Yesterday was a bad day, I hurt all over, had slept for 3 nights, and both feet were swollen up and tingling from bad diet choices. Today was much better. I picked up the sticks (always a chore after a rain here) in the front and mowed. Went to Walmart shopping (Bob is ok alone, I either go when he naps or leave him watching something he likes. He enjoys being alone a while and I always wear a neck thing with emergency instructions that he heeds assistance if something happens to me. Anyway, so today was much better.

Here's our last therapy achievement before the week-end and holiday off:

THURS, AUG, 31 2012

Today Bob got to use a different piece of equipment. He lays on his back and puts both feet up on a board and pushes, which slides him on a board that's on a track. He loved it. It made him think about how he exercised before his stroke, more like himself. He told me as we left, that while he was using it he felt 'freedom' like before his stroke. Before he did that, he also did the recumb. bike for 10 minutes, with his foot strapped onto the pedal

He is definitely stronger and more optimistic when going to therapy, and I rejoice in the new things he can do and seeing him doing more and more. There's just one thing that bugs me.... it doesn't seem like any of it actually translates into changing his daily life at all. Functionwise, he seems almost the same as he's been for awhile now. Well, he is more steady, and a little stronger, but just like Nancy mentioned, I have to watch him every move. Like I bent over to pour cat food in the dish as we passed it and when I looked up he was standing at the end of the short foyer. about 3 steps away, looking odd. When I asked him what was happening, he said he nearly fell backward. He didn't know why. Seems like if I don''t watch him every step, the second I look away, he would fall. That day I felt brave because he is doing so much stronger at therapy and I thought I needed to let him grow, as he could. So, I filled the cat dish. I shudder to think if he'd fallen in the foyer, it has the 12" hard glass tiles and would have hurt like crazy - also would have been hard to get someone up off them, since they would probably slip. Never had any problem coming in or going out before. Guess the gaitbelt and me will continue on, watching every step.

I knew he was a little scared, and didn't want to leave him like that, so said, "But look! you didn't fall! That means your core exercises are making you stronger and you held your balance, just like anyone else who does something that sets them off, but then they correct it and don't fall afterall!".

I told him today that we really have to work on his speech tomorrow. We've let it slide a little since we've been so exhausted from PT, but today he could barely say anything. I took an odd moment when the satellite went down while raining, as asked him 'what rhymes with cat?" I was suprised when he immediately got it, and about 10 more I asked, as he was really terrible at it when we worked on it, ahd didn't really understand the whole concept of what makes something rhyme.