Slowly but Surely ? March 17, 2011

Friday 25 March Tal has been really working hard on all of the various forms of physical therapy that he is offered. 

He has come to a turning point in his physical therapy sessions we think. He understands that it isn't about doing the particular movement that they are asking, it islearning to use that part of the body again via the movements that they are asking him to do. 

Pretty long winded description but hope it is clear! 

I had to read Moms description several times myself to get at what she was describing! 

Poppy is feeding himself, still pretty much all groundup stuff as chewing is still a difficult task. 

He has great sense of humor. This stroke hasn't diminished his sense of humour it seems. 

The most recent: "Would you please bring me a back scratcher ? Not a fancy one ! Just one of those black plastic Chinese ones with the white plastic hand. It's the white plastic hand ones that work the best. Something that they put in that plastic " 

-Lissa (I'll be in Manhattan next Tuesday the 29th and staying for about a month until the 26th!

So hopefully I'll be able to offer more detail and updates in the near future. 

Big dates in the month of April? 

Moms birthday on the 22nd! 

LS

Eating, Visitors and the tragedies in Japan, March 7, 2011

Poppy has many a visitor. High School friends from Manhattan, Kansas City. Monday the 12th, his beloved godson Tiger and parents David and Fiona will be visiting for a few days.

Eating is still kind of a chore but one that Tal is getting better and better at. He has now started eating with others in the dining room. Things like tuna fish sandwiches and Diet Dr Pepper, altho for the moment no straws etc as puckering his mouth is still difficult. All of his food is ground up and practically in liquid form for easy swallowing.

Mom has learned how to use her cell phone and is able to both receive and make calls! We don't know if she can yet listen to her messages but she has several friends at Radio Shack that are helping her with the basics.

For the moment that is all the news I have. We are all pretty tired and communication is sparse. Hopefully things will continue to improuve as spring brings softer weather.

No, Tal has heard nothing of the situation in Japan. I have been trying to find word of his friend Kuniyoshi Munakata but as yet, have not heard back from Mihou, his son living in the UK. Kuniyoshi lives in Atami, quite aways below Tokyo so I think and hope that he is all right. From what I have been able to gather, this part of Japan sustained no damage anywhere devastating as that in northern Japan.

Tal has always been a very emotional fellow. he feels things deeply, cries easily. No that isn't a bad thing! It is my hope that his friends will wait a bit to tell him this.

I haven't discussed it with Mom either, nor she with me.

How does the Brain "Relearn" ? March 5, 2011

Posted Mar 5, 2011 3:43am

Quite an adventure, how our brain processes information. Relearning how to write and read will be poppy's great challenge in addition to walking, sitting up, chewing eating and swallowing normally. We all will want to hear this tale from a talented storyteller!

There are some perception/reading problems associated with these kinds of stokes. The good news is that the therapy staff all know about this and thankfully know what to do about this phenomena!

Mom described what it was like to see him working for the first time with the reading therapist: "She would show him a word like "timeline". He would be able to read and say outloud the "time" part on the left hand side of the page but wouldn't see the "line" part on the right hand side. By asking him to follow a red line underneath lefthand side "time" that slowly included the righthand "line", his brain was able to compensate and see that there was "timeline" there and not just "time"! This left /right perception problem is par for the course and is something they know exactly what to do about! Creative, creative, creative these therapists!

Mom also said that Margy reported that "He threw his kleenex in the basket: meaning aim, shoot and dunk!" He could see it, aim for it and hit it! Great therapy right there and I'm going to look for some soft balls for him to have around to "play" as often as he feels up to it!

Many thanks to his all of his visiting friends in Manhattan that keep him up with our messages of love and life and leave word of his daily progress for those of us far away.

Best to you all, Lissa

Tal's New Program : "BrainWord" March 2, 2011

Wed March 2 : Just what IS he doing while resting there in Manhattan?

Posted Mar 3, 2011 2:30am

Very short update as Mom has made it to Santa Fe...

We will rely on the messages left by his visiting Manhattan friends for the up to date stuff!

Janet has left one down there in messages that you all can read by clicking on the "Your Community"," Messages", "View All" and they will all come up! Thanks Janet and friends! Great to read that he can carry a good conversation now! That his voice is strong!Very reassuring! Lets hope we can keep his moral up too !

Mom recounted yesterday, in the course of a long conversation with Poppy, that in answer to her question : "what are you thinking about, Tal? ", Poppy replied, and i quote:

"I am composing letters to Tiger (his godson) on a screen in my head."

So Tal eh!?

Pumpkin Pie ? March 1, 2011

Tuesday March 1 A Pumpkin Pie finds its way to our fellow!!

Posted Mar 2, 2011 3:06am

Poppy is able to swallow! So Cheryl Haskett brought him a homemade PPie. Erica, his night nurse helped him have a try. Described as "Delicious!" by a true PPie fan, he happily reunited with his favorite food.

Erica also gave Mom another cell phone class and this time it looks like she is over the hump and up and running! She spoke to her sister Virginia and next up is recieving a call, retrieving messages and the like!

Therapy has begun. But at what Tal can do. He has intense sessions requiring good concentration then is allowed to rest.

Tuesday saw him with three therapists going at him! Legs, Arms, Speech all at the same time. The intensity of concentration "just to lift your leg" is daunting says Mom!

But he wasn't as knocked out. Also he has started "initiating conversation."

He kows Mom is on her way to SantaFe tomorrow and gave her suggestions as to what to bring back etc. A new cell phone bought at Radio Shack and the like. He could tell her who sold it to him and who to go to if she had problems!

On that note: Moms trip to Santafe, David Fiona and Tiger will be picking up Mom at the airport and bringing her up to SantaFe. Hall has gotten the keys to the Subaru and has taken the car round the block to check the oil and tires and such.

Mom has organized Poppy's Stoneybrook visitors while she is away with folks coming in to talk to him about various subjects keeping him intellectually stimulated.

What has Tal been doing while he rests? Stay tuned tomorrow for that piece of information. It's simply beautiful. Totally Tal. I want the recipiant to hear it from Mom first so thats why I am holding off till tomorrow!

ump

Tal's Day Off ! February 26, 2011

Well Sunday was a day of relaxing, a close shave given by Brian, BRUT aftershave (!!!) and Poppy getting talkative later on in the day/evening, all the while he knows that Monday will be the start of rehab or "hell" as he calls it.

Visits from friends Cheryl Collins from the Historical Society, Shirley Taylor, she and her husband were classmates of Poppy's.

Mom had some comforting words: "Tal is looking better. The one side that was affected with paralysis, has feeling and his muscles are responding now. It no longer looks like there is any difference on either side of his face.His breathing is easier and he is able to swallow now."

Mom has received several lessons in cellphone use from Barbara but still has not quite got the hang of it. Should be any day now!

So that was our Sunday. Dad is still in joking mode( Roy that chipmunk joke got a good guffaw out of him and he repeated it to visitors!) so we are all thankful for that.

Progress as we know it : February 26, 2013

 Tal joking and making good progress

Well I thought we would start out this post with yesterdays hot off the phone wire Taljoke:

"My greatest invention? A cat reading a catscan for me!"

Tal has been moved to a care facility in Manhattan, kansas known as the Stoneybrook Nursing Home. He is in the section known as "RAPID RECOVERY" I will update his contact information here and elsewhere in this blog and apologize for not having done that earlier!Mom and I kept missing each other yesterday and she still has no computer connection for those of you following the Mom email phone saga! As Mom said "The fact that I busted the computer is probably all for the best! I really want to concentrate on being with Tal and that computer..." Sentiments we all understand!

There are some of you that may be "dog" people and some that are "cat" people , some that are both and some that are neither!

Poppy is most definitely an "all of the above" lover. Birds, chipmunks, foxes and butterflys all got his careful treatment and watchful eye. His cats ShyTown and Chibi in particular were all great companions that he kept close at hand, joining in games of chase and lapsit.

Chibi, a traveler, equal to Poppy in that regard, was such a close companion, that her passing last year was of particular poignancy to him. He sought out every possible way to make her comfortable, trying to understand her needs and in the end literally helping her to go.

So the fact that Stoneybrook has a resident "visiting cat" is indeed something that we are very happy about! "Stoney" is a huge grey tabby with stricking black markings running down his back. Mom and I have run through the various ways that we might attract Stoney to spend more time visiting Poppy. My suggestion was a doublewide scratching pad from TraderJoes but I think Mom might just have other tricks up her sleeve! No. No. Not food!

Other things: Mom said she wanted Jay, Mir and Yuni, David Tiger and Fi's to know that the red roses, flowers and a red helium balloon made the trip with him to Stoneybrrok. Tal said "It's all very very nice!"

Tal has already had two visitors to him there: Janet, who organised Tal's visit to the MHS's Art classes two weeks ago and Dr.Bascom, a family friend and son of the Dr.Bascom that delivered yours truly, Lissa!

More about those visits in another post. I'm off to the post office with various work stuffs.

Again thanks for all of your communications! I have been telling Poppy about who has written him and reading some of your messages to him each time we talk. He is more and more able to follow longer and longer conversations.

Some of the euphoric feelings of having "survived" this are hitting him now I think. He has a positive, joking mood. We just hope that will continue for as long as it takes! There certainly will be ups and DOWNs but hopefully with his tribes help, he will rally and overcome those difficulties too!

Much love to you,
Lissa