Friday March 26 – Bedtime Stories

I talked to a psychologist today at work. She is a dog person and visited today with one of her dogs. I asked if there are different psychological approaches for post stroke recoveries verses other mental health issues. She said that there are. The psychological staff at the NSRC had suggested that your care would continue when you come home. I am very relieved knowing this because like every other part of the brain, I can see that this brain part heals slowly too.

After work today I rush about picking up a few things to help Chris-proof the house. I bought a bath bench and shower nozzle. I found a few more things that I need for your sling glide to the bathtub.

The OT suggested that we get a ‘M-rail’ for the bed. I am unsure what an M-rail does but a I do know that you have difficulty pulling yourself up to the head of the bed. You need a grip to pull yourself up, so I strategically placed a large eye in a stud and tied an old dog leash to it. This should work well to pull yourself up to the head of the bed.

We haven’t got the toilet seat frame yet but I have a borrowed commode over one toilet and a 2x4 screwed to the counter beside the toilet that enables you to use it to push up. You tested the system first thing when you got home. Once you got settled on the throne, you shook my hand and delighted in the effectiveness and simplicity of it. You want to use your wood craving things to finish the top of the 2x4 off nicely and I know two children who would love to paint and decorate Dad’s ‘push up posts’!

No phone call last night – big mistake – I should have called – you were worried. There was no answer and then it was busy and then it was after 10pm when the patient switchboard shuts down. You worry about things that would never happen. Logic tells you that you these are not rational thoughts but you still think and obsess on them anyway. You can’t help it.

I asked if you smoked. “Yeah, three.” “Oh no” I groan, “Really?” “No, but I thought about it a lot.” You said. I am proud of you. One day at a time. This is another week under your belt ... a lifetime to go.

Juanita and Wayne brought you back from the city. The first thing you want to do once you are in the house, was go to your mancave. This is the first time you entered it on your own steam since August 30th. You give a big sigh and said you felt like you were home. You quickly get settled in but struggle with your TV remotes but that is excusable – I struggle with your three different remotes. It turns out it wasn’t us at all, it was the a cable problem. A quick phone call fixed that.

You are not as interested in TV since your stroke. I had feared that the stroke was going to make you into a TV watching zombie. You are far from it. It seems that the only things you like on TV are reruns of your old favorite comedies. Steinfeld, Friends, Corner Gas. I ask you if you want to watch the mountain of baseball games that I taped last fall during the playoffs. “I don’t understand it anymore – I tried watching some spring training games but I can follow them.”

While this may be music to the baseball widow’s ears, I worry about what this means. Is this a symptom of other deficiencies that we haven’t identified yet or is this something that just has to ‘reconnect’ again? Watching MLB, especially your beloved Angels, was a passion for you. If this passion is lost, what other passions are lost. I hope that this is just a sign of an inability to concentrate for long periods. With time, I hope it will come back.

At the children’s bedtime, you read to them. ‘The Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. I tidy up your mancave so that it is free of tripping hazards while you read. You didn’t miss a single left margin while reading. This is a big improvement from Christmas time. Time seems to have fixed this. I am glad because the local home care coordinator dropped of a rather thick booklet about self managed care. It explains everything you need to know as an employer. We have some lengthy light reading to do together. That will be our bedtime reading