Before I get into updates on Randy, I have to tell a funny story ~ more for my parents enoyment than anything else. I was on my way to work today, driving on highway 18 where it is still only a two lane highway. I had my radio on and was singing to whatever song was on. I then noticed a little white spider running along the top of my dashboard. I am sure it was trying to run away from my wonderful off-key singing! I am illogically and comically afraid of spiders. Enough so that in my high school years, in the middle of winter (there was snow on the ground), I ran outside in my barefeet, standing in the carport until one of my parents got home because no matter where I tried to run away from the huge spider in the house, I swear it followed me!
So here I am this morning with this little white spider inside my car. The first thing I do is look for a place to pull over at. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room on the side of the highway for me to stop my car. I know that I can't let this spider continue running around because I could not take my eyes off of it, and that just isn't safe. So with one hand on the steering wheel, I use my other hand to pull my planner out of my purse and then start trying to hit the spider with the planner. Let me tell you, it was a difficult task trying to drive with one hand, keep my eyes on the road long enough to make sure I was staying between my lines, and reaching up to try to hit this spider with the planner! I missed a couple of times and then finally got him. Right after I got him, I quickly checked my rearview mirror and saw that the truck behind me had decided to give me plenty of space! I am sure I looked like a crazy woman!
Anyway... on to Randy's updates for the Memorial Day weekend. Friday, Randy went in to see his physical therapist to work on getting together a game plan for exercises he should be doing now. She was so amazed at the progress he has made since she saw him last (which I think was at the end of November). Friday, she did an evaluation with him. She found that he has gained considerable strength in his left side. It still not comparable to his right side, but it has come a long way. She started working on putting together some exercises for him to do. She said she thinks he should start doing some of the weightlifting in addition to the pool exercises he has been doing. She set up a few follow-up visits to work out the exercise routine with him. He goes back tomorrow for the first follow up visit.
Today, Randy was suppose to start his volunteer work in the church office (he is going to be doing the power point presentation for Sunday sermons). Unfortunately, he and I both forgot. We had a hard time with thinking it was Monday all day. They said they would set it up for him to do tomorrow.
Randy spent the weekend doing little projects around the house. We got a little reimbursment check from insurance for overpayment on presciptions. Since it wasn't money we had budgetted, we decided to use it on a couple of things we had wanted ~ another bookcase and some cheap curtains for our main window. Randy spent the weekend assembling the bookcase and getting the curtains hung. The curtains were a bigger project than I had imagined. We didn't have curtains there before, so Randy had to hang the bar for them. We have blinds on the window, but the blinds are broken. Then, of course, the bar we got was one of the cheapest ones, but it doesn't quite work with the curtains we got. And the curtains were way too long for the window, but we really liked the price so we got them anyway. So he spent awhile using that fake hemming stuff and and getting the bottoms trimmed up.
I wasn't feeling well most of the weekend so Randy wouldn't let me do anything. By Monday, my back and my right leg felt better than they have in quite a while. Our little Yorkie, Max, got his dew claw caught on something and it ripped it part way off, so he got babied this weekend (like he doesn't already!). Today, Randy took him into the vet to get it pulled off the rest of the way. While he was there, Randy had the brilliant idea of getting some drugs for Max for the barbecue. Max loves people and is a very hyperactive dog. He loves to yip and lick everyone to death. He also can't handle being away from people, so if were to lock him up in a room, he would yip non stop. So we had been trying to figure out what to do with him since we want to create an environment where we can visit with everyone. Randy, in all of his brilliance, decided that our best option is to drug Max and let him sleep for awhile. Randy has always been a great problem solver!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Funny Story
I had to share a funny story. At church, Randy doesn't like to sing so he usually sits and looks up things in his Bible. Today, he came across a verse he wanted to show me. He tapped me on the arm and lifted the Bible up to me. As I was reading it, he whispers to me "This verse really correlates with the one that I am learning". To help with Randy's memory problems, the whole family has committed to work on memorizing scripture verses. This week, we all had different ones we wanted to memorize. Randy has been working on his so hard that he often talks about it in his sleep. When he showed me the verse and told me how much it correlated to his verse, I just started laughing. See, the verse he showed me was Proverbs 3:6. The verses that Randy had been learning all week were Proverbs 3:5&6. So, it was the second half of his set of verses.
Also at church today, our pastor used a prop, which he often does. His prop today was this thing that went on his head. It was a band that had spring things coming out of the front of it. The springs came down, ending just about eye level. During the first part of the message, he began putting sticky notes on the ends of the springs so the notes were right before his eyes. Cass and I decided that Randy needed one of these contraptions!
Also at church today, our pastor used a prop, which he often does. His prop today was this thing that went on his head. It was a band that had spring things coming out of the front of it. The springs came down, ending just about eye level. During the first part of the message, he began putting sticky notes on the ends of the springs so the notes were right before his eyes. Cass and I decided that Randy needed one of these contraptions!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Exhausting Week
This week has been a very tiring week this week. Randy has seemed to move from grinding his teeth to talking in his sleep. Both Randy and Cass talk in their sleep, but with Randy, it is usually only once in awhile. This week, though, it has been every night starting with the Friday before Mother's Day. Even on days that he had gone to Bally's and had exercised ~ he still woke me up throughout the night. One night, he woke me up several times to tell me how much he loved me and appreciated me. Of course, he was asleep through it all. The next day, I told him I would like to be loved and appreciated a little less. I was so exhausted the next day that I had to take a nap during my lunch break.
Today, the three of us had volunteered to do some service work with our church for a place that provides housing for single mothers who need a little extra help. I woke up with a horrible headache. I think it was from a mixture of lack of sleep and allergies. Cass and I stayed home (she is still having some issues with her allergies) and Randy went to help out. So I got to catch up on a little bit of sleep!
Randy had a great time helping out. He worked alongside the pastor, who is familiar with some of the deficits that Randy has with his left side.
Tonight, the three of us played Clue. Randy had a little bit of a hard time with it. He won the first game, but only because Cass and I reminded him of things he had already discovered. Cass has never played Clue before. She is a little too talkative of a kid. She kept giving clues away. But then Randy would forget the clues she had given away. Thankfully, he finds his lack of memory as humorous as we do, so we all had a great time tonight.
Today, the three of us had volunteered to do some service work with our church for a place that provides housing for single mothers who need a little extra help. I woke up with a horrible headache. I think it was from a mixture of lack of sleep and allergies. Cass and I stayed home (she is still having some issues with her allergies) and Randy went to help out. So I got to catch up on a little bit of sleep!
Randy had a great time helping out. He worked alongside the pastor, who is familiar with some of the deficits that Randy has with his left side.
Tonight, the three of us played Clue. Randy had a little bit of a hard time with it. He won the first game, but only because Cass and I reminded him of things he had already discovered. Cass has never played Clue before. She is a little too talkative of a kid. She kept giving clues away. But then Randy would forget the clues she had given away. Thankfully, he finds his lack of memory as humorous as we do, so we all had a great time tonight.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Catching Up
It has been a few days since I have updated... and they have been busy days!
Randy went to his Primary Care Physician on Thursday. He and I keep her in business! He talked to her about what the Neurologists at Harborview said about upping his Gabapentin (the medication he takes for his nerve damage). She upped his dosage from 900 to 1200. I guess 1200 is still a low dose comparetively with that medication. We are hoping this increase will help his sleeping habits and his tremors. So far they haven't done much for the sleeping habits! He has gotten very little sleep since starting them, which unfortunately means I have gotten very little sleep.
While he was at the doctor, I got a call from Cass's school. She has been having issues with rashes from allergies. Thursday, she had been in the nurse's office a couple of times so they tried to reach Randy to bring benadryl, but they couldn't track Randy down. When they finally got a hold of me, though, Cass said it was starting to hurt her. So I left work and took her to the doctor. Apparently, something in her system didn't react well with the sun. She hasn't taken any new medication or anything, so we aren't sure what the cause was. Everywhere the sun touched her other than her face, was covered with a rash. It wasn't just a minor little rash. It looked awful. The doctor gave us some medication that wouldn't make her tired like Benadryl does and said to give her oatmeal baths. We took her home, gave her the medicine and the oatmeal baths. Then, as the sun was starting to go away, we let her go outside and play with friends. A couple of hours later, she was miserable. The next day, her leg was all purple. We kept her home and inside the next day and that evening, we headed to Yakima for Mother's Day weekend. By Saturday, the rash was starting to look a bit better. There were some festivities going on in Zillah (a little outside of Yakima), so we covered her with sunscreen and clothes and let her go. The sun still got to her. Today (Monday) we kept her home from school again and kept her inside. It is looking so much better, but I fear that tomorrow will bring the rash back out when she goes outside. I really hope whatever is causing this will get out of her system!
Mother's Day weekend was very nice. Randy's parents got tickets to a play at Zillah high school ~ they put on Beauty and the Beast, and they did an excellent job! We also got to see Randy's Aunt and Uncle and their son. They haven't gotten to see Randy since he was in the hospital. They were amazed at the recovery he has made since then!
Sunday, we all went out for a very nice breakfast and then headed to church. After church, I took a nap so I would have enough energy to drive home. As I said earlier in the post, Randy did nto sleep well at all. When he did finally sleep, he tossed and turned and did a whole lot of talking in his sleep. Nights like that, I hate the fact that I am now such a light sleeper.
Tonight, we took Cass up to Seattle to have her picture taken. They had someone there that did her hair and makeup. We brought a suitcase full of clothes and the photographer picked out the outfits. The guy that did the hair and make up did an excellent job. He made Cass look like a little girl, which is not something I get to see often. Cass loves baggy clothes and doesn't care for the color pink. Even when her hair was long, she wouldn't wear it up. It always had to be down and pushed back behind her ears. The guy tonight used a curling iron, put a little makeup on her, and had her wearing a pink ribbon. She looked adorable. She hated it! I will have to post some of the pictures when they come back in a week or so.
Last little thing I wanted to post ~ Randy's 1 year anniversary is coming up next month. We would really like to celebrate it because we feel like we have so much to celebrate. We of course want to celebrate the fact that Randy is alive, but we also want to celebrate in the fact that we have been put on a path of an amazing journey, though it isn't the path we would have chosen ourselves!
Randy wants to have a Barbeque potluck at our house. We will supply burgers, hotdogs and some pops. We want to invite people to come and bring whatever dish they would like to make and any additional drinks they would like (no alcohol please). Kids are welcome! We would like to have this on Saturday, June 23rd. Randy would love to see everyone, so please pass this invitation around!!
Randy went to his Primary Care Physician on Thursday. He and I keep her in business! He talked to her about what the Neurologists at Harborview said about upping his Gabapentin (the medication he takes for his nerve damage). She upped his dosage from 900 to 1200. I guess 1200 is still a low dose comparetively with that medication. We are hoping this increase will help his sleeping habits and his tremors. So far they haven't done much for the sleeping habits! He has gotten very little sleep since starting them, which unfortunately means I have gotten very little sleep.
While he was at the doctor, I got a call from Cass's school. She has been having issues with rashes from allergies. Thursday, she had been in the nurse's office a couple of times so they tried to reach Randy to bring benadryl, but they couldn't track Randy down. When they finally got a hold of me, though, Cass said it was starting to hurt her. So I left work and took her to the doctor. Apparently, something in her system didn't react well with the sun. She hasn't taken any new medication or anything, so we aren't sure what the cause was. Everywhere the sun touched her other than her face, was covered with a rash. It wasn't just a minor little rash. It looked awful. The doctor gave us some medication that wouldn't make her tired like Benadryl does and said to give her oatmeal baths. We took her home, gave her the medicine and the oatmeal baths. Then, as the sun was starting to go away, we let her go outside and play with friends. A couple of hours later, she was miserable. The next day, her leg was all purple. We kept her home and inside the next day and that evening, we headed to Yakima for Mother's Day weekend. By Saturday, the rash was starting to look a bit better. There were some festivities going on in Zillah (a little outside of Yakima), so we covered her with sunscreen and clothes and let her go. The sun still got to her. Today (Monday) we kept her home from school again and kept her inside. It is looking so much better, but I fear that tomorrow will bring the rash back out when she goes outside. I really hope whatever is causing this will get out of her system!
Mother's Day weekend was very nice. Randy's parents got tickets to a play at Zillah high school ~ they put on Beauty and the Beast, and they did an excellent job! We also got to see Randy's Aunt and Uncle and their son. They haven't gotten to see Randy since he was in the hospital. They were amazed at the recovery he has made since then!
Sunday, we all went out for a very nice breakfast and then headed to church. After church, I took a nap so I would have enough energy to drive home. As I said earlier in the post, Randy did nto sleep well at all. When he did finally sleep, he tossed and turned and did a whole lot of talking in his sleep. Nights like that, I hate the fact that I am now such a light sleeper.
Tonight, we took Cass up to Seattle to have her picture taken. They had someone there that did her hair and makeup. We brought a suitcase full of clothes and the photographer picked out the outfits. The guy that did the hair and make up did an excellent job. He made Cass look like a little girl, which is not something I get to see often. Cass loves baggy clothes and doesn't care for the color pink. Even when her hair was long, she wouldn't wear it up. It always had to be down and pushed back behind her ears. The guy tonight used a curling iron, put a little makeup on her, and had her wearing a pink ribbon. She looked adorable. She hated it! I will have to post some of the pictures when they come back in a week or so.
Last little thing I wanted to post ~ Randy's 1 year anniversary is coming up next month. We would really like to celebrate it because we feel like we have so much to celebrate. We of course want to celebrate the fact that Randy is alive, but we also want to celebrate in the fact that we have been put on a path of an amazing journey, though it isn't the path we would have chosen ourselves!
Randy wants to have a Barbeque potluck at our house. We will supply burgers, hotdogs and some pops. We want to invite people to come and bring whatever dish they would like to make and any additional drinks they would like (no alcohol please). Kids are welcome! We would like to have this on Saturday, June 23rd. Randy would love to see everyone, so please pass this invitation around!!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Last Few Days
The last few days have been good. Randy hasn't been grinding has teeth at night, or maybe I am just sleeping through it, either way, I love it!
Wednseday, he did some volunteer work at Green River Community College. They were having health days and he worked in one of the booths. I think he enjoyed being out and getting to meet some new people.
Friday, he went to go to Bally's, but when he got there, he realized that he had forgotten his swimming clothes. So he and Cass went Saturday and had a great time. Randy did some laps using a floaty device. He was really working his arms. It really wore him out and he is a little sore today from it. He wants to get into the habit of going swimming at least 3 times a week. He usually feels really good after going, though it does really wear him out.
Wednseday, he did some volunteer work at Green River Community College. They were having health days and he worked in one of the booths. I think he enjoyed being out and getting to meet some new people.
Friday, he went to go to Bally's, but when he got there, he realized that he had forgotten his swimming clothes. So he and Cass went Saturday and had a great time. Randy did some laps using a floaty device. He was really working his arms. It really wore him out and he is a little sore today from it. He wants to get into the habit of going swimming at least 3 times a week. He usually feels really good after going, though it does really wear him out.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
NeuroPsych Visit
Today, Randy had an appointment to talk to the Neuropsychologist. Someone had sent him a job description of what they are anticipating what Randy would do upon his return and the Neuropsych was a little worried about it and wanted Randy and I to come in and discuss it with him. Upon reading the job requirements, it does sound like a lot. However, Randy read it and said "Oh yeah, that all looks like easy stuff. Only a portion of what I use to do." The doctor was feeling very uneasy about it, though. We all came to the agreement that Randy will undergo another Neuropsych evaluation towards the beginning of June so that we can get a good measure of how much he has healed and what his capabilities are at that point.
Randy and I also had a session with the counselor today ~ the one that has a lot of experience dealing with TBI survivors and their families. Twenty minutes into the session, she told Randy that she sees a big change in him from last week. She said that he is so much more focused this week. I hadn't noticed it until she said something, but then I did realize that he was staying on topic very well and wasn't going off on long-winded tangents. He really was staying more focused in his thought processes and his conversation. Over the last week, he has been doing a lot more reading and has been able to retain things for a longer period of time. He is actually able to read a book and is able to follow along with the plot. So a lot of change has been happening, a lot of healing going on. I don't always see it because I am with him every day. I love it when people who haven't seen him in awhile point things out.
Randy and I also had a session with the counselor today ~ the one that has a lot of experience dealing with TBI survivors and their families. Twenty minutes into the session, she told Randy that she sees a big change in him from last week. She said that he is so much more focused this week. I hadn't noticed it until she said something, but then I did realize that he was staying on topic very well and wasn't going off on long-winded tangents. He really was staying more focused in his thought processes and his conversation. Over the last week, he has been doing a lot more reading and has been able to retain things for a longer period of time. He is actually able to read a book and is able to follow along with the plot. So a lot of change has been happening, a lot of healing going on. I don't always see it because I am with him every day. I love it when people who haven't seen him in awhile point things out.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Funny Story
I just had to share this story ~ last night, Randy and I were lying in bed reading and our two dogs were laying at our feet. Randy put his book down and went in the other room to grab something. He then went over to our sliding glass door and opened it. I then heard him whistle and call the dogs to come in. Both dogs looked up at me like "what is he doing"?He had let them in from outside about 10 or so minutes earlier. I just shrugged my shoulders, and they both jumped off the bed and ran in to him. When he heard their feet pitter pattering on our hard wood floor, he just started to laugh. The funny thing is that this is an almost nightly occurrence around our house lately. The dogs can be right at his feet and he will go over to the door to let them in. I love that he can laugh at himself and he doesn't get mad that I laugh at him!
Today, we had a good day. Randy didn't sleep well at all last night. He has tremors and quite often they keep him awake. I think he finally went to bed around 5 am this morning. I didn't sleep that well because he wasn't in there. So when the alarm went off for us to get up for church, neither of us could get up. I had thought that Cass would come encourage us to get up, but she wasn't up either. She normally gets up early on the weekends, but yesterday, she had gone to Portland with a friend of hers and hadn't gotten home till after 10 pm. So we were all exhausted and almost didn't get up time to get to church. We missed most of the singing, but we made it!
After church, Cass went and hung out with her friend while Randy and I went to a barbecue that was put on my the leaders of the brain injury support group that we like to attend. We haven't been to that group in the last two months. I didn't realize how much I missed being around some of those people until today. It was a beautiful day for a barbecue! It was held at the group leaders house. Their backyard is at a slope, but they made it into a little park area. It even has a stream that comes down the slope into a little pond with fish in it. They have a stone at the base that says "Kent's park" (Kent is the group leader that has the head injury). Randy had a little trouble walking around because of the unevenness of the ground. It served as a good reminder that, even though he has improved so much in his walking, we really should carry around the cane for those "just in case" situations like today.
Today, we had a good day. Randy didn't sleep well at all last night. He has tremors and quite often they keep him awake. I think he finally went to bed around 5 am this morning. I didn't sleep that well because he wasn't in there. So when the alarm went off for us to get up for church, neither of us could get up. I had thought that Cass would come encourage us to get up, but she wasn't up either. She normally gets up early on the weekends, but yesterday, she had gone to Portland with a friend of hers and hadn't gotten home till after 10 pm. So we were all exhausted and almost didn't get up time to get to church. We missed most of the singing, but we made it!
After church, Cass went and hung out with her friend while Randy and I went to a barbecue that was put on my the leaders of the brain injury support group that we like to attend. We haven't been to that group in the last two months. I didn't realize how much I missed being around some of those people until today. It was a beautiful day for a barbecue! It was held at the group leaders house. Their backyard is at a slope, but they made it into a little park area. It even has a stream that comes down the slope into a little pond with fish in it. They have a stone at the base that says "Kent's park" (Kent is the group leader that has the head injury). Randy had a little trouble walking around because of the unevenness of the ground. It served as a good reminder that, even though he has improved so much in his walking, we really should carry around the cane for those "just in case" situations like today.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Whistling
Randy and I have given up on the whole mought guard idea for his teeth grinding issue. Every night without fail, in the middle of the night, he ends up taking it out while he is asleep. Max (our Yorkie) usually ends up finding them the next morning. So I have resolved to myself to wear earplugs and then, when he gets so loud I can hear him even with the earplugs on, I make him roll over and face the other direction. Last night, though, Randy must have subconciously decided he wanted to be extra annoying. Not only did he very loudly grind his teeth throughout the night, but he also began whistling. I pulled my ear plugs out and turned over to look at him to make sure he really was asleep (and he most definitely was!). I just looked at him and said "Seriously?!" He is bound and determined to not let me sleep!
We have more good news about Randy's eyes. As I have posted in the past, with the type of double-vision Randy has, prism glasses don't usually work and for Randy they haven't yet. However, last night, he used them to read and found that they were giving him single vision at some distances. Things that were really close and things that were far away still were seen as two, but when looking at me (I was sitting right next to him) and looking at Daisy (who was lying next to Randy's knee), he saw only one of us. This is great. This means that healing is going on in there. We fully expect his double-vision to be healed.
Today, Randy went down to Ballys and worked out in their pool for awhile. he is going to make it part of his regular routine. He does great when working on mental exercises, but struggles to make himself consistently work on his physical needs. Randy has always been like that ~ he is a book guy, loves learning. But he said he felt really good after his workout today. He then hung out in their sauna for awhile and he was left feeling really good after that.
We have more good news about Randy's eyes. As I have posted in the past, with the type of double-vision Randy has, prism glasses don't usually work and for Randy they haven't yet. However, last night, he used them to read and found that they were giving him single vision at some distances. Things that were really close and things that were far away still were seen as two, but when looking at me (I was sitting right next to him) and looking at Daisy (who was lying next to Randy's knee), he saw only one of us. This is great. This means that healing is going on in there. We fully expect his double-vision to be healed.
Today, Randy went down to Ballys and worked out in their pool for awhile. he is going to make it part of his regular routine. He does great when working on mental exercises, but struggles to make himself consistently work on his physical needs. Randy has always been like that ~ he is a book guy, loves learning. But he said he felt really good after his workout today. He then hung out in their sauna for awhile and he was left feeling really good after that.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
SSI
We got a response from SSI today. They denied our claim. Their reasoning was that, from all of the reports they received from the various doctors, they believe that Randy will be able to return to some form of work before the 1 year mark of his accident, making him inelligible for the benefit. We weren't surprised with their response. Randy has started the process of returning to work. I had wanted him to wait until after the summer, thinking that he could go over and hang out with his dad on the orchard and allow his body a little more time to heal. I don't feel completely confident that he is quite ready to go back.
Randy sent me an email today that I wanted to share. A coworker of his sent him a book called "Health Food: a daily guide to spiritual nourishment for the soul". I have opened the book often and have found great inspiration from it. Today was Randy's first day every opening the book and reading it. He said what he read today adjusted his thinking. In the reading, it talks of a man who asked a christian couple if, when they went to the altar to be saved, they prayed for faith that God would save them. The couple responded that they had not. In going to the altar, they had faith and knew that they would be saved. In the same thinking, why pray that God would give you faith to be healed. Just as you believe that you will be saved, believe that you will be healed.
Randy sent me an email today that I wanted to share. A coworker of his sent him a book called "Health Food: a daily guide to spiritual nourishment for the soul". I have opened the book often and have found great inspiration from it. Today was Randy's first day every opening the book and reading it. He said what he read today adjusted his thinking. In the reading, it talks of a man who asked a christian couple if, when they went to the altar to be saved, they prayed for faith that God would save them. The couple responded that they had not. In going to the altar, they had faith and knew that they would be saved. In the same thinking, why pray that God would give you faith to be healed. Just as you believe that you will be saved, believe that you will be healed.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Dr Baxstrom Visit
Randy had an appointment with Dr Baxstrom this morning. As I was driving to work, I had the realization that it would be the first time that he would be driving their all by himself. The times that I have driven him, he had never quite remembered where to turn. I called him and he assured me that he knew how to get there. He said he knew the back way. Baxstrom's office is by a mall in Federal Way and as long as Randy could find his way to the mall, I knew he would be fine. Still feeling a little uneasy, I told him to call me if he needed my help. As I pulled in to work, I happen to look down at my cell phone and saw that I had two missed calls from him ~ I hadn't heard my cell phone go off. When I called him, he said he had found his way to the mall, but couldn't quite figure out which direction it was from there. I said "So you are by the mall in Federal Way?". He paused for a moment and then laughed. He had gone to the SuperMall in Auburn. He had remembered it was by a mall but got the wrong mall! I ended up getting him the address as soon as I got into work. He pulled over and put the address in his GPS system and was finally able to find his way there. Thank God for GPS systems!!
Dr Baxstrom gave Randy some good news about his eyes ~ they are 20/20 vision. It seems the eye drops Randy was given in February worked and stopped the spasms that were going on, giving him the nearsightedness. This is great news! Now we need prayer that the nerves that are causing his double vision will be healed.
Dr Baxstrom gave Randy some good news about his eyes ~ they are 20/20 vision. It seems the eye drops Randy was given in February worked and stopped the spasms that were going on, giving him the nearsightedness. This is great news! Now we need prayer that the nerves that are causing his double vision will be healed.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Amazing Weekend
We had an amazing weekend. Randy and I went to “A Weekend to Remember” seminar put on by Family Life. We had such a great time. I believe there were close to 600 people there and it was a variety of people. There were those who were engaged, those who were recently married, those who had been married awhile, those who were on their 2nd or so marriage, and even those who had been married over 50 years. During the weekend, they would have speakers talk about various subjects and then they would have “projects” that you and your spouse were to work on together on. Randy and I worked very well together throughout the projects and came up with a lot of changes that we want to implement in our lives, both as individuals and as a couple. It was a great seminar and we highly recommend it!
We went with a group of 4 other couples from our church. I think we were the only ones that went to every session from start to finish. We took notes on things that really spoke to us individually and then shared them together. We enjoyed being with the others and getting to know the other couples ~ most of them we see in passing and will occasionally say hi to as church, but have never really had conversations with. It was nice to get a chance to talk more in-depth with them. I thought it was kind of interesting that all of us from that church that decided to go to this conference were all on our 2nd marriages. The only difference was that Randy and I just happen to remarry the same person we had divorced! Our first marriage lasted 4 years. Come this September, we will be hitting our 5th anniversary for this marriage.
During our first marriage, through our divorce, and throughout a lot of this second marriage, God has not been our focus. Together, we are learning and growing. I think Randy said it best in a little note he wrote in his workbook from the seminar “I’m also really thankful God brought us back together even when we were not paying attention to God”.
Through reading this sentence, I am reminded that I married a great man.
We went with a group of 4 other couples from our church. I think we were the only ones that went to every session from start to finish. We took notes on things that really spoke to us individually and then shared them together. We enjoyed being with the others and getting to know the other couples ~ most of them we see in passing and will occasionally say hi to as church, but have never really had conversations with. It was nice to get a chance to talk more in-depth with them. I thought it was kind of interesting that all of us from that church that decided to go to this conference were all on our 2nd marriages. The only difference was that Randy and I just happen to remarry the same person we had divorced! Our first marriage lasted 4 years. Come this September, we will be hitting our 5th anniversary for this marriage.
During our first marriage, through our divorce, and throughout a lot of this second marriage, God has not been our focus. Together, we are learning and growing. I think Randy said it best in a little note he wrote in his workbook from the seminar “I’m also really thankful God brought us back together even when we were not paying attention to God”.
Through reading this sentence, I am reminded that I married a great man.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Neurology Visit
Yesterday, Randy had a follow up visit with the Neurologist at Harborivew. The doctor was amazed as Randy's progress since his last visit. The intern mentioned that more physical exercise would help Randy continue improvement from this point. That is something that Randy and I have been discussing a lot lately. I got him that membershit to Bally's, but he hasn't utlized it yet. He and I will be coming up with a schedule for him to do throughout the week that will include going to Bally's at least twice. Randy has also contacted his previous Physical Therapist to do a "check-up" appointment to see if she can recommend some specific exercises he can do at this point to continue working on his balance and improving his strength in his left side.
The doctor did recommend that Randy get with his primary care physician and discuss uping his dosage of Gabapentin. Randy's PCP had just upped it in February, but, according to the Neurologist, the dosage Randy is taking is still a relatively low dose. The doctor said that upping that medication might also help Randy with his tremors, which would be great!
This weekend, Randy and I are getting some time together, which I am very excited about. We get to attend a marriage seminar up in Bellevue. Randy's mom is coming to stay at our house to take care of Cass and our menagerie. I am excited to have a chance to get away for a bit.
The doctor did recommend that Randy get with his primary care physician and discuss uping his dosage of Gabapentin. Randy's PCP had just upped it in February, but, according to the Neurologist, the dosage Randy is taking is still a relatively low dose. The doctor said that upping that medication might also help Randy with his tremors, which would be great!
This weekend, Randy and I are getting some time together, which I am very excited about. We get to attend a marriage seminar up in Bellevue. Randy's mom is coming to stay at our house to take care of Cass and our menagerie. I am excited to have a chance to get away for a bit.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Last Few Days
Friday, Randy went back to the doctor. He saw a commerical for restless leg syndrome and felt that the symptoms matched what he has been feeling when trying to go to sleep. I think what he is feeling is his nerves going through the healing process. Since we couldn't afford the sleeping medication the doctor had prescribed, Randy decided to see if medication for restless leg syndrome would help. The doctor said it would take a few days to get into his system, but Randy says he is already feeling some difference in his leg.
Unfortunately, it dos not stop the teeth grinding. I have ear plugs, but many times Randy sticks his mouth right next to my ears so I can still hear it. I think he is doing it to spite me!
Today, Randy went down to the Boeing Employee Flight Association to check out volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately, right now the only time slot they had didn't work with getting Cass from school.
Unfortunately, it dos not stop the teeth grinding. I have ear plugs, but many times Randy sticks his mouth right next to my ears so I can still hear it. I think he is doing it to spite me!
Today, Randy went down to the Boeing Employee Flight Association to check out volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately, right now the only time slot they had didn't work with getting Cass from school.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Rough Day
Randy is coming home this evening. His dad is flying out of Seattle tonight so he is driving Randy over here. Randy said he had a good time getting away and hanging out on the orchard, but he was ready to head home. Cass will be staying through Sunday. She has always loved it over there. It has been nice having the house to myself even though I didn’t do anything different than if they had been here, but I am ready for them to come back.
Today has been a bit of a rough day. Just a little background ~ 2 years ago, the company I worked for (Western Wireless), merged with Alltel. The transition was hard on those who had been with Western for a while because Western was a very employee oriented company. The two companies had very different cultures. I, as a supervisor, struggled a bit with going from a company that allowed me to structure my coaching and mentoring to the individual need to a company that micro-manages all employees. I am not saying micromanaging is a bad thing, I believe some people need that and others cannot work in that type of an environment. After Randy’s accident, I began looking at opportunities outside of the company, but then realized that with our current situation I could not go down in pay at all. Being with the company for 8 years, I have established myself there. So I made the decision to stay and made the decision that I needed to find away to balance out my coaching style with the Alltel micromanaging way. I have come to really like it there. I still don’t like the company, but I have really become involved with my employees and I have loved working with them to improve their performances and to help them find the joy in their job. Recently, we did a bid for new shifts and employees had the option to try to get different shifts with different supervisors. Almost all of my employees stayed with me ~ some even taking shifts they didn’t necessarily like. That meant a lot to me and showed me how far I have come as a leader.
Unfortunately, we got the news today that Alltel will be closing down our call center. There was no offering of relocating to any of their other call centers (not that we could take that because we would have too much here to leave behind). I will be out of a job as of October 1st. For those of you out there who believe in prayer, please pray for us, that I will have wisdom in knowing what to do to prepare for this.
Today has been a bit of a rough day. Just a little background ~ 2 years ago, the company I worked for (Western Wireless), merged with Alltel. The transition was hard on those who had been with Western for a while because Western was a very employee oriented company. The two companies had very different cultures. I, as a supervisor, struggled a bit with going from a company that allowed me to structure my coaching and mentoring to the individual need to a company that micro-manages all employees. I am not saying micromanaging is a bad thing, I believe some people need that and others cannot work in that type of an environment. After Randy’s accident, I began looking at opportunities outside of the company, but then realized that with our current situation I could not go down in pay at all. Being with the company for 8 years, I have established myself there. So I made the decision to stay and made the decision that I needed to find away to balance out my coaching style with the Alltel micromanaging way. I have come to really like it there. I still don’t like the company, but I have really become involved with my employees and I have loved working with them to improve their performances and to help them find the joy in their job. Recently, we did a bid for new shifts and employees had the option to try to get different shifts with different supervisors. Almost all of my employees stayed with me ~ some even taking shifts they didn’t necessarily like. That meant a lot to me and showed me how far I have come as a leader.
Unfortunately, we got the news today that Alltel will be closing down our call center. There was no offering of relocating to any of their other call centers (not that we could take that because we would have too much here to leave behind). I will be out of a job as of October 1st. For those of you out there who believe in prayer, please pray for us, that I will have wisdom in knowing what to do to prepare for this.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Off to Yakima
Randy and Cass left for Yakima today with Randy's mom. It feels a little strange having the house to myself. I am not quite sure what to do with myself! When I talked to him this evening, he said he made the trip very well. He didn't have any issues with car sickness because he used one of the sea sickness patches.
Randy has having issues sleeping lately. He was doing very good for a while, but the last few nights, he hasn't been able to fall asleep. Last night, he ended up getting up for awhile because he didn't want to keep me awake. When he came back to lie down, he still couldn't lie still so he slept in Cass's bed (she was in the guest bedroom sleeping with Randy's mom). I am hoping he can stablize his sleeping habits again because he doesn't function that well without sleep.
Randy has having issues sleeping lately. He was doing very good for a while, but the last few nights, he hasn't been able to fall asleep. Last night, he ended up getting up for awhile because he didn't want to keep me awake. When he came back to lie down, he still couldn't lie still so he slept in Cass's bed (she was in the guest bedroom sleeping with Randy's mom). I am hoping he can stablize his sleeping habits again because he doesn't function that well without sleep.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Happy Easter
I hope everyone had a great Easter! Ours was pretty quiet, much to Cass's disappointment. We did make it to church and went to dinner at a diner Randy really likes in Black Diamond ~ his parents got us an Easter gift certificate there. My back has been giving me some issues the last few days, so Randy was in charge of being the easter bunny and hiding eggs. Cassandra had the brilliant foresight of using plastic eggs instead of coloring eggs and using them as we normally do. It turned out to be a brilliant idea since we cannot find two of the eggs and Randy has absolutely no clue where he could have hidden them.
This evening, we took dinner to Zack's family (the kid who suffered a head injury in a football game). The mom quite her job and takes care of Zack because they didn't like any of the alternatives. It has been 6 months since Zack's accident. He hasn't talked yet. The mom said they keep his cell phone active and play his voice mail message on it sometimes to hear his voice. It is very apparent that Zack can understand what is going on around him, but he just can't respond. He has had a series of strokes. Seeing Zack made me very thankful for the speed of Randy's recovery. At six months, Randy was up walking around and able to communicate at that stage.
This evening, we took dinner to Zack's family (the kid who suffered a head injury in a football game). The mom quite her job and takes care of Zack because they didn't like any of the alternatives. It has been 6 months since Zack's accident. He hasn't talked yet. The mom said they keep his cell phone active and play his voice mail message on it sometimes to hear his voice. It is very apparent that Zack can understand what is going on around him, but he just can't respond. He has had a series of strokes. Seeing Zack made me very thankful for the speed of Randy's recovery. At six months, Randy was up walking around and able to communicate at that stage.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Last Couple of Days
Well, Georgie didn't make it through even that first night. We were all very sorry to lose her ~ she was a very well loved Guinea Pig. Cass has decided to wait a little while before trying to get any other pets, which I think is very wise! Losing 2 of her pets within just a few months has been a bit hard on her. None of us got much sleep that first night after taking her to the vet. For Cass and I, functioning without much sleep, though not fun, we got through the next day. However, for Randy, when he doesn't get much sleep it seems to wreak havoc on his whole system. For the next day, his balance was off so he had a harder time walking and he had a very difficult time processing information ~ sometimes things had to be explained a few times before he understood. Things that would have a negative affect on anyone (lack of sleep, poor diet, etc), seem to have an amplified negative affect on those in the recovery process for head injury.
And for the first time in quite a while, he was very difficult to wake up! When I left, I thought I had succeeded in finally get him awake, but then I found out later that as soon as I walked out the door, he sat back down and was right back to snoozing. Thankfully, Cass has been walking to school with our neighbor, who works in the school office, and when Cass didn't show up to her house on time, she came over and found them both sleeping!
And for the first time in quite a while, he was very difficult to wake up! When I left, I thought I had succeeded in finally get him awake, but then I found out later that as soon as I walked out the door, he sat back down and was right back to snoozing. Thankfully, Cass has been walking to school with our neighbor, who works in the school office, and when Cass didn't show up to her house on time, she came over and found them both sleeping!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Georgie
We finally have our dishwasher back working. Everytime that our neighbor came over to help, Randy wasn't here. Yesterday, Randy started heading out again and I told him that I could not handle having a dishwasher sitting in the middle of my kitchen and not having access to the kitchen sink. Randy went in there and messed with the dishwasher until he, by himself, was able to figure out what exactly was wrong with it. He went to Home Depot, got the little part and all is well now! One funny thing, though, was that Randy had thought he had lost one of the pipes for the sink. He bought one from McClendon's and found it didn't fit. He then bought one from Home Depot and found it didn't fit either. He then got to really looking at the pipes and realized that there was no pipe missing ~ he had just not connected them back up. So, the pipes were right in front of them the entire time! I found it very funny.
On a sad note, our Guinea Pig, Georgie is very sick. Every night, when I go into tuck Cass in, I always talk to Georgie. I realized that the last few days, she really hasn't responded ~ she just sat in her house. Last night, she wasn't inside the house, but she didn't move or really respond to me. I opened the cage and went to pet her and found she was incredibly skinny. You couldn't tell by looking at her, though, because of all of her hair. She seemed very lethargic. Randy thought she was just very dehydrated because we have a very hard time keeping her water bottle up ~ we are constantly picking it up from the ground. We filled her water up and filled up her food dish. Both were completely full tonight when I checked on her. We took her to the only Animal Hospital in our area that will deal with Guinea Pigs. The doctor said she almost died during his examination. He thinks she has some type of infection, but isn't sure. Cass is the one that takes care of her so we didn't have many clues ~ Cass doesn't make it a normal practice of looking at Georgie's droppings or things such as that. The vet didn't give Georgie much hope of making it through this because she has lost so much weight and has gone into shock, but we decided we needed to give her a shot at living, so we opted to allow them to treat her.
I know people that know us must think we are absolutely crazy! 3 or so years ago, when Cass's hamster's eye popped out, we opted to have surgery to remove the eye and try to save him only to have him die a few hours after the surgery. But we have really tried to teach Cass that when you take an animal into your home you are responsible for its life and should do all you can to take care of it. That, and we get attached to our animals! Georgie is very easy to love ~ she has such a sweet personality for a Guinea Pig. So we are a little crazy!
On a sad note, our Guinea Pig, Georgie is very sick. Every night, when I go into tuck Cass in, I always talk to Georgie. I realized that the last few days, she really hasn't responded ~ she just sat in her house. Last night, she wasn't inside the house, but she didn't move or really respond to me. I opened the cage and went to pet her and found she was incredibly skinny. You couldn't tell by looking at her, though, because of all of her hair. She seemed very lethargic. Randy thought she was just very dehydrated because we have a very hard time keeping her water bottle up ~ we are constantly picking it up from the ground. We filled her water up and filled up her food dish. Both were completely full tonight when I checked on her. We took her to the only Animal Hospital in our area that will deal with Guinea Pigs. The doctor said she almost died during his examination. He thinks she has some type of infection, but isn't sure. Cass is the one that takes care of her so we didn't have many clues ~ Cass doesn't make it a normal practice of looking at Georgie's droppings or things such as that. The vet didn't give Georgie much hope of making it through this because she has lost so much weight and has gone into shock, but we decided we needed to give her a shot at living, so we opted to allow them to treat her.
I know people that know us must think we are absolutely crazy! 3 or so years ago, when Cass's hamster's eye popped out, we opted to have surgery to remove the eye and try to save him only to have him die a few hours after the surgery. But we have really tried to teach Cass that when you take an animal into your home you are responsible for its life and should do all you can to take care of it. That, and we get attached to our animals! Georgie is very easy to love ~ she has such a sweet personality for a Guinea Pig. So we are a little crazy!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Our Week
Today, I truly sympathize with what my sister had to endure for quite a while. For a long time, she had to wash her dishes in her tub because their kitchen was a “work that wasn’t having any progress”. I don’t know how she did it for as long as she did. We have hit 1 week of not having a dishwasher or having access to our kitchen sink. Something broke on the dishwasher, where it connects to the water, and Randy hasn’t been able to fix it. Right now, with the eye drops he is taking, his near sight is incredibly bad, so he isn’t really able to see what needs to be fixed. He has asked the neighbor to come over and help, but the nights that the neighbor has been available, Randy isn’t here and the nights that Randy is here the neighbor has stuff going on. We have been trying to use paper plates, but it isn’t always feasible. We finally broke down and washed the dishes in the bathtub. Not fun!
Randy and I get a chance to help out another family that is dealing with head injury and we are excited for the opportunity. For those that live here in the Puget Sound area, I am sure you heard of the kid that suffered a hit in a football game this last October that resulted in a head injury. One lady has kind of adopted the family and she contacted 4 churches in our area to get people to volunteer to help out the parents with food or other little things they need. Randy and I asked to be put on the list to fill in for the “food committee”. They have people sign up to bring the parents dinner 1 night a month. The boy is an only child and he currently has a feeding tube in and cannot eat solid foods. We signed up to fill in for anyone on the food committee that can’t bring dinner on their given night. Currently, the boy is back in the hospital due to high fevers from infections, but before that his mom took care of him at home while the father works full time. They flew in a nurse from Cuba to help out as well. We are looking forward to meeting them and getting to help out in any way that we able to right now.
Randy and I get a chance to help out another family that is dealing with head injury and we are excited for the opportunity. For those that live here in the Puget Sound area, I am sure you heard of the kid that suffered a hit in a football game this last October that resulted in a head injury. One lady has kind of adopted the family and she contacted 4 churches in our area to get people to volunteer to help out the parents with food or other little things they need. Randy and I asked to be put on the list to fill in for the “food committee”. They have people sign up to bring the parents dinner 1 night a month. The boy is an only child and he currently has a feeding tube in and cannot eat solid foods. We signed up to fill in for anyone on the food committee that can’t bring dinner on their given night. Currently, the boy is back in the hospital due to high fevers from infections, but before that his mom took care of him at home while the father works full time. They flew in a nurse from Cuba to help out as well. We are looking forward to meeting them and getting to help out in any way that we able to right now.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Last Couple of Days
Friday was the court date. Randy and I didn't go because the attorney felt it wasn't necessary. In talking to the attorney after the hearing, it sounded as though the judge was really wanting to go with the dismissal. Our attorney said the judge was having a hard time corralating the truck being in the carpool lane illegally with the causation of Randy's injuries. However, she didn't just dismiss it. She gave our attorney 60 days to answer some questions and come up with a way to essentially convince her this case shouldn't be dismissed. It doesn't sound too good for us anyway about it. If a judge is having a hard time with seeing the truck as liable, I think a jury would have just as hard (if not harder) of a time saying they are liable and owe us anything.
Despite the little letdown with the court thing, the three of us (Randy, Cass and I) all went out to dinner and had a great time. Some of my coworkers had gotten us a gift certificate to a very nice Italian restaurant in Bellevue. We decided it was about time we finally used it! We had such a nice dinner. They were incredibly busy, but we were talking so much we didn't even realize how much time had passed waiting for our food. Our waiter felt bad, though, so he gave us free brushetta and free dessert. The food was absolutely amazing.
Today, none of us have felt well, so we didn't do a whole lot. Randy did get up early and hang out with a friend, which he greatly enjoyed. The rest of the day, though, we pretty much took it easy. We did have a little scare with one of our dogs. We were all in the living room and she was in our bedroom and she just started this awful sounding howling. She sounded like something was terribly wrong. I couldn't bear to go in there and see what was causing her so much pain, so Randy ran in there and then closed the door. We aren't positive what happened, but the best we can figure is that she somehow got caught up in the cord to one of our lamps that is beside our bed and, in trying to get away from it, she bit into the cord, which must have shocked her. I am sure it was quite painful and she ended up causing quite a mess, but thankfully she seems to be okay from it.
Despite the little letdown with the court thing, the three of us (Randy, Cass and I) all went out to dinner and had a great time. Some of my coworkers had gotten us a gift certificate to a very nice Italian restaurant in Bellevue. We decided it was about time we finally used it! We had such a nice dinner. They were incredibly busy, but we were talking so much we didn't even realize how much time had passed waiting for our food. Our waiter felt bad, though, so he gave us free brushetta and free dessert. The food was absolutely amazing.
Today, none of us have felt well, so we didn't do a whole lot. Randy did get up early and hang out with a friend, which he greatly enjoyed. The rest of the day, though, we pretty much took it easy. We did have a little scare with one of our dogs. We were all in the living room and she was in our bedroom and she just started this awful sounding howling. She sounded like something was terribly wrong. I couldn't bear to go in there and see what was causing her so much pain, so Randy ran in there and then closed the door. We aren't positive what happened, but the best we can figure is that she somehow got caught up in the cord to one of our lamps that is beside our bed and, in trying to get away from it, she bit into the cord, which must have shocked her. I am sure it was quite painful and she ended up causing quite a mess, but thankfully she seems to be okay from it.
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