Twas the day after...

Christmas, and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Including the spouse.

Actually, I got up early today and did some sale shopping.

Patti and I spent Christmas at sister and brother-in-law Theresa and Greg Marshall and had a simply wonderful time hanging out with family. We hope God blessed you with a magnificent Christmas and the inspiration of His presence.

Here's the catch up for the week:

Last Wednesday we got Patti moved from the Zale-Lipshy hospital over to the Centre for Neuro Skills rehab center. We got there at 1:00 PM and by 1:20 she was already going through physical therapy and evaluation. I, of course, got to enjoy all of the associated paperwork. After occupational therapy and a meeting with a counselor we got her over to the apartments where she is staying at around 4:30. They are spartan, but very adequate and clean. The bed, frankly, was horrible so on Thursday Greg, Theresa and I picked her up a new mattress, courtesy of her Dad, bedspread, sheets etc. and got her room put together in a much more comfortable way.

Patti was pretty emotional through the transition and for several reasons. First, she would rather go home than to another temporary location. It has now been seven weeks since she has seen home and you can imagine the sense of loss she feels from time to time. Secondly, we really had adjusted to the routine at the hospital and gotten to know the people there. So a new place was very uncertain from lots of angles.

Thursday night, however, I checked Patti out and took her to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. We really enjoyed the time together and this was a confidence builder for her that things are making progress on the road to normal and that she can handle herself outside of the center. Friday we ran some errands around town and Saturday night we went to a Christmas eve service at Calvary Temple which is about two minutes from the apartment. Afterwards we drove around Dallas a little to look at Christmas lights.

Oh, the rehab facility was closed Friday and today (Monday) for the holidays so we had some time to kill.

Physically, Patti is still making good progress. She can stand easily now and can walk a little with assistance although her right leg is very unsteady. She is beginning to generate a lot of movement from the shoulder in the right arm and can lift a little from the elbow. The right hand is beginning to tighten up a little, which is normal, so we are focusing on stretching and relaxing the muscles there.

Patti's speech is getting better and better as well. She still has a lot of work to do here, but she is getting more and more out each day and what she does get out sounds just like Patti!

By the way, Patti's roommate at the apartment is a lady named Amy Scott. She had an aneurysm that burst during surgery and created a stroke-like effect. She is very sweet and friendly and we think she will be a good roomate for Patti.

Finally, the most exciting Christmas gift came from daughter Abbey and son-in-law Nick. They sent Patti a small picture frame with a post-it note on the front that said, "Mom, hope this will be motivation for you to get well soon so you can hold your new grandbaby in July!" Then we lifted up the post-it note to find a sonogram picture of the little one!!!!! Grandparents for the third time!!! Congratulations to Nick and Abbey! And, yes, Patti is highly motivated!!!

Prayer requests:

1. Right leg strength to get Patti walking regularly and out of the wheel chair.
2. Muscle relaxation in the lower right arm and continued recovery in general.

Patti and I hope you have a blessed and Spirit-filled New Year! We are so thankful for our friends and family and all who visit this site and are praying for her. The staff at the new facility is amazed at how far along Patti is in her recovery. We have taken every opportunity to explain how it is only God and tell the story of how He has protected and lifted Patti every step of the way.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Change to New Mailing Address and Phone Number

If you would like to contact Patti by phone or mail please contact Mike at mikeeverett@jam.rr.com. We are no longer publishing contact information on the blog as a security precaution.

Thanks,

Mike

Walker, TrueTexan Ranger

The last two weeks Patti has been working with a walker in physical therapy. This morning I needed to stay at the hospital to work on transition issues and, for the first time in two weeks, got to attend a physical therapy session.

The therapist got Patti set up on her walker by using an Ace bandage to hold Charlotte in place and Patti proceeded to walk from her room all the way down a very long hall to the therapy center. Her right leg is starting to provide some support and is moving well, although, she wears a brace on the lower leg to help with toe dragging which would cause tripping. Charlotte gets to help move the walker and Patti is really starting to get around!

I was really surprised as I wasn't aware how well she was doing. I'm hoping this means she will be out of the wheel chair completely in the next two or three weeks. She enjoys the walking and it does tire her out, but she naps with a smile on her face!

Walking in Him,

Mike

Movin' On Up!

Barring any last minute change in plans, Patti will be transferred from the Zale-Lipshy Hospital to the Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS), a brain injury rehabilitation center, in Irving, Texas. There are several reasons for this:
1. The hospital only does "acute" rehabilitation and Patti has progressed past that point. (By the way, this hospital has been all it is advertised to be. The care has been wonderful all around and the staff has been terrific!)
2. They are better equipped in every area to continue Patti's progress, especially in speech and educational therapy.
3. Patti will enjoy a change of scenery and routine at this point.

Once Patti arrives, she will move into a two bedroom apartment where she will live for the next several weeks. She will have a roommate (female, of course) and a Nurse Assistant (NA), also female, will be present at the apartment 24/7. She is currently receiving three hours of therapy a day at the hospital. At the center her "work day" will immediately move up to four hours with a goal to get to six hours as soon as she can handle it. They will continue with the physical recovery and strengthening work, speech and occupational therapy and will work with her on overall body reconditioning, regaining computer and working skills, regaining driving skills, and generally redeveloping all of the life skills she needs to function independently, return to work and return to life. The NA will assist in evaluating and helping Patti with everything that goes on in a home environment including cooking, shopping, cleaning, telephone skills, budgeting, dressing, etc. So her rehab will actually continue after her scheduled sessions when she returns to her apartment. All in all, it is very intensive.

They also schedule activities such as dining out, grocery shopping, mall shopping, entertainment events and others to re-orient her back to the day-to-day world. I will make sure she starts getting back to church soon, too. Church on TV jist ain't all it's cracked up to be, but it sure is nice to have when you need it!

I toured the rehab facility and it is very state of the art. I met a lot of wonderful people and I am sure she will receive the absolute best care possible. I will still get to spend a lot of time with her and, best of all, will be able to check her out frequently for dinner, movies or whatever else we want to do. Visiting is encouraged, but is limited to after 5PM on weekdays. Weekends are pretty flexible, but at this facility it would be a good idea to call ahead and let us know you're coming! You can learn more than you would ever need to know by visiting the website for CNS at www.neuroskills.com. I will publish mail and phone information in the next couple of days when I have it and know it is accurate. So please come back for that important information!

I've been asked why Dallas and not back in Louisiana. For those of you wondering, I am able to work in Dallas without having to travel for the time being. As soon as we return to West Monroe, I will need to start traveling again and we just aren't ready for that yet, as you can imagine.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for an easy transition for Patti and a short adjustment period .
2. Pray for physical strength and renewal as she extends her therapy hours and intensity.

Mike

Steppin' Out

Hey everyone! This past Saturday was a fun and exciting day for Patti and Saturday night marked a new milestone for her.

First of all, Tom and Barbara Robinson from our L.I.F.E. group in our church back home dropped in on Saturday morning. What a great surprise and a wonderful blessing! We miss everyone from West Monroe/Monroe and a personal visit was really special.

Secondly, our Dallas friends, Mike and Janie Goodman, invited us to Mike's birthday party and, at the urging of myself and several others, Patti agreed to go!

So Patti got dressed up in her new, red Christmas outfit (Courtesy of Trish Phillips), put on her makeup (hadn't done that in a while) (not that she needs it, of course!) and at 6:45 PM we rolled out of the hospital, into the car and over to the Goodman's. We stayed and visited for a little over an hour and she had the opportunity to see, and to be loved on by, a number of longtime Dallas friends. She really enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the hospital and be in a crowd again. I really enjoyed seeing her enjoy herself!

We made it back to the hospital by 8:45. Patti was flat worn out, but very happy. I'm sure her mouth was sore from smiling so much!

We had a pretty calm Sunday visiting with family, doing homework for speech therapy (which is coming along very well) and booing the Cowboys. This next week will be a week of change as the plan, for right now, is to move her over to Irving, TX to a rehab center. More on that in the next post.

Saturday represents a really good first step for Patti as she begins to move her life back towards some normal activities. I have seen all along how God has made special provisions for us. One of them is having friends in different places to provide support and encouragement for Patti. To be able to take her first outing among friends really helped remove the uncertainty for Patti and heighten her desire to go and take a new step and receive a blessing. I'm here to tell you that, if you ever wonder if God would do that for you and make special provisions in your life, you are wrong to think that He will...because the truth is He already has! And at the time you need them He will provide them. You only need to trust Him!

Forever in Him,

Mike

Hello Charlotte! We missed you!!

Many of you know that after Patti's stroke we (I) nicknamed her immobilized right hand Charlotte. Basically, the idea was to keep Patti aware of her hand as many stroke victims literally forget about the side of their body that is affected. It was also to motivate her by reminding her that she needs to get better so she can do "Itsy, bitsy, spider" with the grandkids. (Charlotte's Web) Anyway, you get the picture.

Well, last night at about 8:15 as I'm straightening up the room and preparing to leave for the night, I hear this "Hey, Mike!" I turn around and here is Patti with this big grin on her face and looking at her right hand. She strains a little and the hand flinches and flexes! She does it three more times! So we immediately, after laughing and enjoying the moment, take a minute to thank God for the beginning of restoration of her arm and hand.

This means that not too far down the road she will be able to walk on her own by supporting herself on a walker and then progressing back to her normal ability. All I can say is God is faithful!

Another somewhat smaller occurrence happened yesterday as well. Patti started wearing her glasses to watch TV. She only needs glasses for distance so I'm assuming this means she is more aware of what she is seeing and her eyes are beginning to work better together again.

Finally, after visiting the two recommended rehab centers, we were easily able to make a decision on the right choice for Patti. I'll write more on that later along with transfer date and mailing address.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers on Patti's behalf! We bless the Lord for His goodness, steadfastness and lovingkindness! We thank the Lord for you!

Mike

Catchin' Up

This blog is a little late, but through the weekend and into the new week time can get away from you.

Patti is doing well. We had several visitors on Saturday and a big finish to the weekend on Sunday. Patti's parents drove in from Lubbock so Sunday night she and I, Patti's sister Theresa and her husband Greg and daughter Maggie, Mike Jr., Morgan and Aidan and her parents brought in food from the Olive Garden and took over the game room on the hospital rehab floor for dinner. By the time she got through with therapy on Monday and a visit with her parents Monday afternoon, she was pretty worn out.

Her right leg is doing great. She can lift and straighten and move side to side with an amazing amount of strength. She is also able to flex her ankle now in both directions. The pushing part with her leg muscles, which will give her better support for standing and walking, hasn't come around yet, but we expect it any day. Speech wise she is really working hard on names. She can now say all of the vowel sounds, although with some effort still, and she is writing more smoothly and quickly as well. We haven't done much singing lately, although she sang happy birthday to Paige's mother-in-law recently. She is a lot more interested in speaking right now.

The therapists are working with her on a walker as they try to stimulate her right leg further. She can also move from the wheelchair to a chair and from the bed to the wheelchair or a chair without assistance now. So she is still making great progress and staying faithful in her therapy.

On Tuesday the Drs. came in for the weekly review. Patti is still slated for discharge on the 21st. I will meet today with a second long-term rehab site as we try to make a decision on continuing care. Her care will continue in the Dallas area, but there are several choices and they are all a little different. I'm working hard to ask good questions and to be discerning about people and environments for Patti. Please pray for wisdom and an obvious, correct choice.

I have had the opportunity over the last few days to pray with two different people and their loved ones who were also stroke victims. One family ministers with Teen Challenge in East Texas and the others don't have much family around. So praise God for opening doors for ministry and encouragement.

I will post another update as soon as we get a better picture on Patti's continuing care location. Please continue to pray for healing and increasing strength for Patti. She misses home, friends and family, but her spirits are good.

In His Grace,

Mike

Feeling Much Better

Thank you for your prayers! Patti has felt much better today! She participated fully in therapy and was even able to receive a couple of visitors this afternoon. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this rapid a response based on how she was feeling yesterday. Hmmm! Wonder when I'm gonna learn? Thank you Lord!

We are anticipating a good weekend. Patti's spirits were much higher today so we will continue to work on homework from her therapists and try to stay as busy as we can. Her speech is continuing to come along some each day. Her right leg continues to strengthen and we continue to pray God's healing power over all of her affected areas.

Mike

New Prayer Requests

Today Patti came down with a cold. It hit her pretty hard and caused her to stay in bed and not take therapy today. Needless to say she is very frustrated as she does not want to slow down the therapy at all. A very tough day for her.

Also, we began talking to the cardiology group here today about the tiny hole in the upper part of her heart. The can't say for certain whether or not it is a contributing factor or if repairing it will provide some prevention against recurrence. So please begin praying for

1. Healing of her cold and regaining strength.
2. Wisdom as we search out whether to perform the heart surgery.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Icy Streets and Warm Hearts

The streets in Dallas are iced over this morning giving me an opportunity to update the blog. Patti is continuing her progress in therapy. Yesterday they began working with her on a walker. Her right side is not providing all the support she needs, but the idea is to stimulate the muscles to action and the brain to recognize it.

The therapists at Zale-Lipshy have really been wonderful to work with and, not surprisingly, they love Patti. Not only for her willingness to work hard but for her bright greetings when they come by the room to get her and her ready smile and laugh when something funny or unusual happens. I think the greatest blessing of all so far is that Patti is absolutely 100% in the personality department. I've heard a lot of stories of people who suffered strokes and their personalities changed dramatically. God has been most merciful to Patti and our family!

Patti still has up days and down days. She really wishes she were in a different situation and has expressed that on several occasions, but she retains the motivation to work, be faithful and overcome this temporary interruption. She misses her friends and family and every card and e-mail is soaked up on arrival!

We are currently looking at several extended care facilities for Patti after she is discharged from the hospital. Therefore the current prayer requests are:

1. Wisdom in selecting the right facility for Patti to complete her recovery.
2. Continued prayers over Patti for complete healing and mental and spiritual encouragement and stamina to endure.

Thanks to all of you for your continuing prayers and support. It means so much to know that the love of the body of Christ is available and active!

Mike

Look out Radio City!

Well, Patti continues to surprise everyone, even herself! Last night while in the hospital bed, she got my attention with "Hey, Mike." Then with a very surprised look on her face she lifted her right leg straight up to a vertical position!! She couldn't quite believe it so she did it again just to make sure. It was an awesome moment!

I don't know if she'll try out for the Rockettes when this is over, but I never realized how exciting a high kick could be! Maybe the Cowboys need a punter?

Mike

One Month

Hi everyone!

Today marks one month since Patti's stroke. A pretty blurry month as well! It hardly seems possible.

For anyone new to the blog let me encourage you to read all of the entries, even though it will take you some time, to get the complete picture of what's going on in our lives. The reason for this is I want everyone who comes here to read about how Patti is doing, to leave with an understanding that, while this is about Patti, it is more about the Lord and what He is doing in our lives.

Patti today, at one month, experienced a new and necessary milestone in her recovery. She began to feel pain in her right arm and leg. This is a great indicator of the body and brain beginning to reconnect. Also, as I was helping her into bed tonight she began to push with her left leg to adust her position while I was lifting her right leg into place. As she pushed with her left her right leg muscles began to fire and try to mimic what the left leg was doing. After a good night's sleep last night, her speech was much better this afternoon and she is beginning to put together complete sentences more frequently. All of this from a woman who through her circumstances should be totally and permanently incapacitated. But through God's mercy and grace is on the road to complete recovery.

I once told my L.I.F.E group, (God bless you guys!) that I learn far more through adversity than I do through prosperity. (Although I wouldn't mind learning in prosperity on occasion!) And among the many things I have learned through this adversity is: 1) God's heart is never turned away from His children and 2) My heart is too easily turned away from God. This is a tough lesson to learn, but I needed to learn it. I now see the love of God in places I never noticed it before. I look at Patti with eyes I never knew I had before. I appreciate my children and their love and faithfulness in a completely new way. I place far more value in the minutes of each day than I ever did before. And I find even a brief moment with a friend to be worth more than I can describe. And I know this is just a beginning. After all, it's only been one month and Patti hasn't begun to report in on her testimony yet.

So, once again, thank you Lord for touching Patti and protecting her when there was no one with her but You. Thank you friends and family for loving us, supporting us and continuing to pray for us in our time of need.
Keep praying for Patti's complete recovery and her patience each day.

Forever in Him,

Mike

Some days are....

...better than others.

As Patti and I sit together on a Saturday afternoon watching Texas put a major league whuppin' on Colorado, I am reminded of two things:
1. The LSU game is only a few hours away.
2. The wisdom of the Lord's admonition in Matthew 6:34 :
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

The last two days have been very frustrating for Patti as she has really been pushed in therapy and, while the physical part is coming along, the speech part has been very difficult for two days. Patti really wants to move ahead faster, but she seems to be at a temporary plateau with her speaking. She has progressed enough to say "I want to...." and fill in the blank with "go to bed, eat or go to the bathroom, etc." She can also say "I love you." very well. But all of her comprehension is intact so she wants to express everything in her mind and just can't do it yet.

So continue to pray for her patience and endurance. She is working very hard and all of the cards, phone calls and visits encourage her tremendously. We so much appreciate all of the love and support we have received! God has blessed us tremendously during this time through our friends, family and many others in the body of Christ. And, though this road is hard and long, we are able to recognize the grace we are under and rest in His mercy and love and rejoice in each small victory every day!

Forever in Him,

Mike

More Good News

Hi everyone,

This blog is coming from West Monroe. On Tuesday we got the latest overall evaluation of Patti's condition. She has improved in almost every category except the ones pertaining to physical movement. But the doctors are extremely pleased with her progress. They are forecasting a discharge date of December 21st. That is very tentative, but a good goal. After discharge from Zale-Lipshy she will move to a cognitive therapy center in either in or out-patient status depending on her evaluation on discharge. Either way, things are coming along!

On Wednesday morning she was able to raise the fingers on her right hand for the first time and then was able to straighten out her leg and raise it six inches when the doctor examined her!! These are both big steps and indicate her recovery is continuing to progress. God is renewing her daily according to His great mercy.

I am in West Monroe Wednesday and Thursday so the next update will be sometime Friday after I have a chance to catch up with my bride and her progress.

Mike