Back to work!

I am heading back to the classroom today!

Month

It has been one month since my second surgery and it is turning out to be a busy week. I was finally able to get a haircut yesterday and today I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. On Thursday night we will stay with Dave’s parents and head to Boston early on Friday morning for an appointment at Mass Eye and Ear with another one of my surgeons.

This morning I was able to move the right side of my mouth, only a barely perceptible twitch, but it was pretty exciting for someone who has not been able to smile properly for a month. I may never have the same amount of facial movement that I had before, but it would be great to be less one-sided. Ultimately, I am grateful to be alive and any any facial movement is a true bonus at this point.

Next Monday I head back to the classroom!

Mandy 

The Mend

Well, it is amazing for me to think that only three weeks ago, we were still in a hospital room with Mandy after her second surgery. Life post-surgery has had its ups and downs, but there has been more to celebrate than to lament over. Mandy is out walking with Ellie a few times each day. She’s started to go to meals in the dining hall, and today, she will attend a science department meeting. In two weeks, she plans to return to work. All of these every-day activities seemed so far away three weeks ago. Her scar is healing incredibly well as you can see from the picture and her hair is growing back rapidly.

The remaining challenges for Mandy are the occasional bad headaches, which seem to come and go every few days, getting her energy level back, and still the numbness and weakness on the right side of her face. Her eye is feeling better with some new drops and gel, and the blurriness in her vision is steadily improving. We remain confident and hopeful that a full recovery is not too far away.

Our sights are set on our one year anniversary vacation to Belize in June: a beach, a sunset, and an umbrella in our drinks.

Seek the Joy,

Dave

Today

I washed my hair in the shower today. First true step toward independence!

My right eye is drying out and hurting a lot today. I am glad we are seeing the doctor tomorrow. We will head to Mass Eye and Ear around 12:00 pm. Our car might know the way to Boston even without a driver!

MGH appointment

Stitches are out! We saw Dr. Martuza and he was pleased with my progress. We will see about my eye on Friday. It was a big day. Hopefully, I will sleep better tonight!

Patience

… a trait I am trying to learn! I guess it is no coincidence that patience is so close in structure to patient. I tried to look up a bit of history on Google and learned little beyond the fact that the two words are commonly confused by English language learners!

How am I feeling? I have made great progress since I first arrived home. I am walking with more certainty and fewer balance issues. I am even walking outside twice a day and occasionally taking Ellie out. We cooked dinner last night. I took three times longer to chop vegetables and there were a few tears, but Dave stepped in at the end and made a beautiful meal out of my mess! It is challenging to write, type, do anything that involves fine control of my right side, but I am working on it. My right eye dries out very quickly and was at least partly responsible for the one-sided tears last night. My very last complaint is about the nights. I cannot get comfortable and currently I cannot sleep for longer than three-hour stretches. Overall, I feel very lucky. These are small problems to have, I could barely walk one week ago.