Paula Leary's Recovery

"The most important things in life are your friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life. If you have these then you have everything!"
Author Unknown, from How Poor Are We?

23/04 :  Paula Update - Thursday 23rd April

   Well I really do apologize for being 'off the air' for so long.

When late March came around I felt challenged to describe her progress to you because there really wasn't a new leap forward in her progress every few days, perhaps even for a week or more. Now however, with 6 weeks since my last post ( I am really sorry......) & looking back, I see that I do have quite a lot to report.

There have been a couple of unremarkable visits to the Valley Medical Centre. I think the Rehab therapists who came to our house for a solid month after Paula's discharge from hospital did such an outstanding job that there really was not much that a once a week follow-up visit to VMC could improve on.

The one practical visit resulted in Paula passing muster with a Doctor re-evaluating her ability to drive a car. He signed her form certifying her readiness to be interviewed and further evaluated by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). That interview has not yet taken place but will, in another week or so and then we'll know how much more testing is required before her Drivers Licence is restored to her. More on this in the coming days!

Paula has also begun to attend her weekly office meetings at Alain Pinel Realty, has shown property to clients and generally and enthusiastically got back into it.

She has also played her flute at church services; twice over Easter.

Paula's leg requires only a pressure bandage for support. She mo longer applies ay bandage or medication to the skin graft area. She also no longer uses the Zimmer Frame and simply carries a walking stick - this is more to provide a visual queue of caution to others rather than for balance or support; around the house and garden she does not use anything at all.

She is able to take Banjo for walks and I would say that these are perhaps 2 miles and 30 minutes long; very impressive to one who observed her painfully slow progress even 8 weeks ago. We are very lucky indeed.

Well that is all for now. I do plan to include some photos in my next post and promise that will be before months end - the month of April that is.

Thank you all for your love and care of Paula.

Best Wishes

Terry

13/03 :  Paula Update - Friday 13th March

   Paula has made 2 more visits to physicians: One back at Valley Medical Center, the other a Plastic Surgeon in private practice (to get helpful answers; please see previous entry!)

Our visit to Dr Lawton, a Rehab specialist, was for him to make an overall assessment on Paula's recovery and make suggestions and recommendations regarding further treatment. He was very personable and other than him being 90 minutes late for our Appointment, it was a very positive experience. He asked questions to test her memory and cognitive functions. The very first question was: "What did you have for lunch yesterday"? Our house guest Helen Le Port, who had come from Paris to visit Paula for two weeks. was sitting in on this appointment and both of them erupted into laughter since neither could easily remember what they'd had for lunch. After this questions such as naming the last 5 presidents seemed rather easy.

Dr Lawton overall was very helpful - arranging for further speech therapy - because all forms of brain exercise are very good for Paula and are most effective when done soon after the trauma. He also helped to schedule a visit with a Doctor who will help Paula regain her Driver's Licence (your Licence is automatically rescinded after an accident such as hers). That appointment takes place next week and if all goes well Paula will be able to apply for a Driving Test appoinment at the Los Gatos branch of the DMV (Dept of Motor Vehicles).

Dr Connolly, the Plastic Surgeon, was helpful and gave Paula answers on how to continue to treat her right leg - in particular the donor site where skin was removed to repair the lower limb. She walks slowly but easily now; carrying a walking stick more as a precaution than out of real need.

Dr C said that physical activities could be 'unlimited'. We feel we need to interpet this with a little common sense; so there will be no Surfing down at Santa Cruz yet :) but longer walks at the nearby Christmas Tree Farm with 'Banjo' her devoted shadow are now scheduled.

Paula also plans to go to her Real Estate Office: Alain Pinel Realty next week to attend the weekly "All Hands" meeting.

Thank you all for your love, care and continued assistance.

Terry

27/02 :  The Wisdom of Dr Yim or Paula Pesters 'Plastics'

   Paula had a lot of questions and it seemed that the good Doctor prefered the dumb, respectful type of patient; enabling him to dispense appropriate pearls of wisdom. rather than respond to questions posed by a patient; we thought him rather patronizing

It was therefore a bit of a slog - but Paula was stubborn and went down her list of questions in spite of Doctor Yim's obvious body language.

Anyway, we learned that overall the skin graft site (lower right leg) and skin donor site (upper right leg) will take 6 - 12 months to heal completely. We also learned that we need to be carefully of accidental knocks that one would not even notice elsewhere, the donor and graft sites will remain delicate for some time to come.

On the positive side, she can now walk without restriction; only needing to stop when her body tells her it's time (throbbing). We do not need to return to see 'Plastics' until June.

We progress!

19/02 :  Appointment with the Neuro-Surgeons

   Today Paula went back to the Valley Medical Center for her first and, as it turned out, only post discharge check-up with the Neuro-Surgeons.

The appointment was with Dr Litschutz who operated on her in the wee hours of Sunday 21st December. Paula had hoped to personally thank him for his life -saving skills. However we arrived to discover that he was performing emergency surgery and his place was taken by a Resident Neuro-Surgeon - Dr Charles Nguyen. This was not too much of a surprise - a trauma center like Valley Medical is dealing with emergencies all day, every day.

The meeting was very satisfactory. Paula had a written list of questions which Dr Nguyen answered thoroughly. He thought her condition very satisfactory He explained that the incisions from surgery perfomed on her skull would need 6 months or so to heal and that the bones would take longer still to fully fuse and fill in. Nonetheless he had no concerns about her performing daily tasks, moving about the house and so on and, yes, she could have a glass of wine with dinner now :)

No follow-up appointment was required; we are done. If we can say that Neuro-surgeons are analogous to Hardware guys in the world of IT. Paula's hardware is now re-installed, tested and running just fine. We still have some work to do on software - like language.

Next Wednesday we visit the Plastic Surgeons. We look forward to their prognosis - everything is healing - it has taken a lot of time and will take yet more. I will report to you all on that visit next week.

In the meantime, I have returned her wheelchair to the hospital, the Zimmer - Walker frame is used to hold towels and Paula uses a walking stick - but even this is more on a 'just-in-case' basis.

So, our Marathon continues - we have settled down to a steady pace - our aim is to finish - we'll get there.

Best Wishes and Many, Many Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do.

Terry

10/02 :  On On

   I have been a little remiss with my updates - in the early days there were such notable steps in Paula's recovery to share with you all: awakening from the coma, off the ventilator, first conversation. I didn't even have to think - the words flew off my fingertips (now if only I could type!).

Now we have settled into a routine. Our 3 therapists have been here almost daily; for 4 weeks. We are now in the final week of their therapy and we will transition to Out Patient Therapy services which means we will go to the Services rather than them come to us. More on this anon.

Paula's memory sems to be functioning very well - next week we have a visit scheduled with a Neurologist at the Valley Medical Center and we will see if he is of the same opinion. Some problems with language remain - sometimes words - Nouns - just simply evade her; but this too will pass. The analogy that springs to mind is the Marathon which starts and ends in the town but there is a long spell in the country when the runners just slog it out alone, We are setting out on that stretch now. The progress will be there -a little each day; important milestones passing by - just more challenging for me to articulate, to quantify.

Thank you for your messages and your support; for the meals that you have prepared and delivered. It is so very luxurious to be able to serve Paula a beautiful, tasty dinner with such consummate ease; noting as I do the separately packed salad dressing, gravy or cheese; not to mention the bottles of wine - for me :) - or apple cider to accompany the meal.

Thank you ALL!