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Today is Sunday, December 19. I ended up feeling better today and scooted on down to see
Harold. I woke up feeling pretty bad. I've been fighting a cold only since a day or
so ago, and I can usually lick it with extra vitamins. I'm so glad I went! I was looking
forward all week to visiting Harold and I just couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him for
two whole weeks! He has really made improvements! He continues to improve mentally, calling me
by not only my nickname (M.E.), but my even shorter nickname, "M." I couldn't believe it. He's
really making great improvements. He can't always say the exact word he wants, but if you listen
closely, you can figure out what he actually means a lot of the time. He referred to me as his
sister! Then, he enjoyed talking about his daughters and wife Joanne and what a nice visit he'd
had with Joanne. After I got home, I phoned the nurse-in-charge who told me that not long after
I left, Harold had taken a shower and shaved! I'm sure he had at least one assistant the entire
time, but that is still amazing progress! I had phoned because I wanted to ask him about Harold's
medication. While I was visiting, the nurse had mentioned something about seizure medicine and I
remembered that while Harold was at Geisinger, we were told he'd been taken off of any seizure
medication because he wasn't having any. Apparently Harold had some sort of activity a couple of
weeks ago that the nurse-in-charge told me, may or may not have been a slight seizure. They aren't
sure if it was an actual seizure, but have put him on a very low dosage of an anti-seizure medication
just in case. It also helps to keep him from getting overly agitated, so it seems to be a pretty
good medication for him. I still plan to visit Harold for Christmas, which will be here before we
know it. I have saved all of your e-mail and will take them later this week to read to Harold,
and I'll update this web site again as soon as I hear anything. Thank you for your continued support.
Today is Monday, December 13. I haven't heard of any significant changes in Harold's progress, but I will post an update as soon as I do. I will visit with Harold over the upcoming weekend, and will know more then. You may find it interesting that I seem to cross paths more and more, both in virtual-space and real-time, with people who have known someone who or who they themselves have had a head injury. The uniform message they seem to say is, give it time, it takes a long, long time, as in years. Don't lose hope, it can take years, but the recovery process can continue over a long period of time. I've had a former colleague tell me her mother was in a coma for over three months and had several broken bones, including both hips, but three years later, she fully recovered. Then one of my friends threw a holiday buffet this past weekend, and I met someone who had had a head injury and recovered. Lastly, the President of my company had a father who was in a coma for over three weeks, and it took years, but eventually his father fully recovered. So, that is my message today. It's one of great hope, and in this season of immense faith and hope, I trust you too, will find it appropriate. |