As I write this, Mark is winding down a very busy day. Physical therapy is the first thing every morning and today the therapists and patients went on a therapeutic outing. Which means, today they took them to the wonderful new outdoor mall and had him wheel himself around and do "normal" stuff, which for Mark I am sure meant stopping at the Italian gelatoria! I am not sure, since I have not seen him yet today.
After the outing, they were going to grill steak, make mashed potatoes, salad and bake cookies for dessert. The guys like Thursdays, because they cook and do not have to eat frozen, microwaved meals. Let me tell you that gets old. Of course, the food at the hospital is the same, but there the meals are microwaved, and then put on a hot cart and brought to the floors. UGH!
His vision is still an issue, which will hopefully get resolved shortly. He saw the neuro-opthomologist on Tuesday. After an eye exam with one of the technicians, it was determined that Mark's astigmatism has again gone back to the stage where he needs to wear glasses again. He then saw the doctor who feels that the double vision has most likely been there all along to some degree and that now Mark is just more aware of it. He does have reading glasses with prisms for this very reason that were given to him a year ago. They are going to make his prescription without the prisms first to see if the eyes will begin to work in tandem again and if not they will change the lenses and add the prisms. Fortunately, there was nothing on the CT scan to indicate that there were any changes since the last one was done.
Well, I am getting ready to go to dinner with one of the other moms since Mark is busy, but I'll check in with him after dinner. Hopefully, he will still be awake!!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sorry for no updates, even though we are in Florida. We have had spotty internet connections here at the Fisher House and they are finally talking about getting it upgraded. I guess the demand is high. So, to sum up, things have been going well. We did not meet with as many of the folks we would have liked to meet with last week. Hopefully, it will all work out this week. We do have our family meeting tomorrow morning and that should help take care of quite a few at once.
Mark has amazed us with how well he takes care of himself. He seems to get very frustrated, however, with certain things, like changes in his schedule, changes in the therapies, etc. We keep trying to tell him that he just has to go with the flow and that these changes are meant to get him out of here faster. He has developed a double vision problem over the last couple of days and the doctor has ordered a CAT scan of the brain and a visit with the eye doctor. Hopefully, we will hear something by the end of the day or tomorrow at the latest. Please keep this latest glitch in your prayers.
We enjoyed a nice weekend where we were able to take him out to dinner, the mall and an outdoor shopping center where we enjoyed the beautiful weather (sorry Clevelanders). I must admit, this is one aspect of Florida I miss right after missing Mark.
I will try to keep you all posted on the happenings this week, WiFi permitting.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
We have had a good couple of days. Yesterday, because of the holiday, Mark was off so we went to the zoo. We had the perfect weather, low 70s and a slight breeze (good for keeping zoo odors at a minimum)! Mark wanted to photograph the animals and took several very good shots to enter into a juried art show at the VA.
Today it was back to the usual routine for Mark. We tagged along with PT to see his progress and he's been doing really well. He is using a walker and has been walking to all his therapies which take place on the same floor as his apartment. Even though they are all in one place, it is quite exhausting. Tonight he was able to have dinner with us at the house and then it was off to bed. His day starts very early.
Tomorrow we will watch some of the other therapies and hopefully, catch up with some of the other patients back on the fifth floor.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's strange to be back in Tampa again. I arrived last night and we went right to the hospital to see Mark in his new apartment. He is doing so well, it's truly a miracle. He told us immediately that he had "cleaned" and even Swiffered the floor before our arrival! The laundry was clean and (yes, Jess) even folded and put away!!! What a brain injury will do!
We grabbed a couple of burgers on our way to the hospital from the airport and a large shake for Mark, since he had already had dinner. It was a fun way to spend Valentine's Day evening. Today, after church we stocked up on our groceries and then spent the afternoon with my family.
It was also good to be welcomed back by my dear friends here. They were all waiting patiently as we came from the airport. Our favorite little bugger gave me a big smile and (with a little coaching from his mom) said "Hi Mimi!!!" What a surprise that was. He has grown and is now quite the little boy, not a baby. His vocabulary is growing in both English and Spanish which is so great to see.
Well, hopefully, if the internet here cooperates, I will be able to post more than I have lately. We have lots of meeting scheduled and hope to get lots of things ironed out before Rich leaves at the end of the week. Tomorrow is a holiday, so that means we get to have Mark free for an extra day which is good since we lost yesterday to a late flight and travel time.
Monday, February 2, 209
Well folks, the fifteen minutes continues. Below is another link, to yet another story about the visit from Mike Ditka and Rocky Bleier to the boys in Mark's unit. Again, it is very touching. As I mentioned when Mike Ditka first visited the unit two months ago, he was very moved and has now aligned his organization, Gridiron Greats, with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
The story in the link below appeared in the Arizona Republic.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2009/01/30/20090130spt-sbbickley.html
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Well, the fifteen minutes of fame continues. The St. Petersburg Times ran a story yesterday about the Wii interactive game system and the way the V.A. uses it for rehabilitation. They featured Mark and his recreational therapist, Jamie Kaplan in the story. The link is below:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/article972376.ece
Mark and Jamie have a great time together and Jamie really pushes Mark to do the things he loved to do before the accident, and if it is something out of Mark's current realm, he finds something equally challenging and fun. They make quite the team.
Mark spent a good part of today with his cousin Alison, who picked him up and took him shopping, to lunch and the market for munchies. It is so nice for him to have family close by to help him have some fun, and do necessary chores. Thanks so much Alison.
The group in Mark's unit were planning on watching the big game tonight along with the nurses!