Thread: New daughter
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Unread 05-16-2005, 02:26 PM   #252
Brians256
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Klamath Falls, OR
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Thanks, gospelmidi. I don't update much, because I really don't want to complain all the time or make this event be the center of conversation, even though it takes up a good bit of my day to day. I can't be the emo and consume everyone's time and resources.

Anyways, Heather has made significant progress since my last update here.

She is more functional than she was 6 months ago by far. She can do more complicated tasks, show more emotion, and understand more.

She isn't driving. She probably won't drive. She can take care of the kids for hours at a time if you realize that she may forget to feed them and she'll most likely just pop in a video for them and her. I know she tries, but I don't think she'd be able to respond well in a real emergency. Also, there are days at a time where she just can't take care of anyone, so I cannot, for example, depend upon her being able to be the mom half days. She could do it probably 50% of the time, but I'll never know which day is going to be OK until the morning of that day.

She is still really tired all the time. She can get a full night's rest and still wake up tired. All her blood tests come back normal, so we are thinking this is just the normal recovery and consequence of having had a decent sized chunk of brain damaged by the stroke.

She still doesn't understand complicated conversations, but she can make jokes and remember lots of stuff from her past. So, there's a good route for enjoyable conversations.

The doctors are amazed at how much she's recovered, given what happened, but they caution against any expectations of major recovery from here on out. I still hope, though. She is still doing some rehab work, and I hope it will help her.

My sister-in-law who has been helping us has decided she needs to move out. So, we are in the middle of trying to figure out how the Heather and the kids can get taken care of while I am at work trying to support it all. What do I do about my "just turned 8" son who has finished 3rd grade curriculum but might not do well in a class full of 4th graders? We've been homeschooling him, and the school is balking at placing him in 4th next year. What do I do about finances and scheduling? It's complicated.

Thanks for all your prayers and support.
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