#43

March 6, 2012

Elaine continued to give them the old razzle dazzle! Staci was fortunate enough to accompany Elaine to PT at Hoag this morning. Elaine worked primarily on walking and increasing strength in her left leg. One of her biggest left leg challenges is keeping her knee straight so they worked for most of the hour on taking longer steps at a swifter pace. It was really amazing to watch.

When her knee is not cooperating, she ends up “moping” (as Fred calls it) when she walks and shuffles her feet instead of lifting them. She worked really hard on walking exercises to get that fixed. They put her in a vest that attached to cord that hung from the ceiling in case she fell. She asked if she could do flips and the therapist obliged IF she could get a running start. It’s a goal for herJ She joked that she was training for the circus!

She also worked on other more complicated multi-tasking drills. One of the exercises had Elaine side shuffling and side stepping while working on appropriate spacing of her feet so she could step over obstacles. We know how complicated that sounds so we included a photo to help with the explanation.

Elaine saw one of the therapists that worked with her in the hospital, and the therapist was very impressed with her progress. She is far and away the hardest worker in therapy. It’s humbling to witness firsthand how much she challenges herself and how hard she works. She puts her whole heart in soul into it. It’s inspiring and makes us so proud!

After therapy, we did a drive by the new house (they close tomorrow) and then went to lunch. It was a beautiful day and Elaine wanted to eat outside. After a quick nap, Fred and Elaine went to see their internist. He was shocked by her progress in just a week. He said, “Elaine, do you remember a week ago you came in here in a wheelchair? And now you’re walking with just the cane!” She stood up to show off her walking abilities and even opened the door to walk out of the room! They are ordering a home testing kit to test her Coumadin with just a finger prick. It is still a work in progress trying to get it level, but it will stabilize soon.  

When they returned from the doctor, Natalie and Barbara, her friends and Pilates teachers from Rancho Santa Fe, came up for a visit. They bought a delicious box of goodies from Thyme on the Ranch that everyone was excited to see and taste!  Barbara used to work with Elaine three times a week, and knows firsthand of her dedication and work ethic. She also is keenly aware of her “radar” that goes on when other people are around. It is the one complaint that her therapists have always had with her. Elaine was once given the following award by Barbara and Natalie: “the client with the best antennae.” I think she still holds that honor and her reputation is spreading from gym to gym! It was a fun afternoon for Elaine to catch up with them.

Elaine was happy but exhausted after all her adventures and walking. She is thrilled to have a day off of therapy tomorrow and hopefully enjoy a little sunshine and relaxation.

The BEST news of the day was about Ashley. She received her scan results and her tumors have finally disappeared. She hopefully only has two or three more chemo treatments and then they will continue to monitor her levels weekly. The end is finally in sight! Thank you all who have been praying for her and sending her positive thoughts! He has been listening! Elaine and Ashley make an inspirational and unstoppable team!