Friday Evening

Pictured: left Jessica; center Heather; right Cristina

Today was a good day. Heather's vision was markedly improved. She was able to focus and the double vision was absent. Her pain continued to be managed with medications. She received a lot of flowers and some delicious goodies from many people today. The flower guy had a funny smile on his face every time he opens the door. He said, "you sure are popular!" Heather wants all to know how much she appreciates the beautiful flowers, delicious treats, and prayers on her behalf. There is no doubt that our prayers are being answered.

The neurologist treating Heather this weekend (on call) came in about an hour ago. He listened to us tell the story again and came up with some theories of his own. His theory is that the dissection may have been the original source of the pain, but may not have been detectable on the MRA last week. He believes that now the dissection will take some time to heal and that the blood thinner should prevent further stroke. He also told us that he thought Heather could go home in a few days. She would have to start physical therapy and be sure that her blood thinner was normalized before leaving the hospital.

Heather and I have some reservations about accepting his theories right away. The pain is perplexing and not well explained by 7 different physicians so far! We will continue to look for answers until we find someone who feels like they understand what is happening with Heather's neck and the distinct and severe pain she feels there.

Heather was able to walk to the bathroom today! She didn't feel dizzy and had plenty of strength in her legs. She said that it did feel strange to walk and that it was like she was having to think about each step, but she did it. Her head began to hurt quite badly after standing for a minute, so we have her resting right now. Headache is a common symptom after stroke, but it does remind us to take things slowly.

Jessica is home with Spencer and Austin tonight. They couldn't wait to show her the toads they've been catching around the neighborhood.

Heather will begin physical therapy tomorrow. We're praying that she has another good, restful night, and that she'll gain even more coordination on her left side tomorrow. Although the doctor said that she may be able to leave the hospital soon, we won't hurry out of here until we have more answers about the pain and are confident that Heather is ready.