Linda's Update 2/17/2005
Hello all,
I apologise for not writing this yesterday but I have been up to my ears in other stuff and just haven't had the time. I will let you know my impressions from my visit on Wednesday.
Graham is definitely in better spirits. We all think the routine is going to help him as he has something to look forward to and knows what is happening when and next. The physiotherapy sessions on the bicycle and with the arm mover, seem to be giving him some strength and better motion ability with his arms. The occupational therapy is doing the same. I had not seen him since Saturday and I was really thrilled to see how much more control he has over his arms, and particularly I believe he is doing some movement that is 'below the break' as the consultant 6 weeks ago said (wow, 6 weeks already). He has refined his arm movements and can both pull in and extend his arms now with some control. I think this is marvellous and I told him so.
I had a really long visit this time -- over 3 hours -- I felt it important that I not rush in and out. I wanted to give him plenty of time to say what he wanted to say and talk about whatever he wanted to talk about. I also had time to read all the emails from everyone who had written them to me and he was glad to hear from all of you who wrote. It really cheers him up.
He has had special, very special indeed, communications from people. I looked at the incredible book from all you work mates and all the things you wrote and the fab pictures and was brought to tears myself with all the that you had to say about missing various aspects of Graham at work. It was even impressive what the booklet was sent in, a star and moon and sun studded bubble envelope which we have carefully preserved. He had me take off the sealing tab and put that strip (cut into two pieces) in the back of the booklet and we have managed to preserve the whole of the envelope with the gorgeous paper on it for his memory book that is being constructed as we go along. All his cards, emails, photos, etc. are being put into plastic sheets in a ring binder and it will be something to behold after his recovery.
I am feeling so very positive about him recovering. I am as certain as I can be that one day he will have his hands back. This is the most important thing -- he will be able to take care of himself if he ends up with only his lower half paralysed. This will be very important also for reading and feeding and so forth. I still also hold out positive hope that he will walk again one day.
he is visualising getting better and you all can help too. Where the damage to his spine is, you can see on the MRI scan that there is an enlarged bit of the spinal cord and then two white lines that are on either side where it is not enlarged, but not where it is enlarged. We are seeing this heal molecule by molecule because it is indeed a very very slow process and we are not looking for some overnight miracle (we would take it of course!!) but are working to see it fixed one tiny little part at a time. If you think of a filled cylinder with the sides missing and then imagine that the inners of the cylinder getting smaller (the swelling going down) and then the cylinder being reconstructed around that, it is the best image I can give you to use.
He is really almost enjoying things these days and I did read him these shameless California jokes I will send on to you all now:
So as not to be outdone by all the redneck, hillbilly, and Texan jokes, you know you're from California if:
1. Your co-worker has 8 body piercing's and none are visible.
2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.
3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.
4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.
5. You can't remember . . . . is pot illegal?
6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
8. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.
10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.
11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.
12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
13. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."
15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.
16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????
18. Both you AND your dog have therapists.
19. The Terminator is your governor.
20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.
He really did smile and then even laugh at some of these, which was great to witness.
He has a lot of determination to get better now. He was concerned when he heard some of the staff talking about the California spinal injury facility being in Palo Alto and thought they were considering moving him there in the near future. I reassured him they will not send him anywhere until the halo is off, so we have another 6 weeks at the very minimum before that happens. They said originally it would be on for at least 3 months. We are only halfway there ...
When the halo is off they will be able to do another MRI scan and we will hopefully see a big difference in the area that was damaged. If the damage is being slowly healed then it will be more rehabilitation and therapy to help that continue.
All your prayers and good wishes, good vibes and healing thoughts are getting through to him. He can feel your love as it flies across continents and oceans.
It is great to see him dressed on top of the bed rather than under the covers. He looks like he is improving! He IS improving. We sorted out his cupboards and his plants got watered and he talked about different people who have sent him things. He was particularly thrilled, for example, at the card sent by the children of Lorraine and Craig. He has enjoyed the photos of the grandson of Elaine. He has enjoyed every single email and card, relishing it and taking it into his heart. You are all very very supportive and your support helps us as well.
I shall take my camera next time and photograph him in his clothes. You will see how nice it is to see him that way. He is hoping for an electric wheelchair and they are already preparing special gloves for him to wear so he can operate a joy stick. He does like being able to sit up and be taken to the gym for his exercises. He has had the odd better meal (the chicken and veg he had when I was there went down really well) and he saves goodies to eat later sometimes. He had some carrot cake from lunch saved for his dinner and got ice cream and had that for his dessert. They call it 'pudding' here and we had a good old American laugh at that and at other English oddities.
I told him I would not visit him quite so often but stay longer when I am there. I will see him about twice a week now. I will try to go for about 3 hours. I will go on days Airasa cannot go and said we would always try to have either Airasa or me in every day. I know we are probably his biggest strength as well. I have, after all, known him since 1972 and been through all the politics, space, relationship and parenting there is to have had with him! I know some of you from when I was in California in the 70s. It is, I believe, good to have 'old friends' who know us warts and all! (But not too much emphasis on the 'old'!!!)
It has been very crisp here in the mornings, with frost on the roof of my garage. But it is sunny in the days and it is getting warmer. The daffodils are sprouting and the crocus and snow drops are already showing lots of colours along our roadways. Leeds is particularly beautiful in the spring as the roadsides and virtually any other open spaces are lined profusely with these spring flowers that come up every year. The spring flowering trees will burst forth next month and it will be wonderful to drive to the hospital and see the beauty of the earth.
May you all be blessed with the light of love and peace and joy.
And keeps those cards and letters coming, folks, every one represents healing energy to Graham and to all of us.
Love,
Linda
I apologise for not writing this yesterday but I have been up to my ears in other stuff and just haven't had the time. I will let you know my impressions from my visit on Wednesday.
Graham is definitely in better spirits. We all think the routine is going to help him as he has something to look forward to and knows what is happening when and next. The physiotherapy sessions on the bicycle and with the arm mover, seem to be giving him some strength and better motion ability with his arms. The occupational therapy is doing the same. I had not seen him since Saturday and I was really thrilled to see how much more control he has over his arms, and particularly I believe he is doing some movement that is 'below the break' as the consultant 6 weeks ago said (wow, 6 weeks already). He has refined his arm movements and can both pull in and extend his arms now with some control. I think this is marvellous and I told him so.
I had a really long visit this time -- over 3 hours -- I felt it important that I not rush in and out. I wanted to give him plenty of time to say what he wanted to say and talk about whatever he wanted to talk about. I also had time to read all the emails from everyone who had written them to me and he was glad to hear from all of you who wrote. It really cheers him up.
He has had special, very special indeed, communications from people. I looked at the incredible book from all you work mates and all the things you wrote and the fab pictures and was brought to tears myself with all the that you had to say about missing various aspects of Graham at work. It was even impressive what the booklet was sent in, a star and moon and sun studded bubble envelope which we have carefully preserved. He had me take off the sealing tab and put that strip (cut into two pieces) in the back of the booklet and we have managed to preserve the whole of the envelope with the gorgeous paper on it for his memory book that is being constructed as we go along. All his cards, emails, photos, etc. are being put into plastic sheets in a ring binder and it will be something to behold after his recovery.
I am feeling so very positive about him recovering. I am as certain as I can be that one day he will have his hands back. This is the most important thing -- he will be able to take care of himself if he ends up with only his lower half paralysed. This will be very important also for reading and feeding and so forth. I still also hold out positive hope that he will walk again one day.
he is visualising getting better and you all can help too. Where the damage to his spine is, you can see on the MRI scan that there is an enlarged bit of the spinal cord and then two white lines that are on either side where it is not enlarged, but not where it is enlarged. We are seeing this heal molecule by molecule because it is indeed a very very slow process and we are not looking for some overnight miracle (we would take it of course!!) but are working to see it fixed one tiny little part at a time. If you think of a filled cylinder with the sides missing and then imagine that the inners of the cylinder getting smaller (the swelling going down) and then the cylinder being reconstructed around that, it is the best image I can give you to use.
He is really almost enjoying things these days and I did read him these shameless California jokes I will send on to you all now:
So as not to be outdone by all the redneck, hillbilly, and Texan jokes, you know you're from California if:
1. Your co-worker has 8 body piercing's and none are visible.
2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.
3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.
4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.
5. You can't remember . . . . is pot illegal?
6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
8. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.
10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.
11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.
12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
13. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."
15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.
16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????
18. Both you AND your dog have therapists.
19. The Terminator is your governor.
20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.
He really did smile and then even laugh at some of these, which was great to witness.
He has a lot of determination to get better now. He was concerned when he heard some of the staff talking about the California spinal injury facility being in Palo Alto and thought they were considering moving him there in the near future. I reassured him they will not send him anywhere until the halo is off, so we have another 6 weeks at the very minimum before that happens. They said originally it would be on for at least 3 months. We are only halfway there ...
When the halo is off they will be able to do another MRI scan and we will hopefully see a big difference in the area that was damaged. If the damage is being slowly healed then it will be more rehabilitation and therapy to help that continue.
All your prayers and good wishes, good vibes and healing thoughts are getting through to him. He can feel your love as it flies across continents and oceans.
It is great to see him dressed on top of the bed rather than under the covers. He looks like he is improving! He IS improving. We sorted out his cupboards and his plants got watered and he talked about different people who have sent him things. He was particularly thrilled, for example, at the card sent by the children of Lorraine and Craig. He has enjoyed the photos of the grandson of Elaine. He has enjoyed every single email and card, relishing it and taking it into his heart. You are all very very supportive and your support helps us as well.
I shall take my camera next time and photograph him in his clothes. You will see how nice it is to see him that way. He is hoping for an electric wheelchair and they are already preparing special gloves for him to wear so he can operate a joy stick. He does like being able to sit up and be taken to the gym for his exercises. He has had the odd better meal (the chicken and veg he had when I was there went down really well) and he saves goodies to eat later sometimes. He had some carrot cake from lunch saved for his dinner and got ice cream and had that for his dessert. They call it 'pudding' here and we had a good old American laugh at that and at other English oddities.
I told him I would not visit him quite so often but stay longer when I am there. I will see him about twice a week now. I will try to go for about 3 hours. I will go on days Airasa cannot go and said we would always try to have either Airasa or me in every day. I know we are probably his biggest strength as well. I have, after all, known him since 1972 and been through all the politics, space, relationship and parenting there is to have had with him! I know some of you from when I was in California in the 70s. It is, I believe, good to have 'old friends' who know us warts and all! (But not too much emphasis on the 'old'!!!)
It has been very crisp here in the mornings, with frost on the roof of my garage. But it is sunny in the days and it is getting warmer. The daffodils are sprouting and the crocus and snow drops are already showing lots of colours along our roadways. Leeds is particularly beautiful in the spring as the roadsides and virtually any other open spaces are lined profusely with these spring flowers that come up every year. The spring flowering trees will burst forth next month and it will be wonderful to drive to the hospital and see the beauty of the earth.
May you all be blessed with the light of love and peace and joy.
And keeps those cards and letters coming, folks, every one represents healing energy to Graham and to all of us.
Love,
Linda
posted by Fearless Leader Sue at 9:16 AM
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