#91

Elaine is progressing so well! She is progressing so well that she is even dreaming about a new business that she and Staci are going to start. They are going to give botox shots. Her first client was Grandma Ida!
That's right. She was actually dreaming.

She claims that it is very important that she knows exactly where you had your last shot so she could put it in exactly the same place! This is how we start our mornings, hearing about Elaine's crazy dreams. Just so we are clear, her dreams have been like this before she "got stroke." They are always entertaining and ridiculous:)

Fred and Elaine had a quiet morning and then Staci came over to take Elaine to lunch and therapy. Fred was taking Taylor out on a date so Staci and Elaine went to The Counter and had burgers, fries, and shakes. They were delicious. They laughed and Staci told Elaine how she can't believe how far she has progressed. It wasn't that long ago that she was in the rehab hospital, confined to a wheel chair, not able to do anything alone. It was a day that it really hit Staci that she was actually out to lunch with her mom!  The simple things that you take for granted that can be taken away in an instant. We have all vowed to never take a minute for granted!

After a nutritious lunch, they headed to physical therapy. There was a scheduling conflict so she only had therapy for an hour today. It was an insightful session. She has been doing so well that they are able to really zero in on what messages are still not being sent to or from her brain. As we have mentioned several times, one of the biggest challenges she has when it comes to walking is being able to keep her knee straight. It has been especially frustrating for her because she thinks it is straight and one of us is always yapping at her to straighten it. The therapist did a test on her today to see if she is able to feel the direction her ankle is moving. It turns out that when she closed her eyes and the therapist moved her foot, she could feel it moving towards her or her toe pointing up, but NOT when it was pointing down. This means that she isn't able to feel when her foot touches the ground. This is why she has trouble with depth perception, her steps, and flattening her foot. They are going to really focus on some exercises to "wake up" the nerves. Her homework over the weekend is to try and take the same size strides with both legs and walk heel-to-toe. This is her practicing on the dots and making a heel-to-toe step.

After therapy, Elaine and Staci had to run to a dermatologist appointment to have a few moles checked on Staci. Elaine was eager to come and Staci just went along with it. She soon found out why. She wanted to find out if with her stroke and her medications, if she could still have botox. After the appointment as they were walking out of the office this was their conversation:

E- "Well, that was sure great news!"
S- "I know. I am glad my moles all look ok!"
E- "Oh yeah, that is great too. I was talking about my botox. I am so glad I can have it!"

Yes, she is still the same old vain Elaine!

They arrived home to Fred who was bearing gifts! He bought Elaine some beautiful new tops. He said that now that she is feeling better, he wanted her to have some new non Lulu Lemon clothes! The gift was complete with a singing card. It was very sweet. There is nothing Elaine likes more than presents and nothing Fred likes more than giving:) She can hardly wait to debut one of her new tops! What a guy!

The kids popped in for a visit, a trip to the candy jar, and some kisses. Fred and Elaine enjoyed the wonderful pasta and sauce that Allison brought over and are ready for a restful night!