A Message From Dale: Final Posting

Dale has written this message which will be the final message to this blog. The blog will be shut down March 15th:

My dear friends,
Your communications have meant the world to me at this very difficult juncture in my life. Thank you so much for remembering me and keeping connected. I have been home since December. I am not totally healed but continue to progress. My fall damaged my head - my long term memory is coming back but my short term memory is not yet reliable (but improving!). Coherency is often weak.

I don't walk on my own yet, but am really looking forward to that! My balance still needs work. I fell next to my bed when I tried to get up on my own and dislocated my ring finger -- I didn't need that! But it is healing fine. Being confined to a wheelchair is great incentive to get better!

My husband Mike has been a true gift through all of this.

My energy level is limited so I can't promise to be more in touch right away -- all in due time. Meanwhile, I want to say thank you for all your good thoughts and good energy toward me. I hold you all dear and will be in touch when I can. Please be patient.

With love and gratitude and many thanks,
Dale

Dale Home and Continuing Rehab!

After 5 months, recently Dale was able to return to her home in Fort Collins. What an exciting transition! While this is exciting, we must caution friends that Dale will have a full daily schedule with occupational, speech and physical therapists coming to her house. Therefore, she is not yet ready to receive visitors. Think of this as her full time job right now. She is learning to walk with a walker. It is difficult, but she is making progress. We see improvement in her short term memory (what did I do today...), but she needs more time for this to recover. The family was anxious to let her friends know that she has left the rehab facility, but we ask for your help in refraining from calls or unexpected visitation until she has adjusted to her surroundings and her new schedule. Please watch this blog and we will let you know when visits can be arranged. Her devoted husband is her 24/7 caregiver. Thank you again for all your prayers and concern. This is a great start to the new year!

Dale's Holiday Wish

Dale was able to leave the rehab facility for the day to spend Thanksgiving with her brother and parents in Denver. It was a great outing. She will spend Christmas with family also. What a great break from the rehab routine! She continues to progress, gaining more leg strength and coordination. She is not walking on her own yet, but is able to walk using a walker and an assistant. Her speech also continues to improve. One of Dale's biggest challenges continues to be her loss of short term memory. It's frustrating not to remember what you did during the day or if your parents or brother came to visit. But, we're hopeful she will make gains in this as she has in so many other areas. Dale wants to wish you all the peace and joy of the holiday season, and she looks forward to being well enough to have visitors in the new year. Happy Holiday from Dale and all her family.

Progress!

Dale is making significant progress. She remains healthy and thus is able to fully participate in therapy every day. Each day she is more alert. Her vocabulary is coming back and she is more talkative. Therapy is still a challenging task and she tires easily, but she is working hard to regain muscle strength. The next goal is to develop the ability to walk again on her own. The feeding tube has finally been removed and Dale is eating on her own. There is still much work ahead, but the progress over the past three weeks is very encouraging.

Eating a bit - mmmmmm

Good news! Dale has started eating some at meals. The feeding tube is still in to ensure she's getting proper nutrition. Family or staff are with Dale at meal times as a precaution to guard against choking or problems. But, this is a positive step. Dale is talking a bit, but not a lot because she tires so easily. We're grateful that there have been no new complications this week.

Dale's Daily Challenges

Dale's physical condition remains precarious, as she continues to battle infections and clots. Clots are a common concern with TBI patients. On the bright side, Dale is now only on a feeding tube. Last week, the therapists were working to improve her swallowing, so hopefully the tube can be removed soon. On the days when Dale is physically able, she is working on learning to sit up and, with assistance, to move from the bed to a wheelchair. She is also working, with assistance, on standing. These tasks are challenging and hard work. Her speech is very limited and therapists are working on memory retrieval of words. We welcome your prayers and healing thoughts so Dale can have more continuous days of wellness in order to progress with her therapy.

Rehab ups and downs

Dale is continuing at the rehab facility. She has ups and downs as one might expect in these early stages of rehab. Because the rehab is so tiring, non-family visitation is still restricted. Sometimes family visitation is also limited since Dale needs lots of rest. Dale's strong and fighting spirit is a real asset at this time. Thanks to friends and family for your continued good wishes and cards. We sincerely appreciate your on-going thoughts and prayers.