to say something, and can't remember the word she wants to use, she inserts the word "Glucose," or "CBC" (complete blood count), and other words that she used as a Med Tech.



She started eating better yesterday, and ate all of her breakfast this morning.



Yesterday morning, she told me that I would have to fill her in on things, that she knew she had a lot of catching up to do and I would have to help her......which, this was GREAT for her to realize this.



She wanted to talk to Terry and Joy (Terry is one of our pastors), from what I could hear, she carried on a very meaningful conversation about the church, chior, her flute......she told Terry she was anxious to get back and see everyone.....she told him and they would have to help her and show her what to do.



Terry, Joy, Lanis, and Terry were so impressed by their conversation, that they came down yesterday afternoon to see Paula in person.



Amy and Vilas came Friday, and we were sitting here talking with Paula, and Paula said last night was "strange." She said she needed a "number" to get out of her net cage that is around the bed.....and when the nurses would go by she would holler at them "Hey!.....Hey!.......Hey, Hey, Hey!!!!" She said they came in and pointed their finger at her and told her that she needed to go to sleep, that she was the ONLY one in the whole hospital that was awake.....Paula said she just needed a number to get out of bed! When Paula told us about the "Hey, Hey, Hey," she laughed and laughed. We talked about it several times yesterday, and all of us would laugh, but especially Paula.



Paula talked constantly yesterday, and she looked like she wanted to go to sleep, but kept talking.....I told her if she was going to sleep, she would have to keep quiet......she said we'd have to put some tape over her mouth, and then she laughed!

We talked and laughed about the "Hey" and "tape" many times yesterday....Paula was SO funny!

Paula wrote appx. a 1/2 page apology to the night nurses saying "I am sorry that I got so upset to "Name"...." I couldn't ready much of the remainder except for occasional words.....so last night, Paula wanted to go to the nurses station and give them that apology. The nurses just "gushed" over how sweet that was of Paula.