Babinski Shminski

Sharon went to see the outstanding pain doctor and he confirmed what the neuro surgeon had told us... that her Babinski reflex had improved to normal. This is when the foot is stimulated along the side, someone with neurological problems will have their toes curl up. Hers used to, but now they curl down. Wa- la! -a normal Babinski. Her hair has grown back, and she's heading back to work after one more week off.

Switched sides

What a freaky two months. We've switched sides of the bed. I'm in here and Sharon is riding the handicapped bus every morning to be by my side. It is a daunting task for someone who not too long ago was in a post surgery ICU. She is a tough lady. Thank you to all our friends and family for your logistical support, prayers and well wishes. Click here to visit us at my liver's blog.

Gone fishing

Yesterday we went fishing. I thought this day would never get here. The day had an ominous start as my abdominal pain threatened to cancel the activities, but it calmed down with the help of pain medication, and off we went on the accessaride to a friends' house and then to a local lake up in the foothills of Denver. We had no bites, but got to watch the fish jumping in a late afternoon feeding frenzy.

The follow up

Well, it came time for the one month follow up with the neuro surgeon. we saw him and he did tests in his office on Sharon and he found some improvement with things that we lay people don't know about. This is encouraging. Sharon states that some symptoms that she does recognize have gone away or lessened. So, he said that at one month he had three goals. 1- to have avoided serious complications, 2- to see some neurological improvement, however small, and 3- to see some improvement in the headache. We have seen some improvement, especially in the quality of the pain, not necessarily the quantity. So she has met the one month goals. Next on the agenda,... life.

Happy fourth of July

The neighbors woke us up on July 4th at 12:00 am, making the dog bark. Then at 2:00, then at 3:00. Sharon has this weird thing she does when her head hurts real bad, she turns around in the bed, and sleeps with her head at the foot of the bed. At 3:00 I woke to find her feet in my face. So, I had had enough. I called the police. They came, but said that they wanted to get the neighbors on something better than just disturbance. That thing came the next day, when they caught their house on fire.

My central line girls

I was never familiar with a central line I.V. until this April when my 22 year old daughter got very sick and had 5 feet of small bowel removed because it was dead and gangrene. She was in ICU for 3 or 4 days, and the hospital for 14 days. I was very worried about that central line. It saved her many sticks, as they needed lots of blood all the time, and had to transfuse her.But I worried just the same. Then fast forward to June. Sharon had to have one. You can't have brain surgery without one. It's standard. So, when Kelly came over last night to deliver some specialty foods and visit, they were comparing scars. If it was a contest, it was a draw. They both sport very impressive scars. The 'Kelly belly' scar is nearly from chin to navel, with many various small scars from drains. Sharons' is just as impressive, from high on the back of her head down past her neck, over 6 inches. And they both have central line scars. It was a tie.