Its late Sat. nite and Dave has gone to bed...I'm still awake, trying to update the blog so that I can put your minds at rest regarding Dave's progress.
My post from the 1st evidently hit a nerve with many friends reading it...sometimes I am not aware of the frame of mind that I am in when I am writing and it comes out in the paragraphs that I compose. The last posting must have seemed very negative as I received concerned calls and emails.
I was definitely concerned about Dave's attitude and also his general behavior, so I approached his doctor and his rehab therapists regarding it. I was hesitant to bring it up, wondering if I was over-analyzing his behavior and reading too much into things that I thought were indications of a step backwards. As it turned out, it was a good thing to do, although I was nervous that Dave would see it as a lack of confidence in his progress. It would seem that the couple of difficult weeks were directly related to the medication that Dave was trying for muscle spasms at night - a medication that was short-lived and was replaced two weeks later with a more successful choice. After meeting with Dave's Dr., he believes that Dave had a reaction to the medication, causing him to have more difficulty with cognitive function, combined with poor sleep, he believes that this was the problem and that it has already cleared up with the new meds.
Another positive result of bringing this to the therapists attention, is that they have made a point of expressing just how much progress Dave has already made in the initial 5 weeks or so of rehab in Ann Arbor.
I am not saying that Dave is not still frustrated, but he is better able to deal with it and I am not fearful that something is wrong.
We meet with a neurologist and Dave's cardiologist this week - two important meetings, our first with the neurologist and it has been two months since our initial consultation with the cardiologist.
I managed to fire myself up for cleaning house this am and feel much better for it. Although we are home alot, oddly enough, its tough to get anything done. I keep thinking that I will do some holiday decorating...I just can't seem to get there.
Tonite, I did go outside after dark and put white lites on the two little alberta spruces near the porch. I also dragged out a sled that I found at a garage sale this summer...on the back it has the name "TOM" carved into the wood, and its well used...now its decked out in greens and a red bow, as well as a "seasons greetings" sign that Brian made in Boy Scouts in 1990. He should get a kick out of that when he sees it, and somehow I think that the sled is proud to be a symbol of winters past.
I know that you are all thinking of Dave and I ...we miss you and pray for you to have the most wonderful of holidays. Feel free to call Dave, he loves to chat with friends on the phone and misses you all.
Love...Mel