Angela's Blog

Ang did not sleep much last night but had several cat naps throughout the day. Auntie Marian held down the fort last night.  It was the first night since the accident that either Teresa or I were not with her.  It is very difficult for her and I to let go of the reigns in this regard and lean on the people that God has put in our life to help carry the weight.  Nonetheless, it was nice for both of us to have a night off and know that Ang was in good hands.  Thanks Marian!  We are continuing to try and push Angela to sleep without the assistance of Ambien. After talking with several people this really feels like the right thing to do. Apparently Ambien can mess with short-term memory so we are all in favor of natural sleep.  The sleep aid gives her about 3 hours of sleep, however, it she is extremely restless.  When she sleeps without it she sleeps for shorter more peaceful periods of time and gets about the same amount of sleep.

Ang is remembering more and more and is also trying to actively participate in her self-care activities, which makes things a little easier on Teresa and I. Sometimes we have to give her little prompts, but the information she is searching for is right on the tip of her tongue.  We went through her cognitive exercises this morning and each day she is much more focused and able to pay attention to the task at hand for longer periods of time.  Her progress is astonishing and she continues to blow the ST folks away. (Speech Therapists are responsible for the cognitive rehab portion.)

Ang is 100% ready to be out of her chair and wants to be on her feet.  We have to explain to her throughout the day that her hip is fractured and it is only a matter of time before she is running again.  Her movement in her left hand and leg continue to improve and she has begun to really articulate her level of pain and exactly where it hurts.  Her wrist gives her the most trouble.  She still has exposed pins in her wrist that should be coming out in the next few weeks sometime.

We had our first round of acupuncture today.  In case you missed my last post I had indicated that Electro Therapy is not an option for her arm unlike her leg due to the fact that she has 3 titanium plates and multiple screws holding things together.  Using the E-therapy would result in internal burning and is therefore not an option.   Ang was a trooper and busied herself with eating a banana while our family friend Bill inserted that acupuncture needles.  She didn’t fidget or try to remove any of them so it looks like we will continue the therapy as long as she will tolerate it.  I would like to send a special thank you to Bill and Sharron.  You two are wonderful and I love you guys for the heart that you have for Angela and our family.  We are very blessed to have you in our lives and to be able to share this journey with you.

Drum roll please….  Angela drank a whole glass of water without choking today!  The substitute ST that we had today worked with Angela while we were visiting outside with friends.  Ang is still a bit impulsive about trying to chug the water, but the ST was able to give her small sips from the glass and give Ang a chance to ease back into it.  She can’t authorize Ang for water but will be talking to the resident ST as soon as he gets back into town.  Ginger bread Lattes her we come.  (They are one of Ang’s guilty pleasures..)

The other day Ang had told me several times that she wanted me to “lead her”. Talk about the Holy Spirit slow-pitching to me.  I want nothing more than to comfort her and encourage her during this season; to be able to walk closer to Christ and to live the Gospel for my amazing wife.  Although this time is difficult, I feel truly blessed that the Lord chose to continue to share her with us instead of bringing her home to Him.  She specifically asked me today to read to her from her bible.  We went through Psalm 91 and she asked me to keep going so we read 92 as well.  I know that my wife understands that she is not alone and that despite her current state that she is turning to Christ.  Teresa gave me a call just a few minutes ago and told me that she led prayer with a couple of our good friends Shan and Shauna.  She had some trouble staying focused but then asked Shan for help.  Thank you, Jesus!!!

Ang will continue with more PT, OT, and ST tomorrow so I ask that you all pray that Ang gets a good night sleep in preparation and that her aches and pains would subside.

I would also like to ask that those of you who are close to Ang send pictures so we can review them with her.

Thank you all for being a part of Angela’s unfolding story and for your continued prayers and kind words.  As we have stated over and over, they mean so much to us and I know that Ang will cherish them.

Almost forgot..  Ang solved the following problem for X today.  (5X + 5 = 25) She solved it in her head! J

God Bless,

Josh