Bob spent Christmas day in the hospital after having what they think was a seizure on Christmas Eve day. Joy and Jane brought a little Christmas to Bob on Christmas by bringing a small Christmas tree, a mistletoe toe, a Santa and some cookies.  Oh, and Joy left a trace of a kiss on his cheek as seen on the photo.

After many tests Bob was finally released yesterday evening.  Angie moved her Christmas Eve party to last night. A few family members and friends who are family attended her wonderful party.  She had a taco bar and many sweet temptations. We also played the Christmas gift exchange game. Angie has the perfect Christmas house.  Thank you Angie.

The tests showed Bob had a small stroke since the August 13th stroke but they are not sure when that happened.  They are pretty sure the Christmas Eve episode was a seizure.  There is new blood in the area of the two strokes which makes it impossible to know the cause stemming from these strokes. The doctors are concerned about a couple of (scary) possibilities but they are waiting a couple of months for the blood to go away before they can do more testing to make any conclusions.  Although I cried uncontrollably the other night, Bob and I have chosen not to worry. And, to have hope and faith by living each day to the fullest with thankfulness to God for all that he gives us.  

      

Bob In The Hospital On Christmas Day!

Bob is still in the hospital.  I hope he will be able to come home tomorrow.  He has to get an EEG and another MRI.  They found new blood which indicates he had another stroke since his stroke in August but they are not sure when it was.  They did not see an aneurysm, which is good.  He has not lost any of his abilities to do things that he gained since the first stroke. (another positive)  Tomorrow they will be comparing the MRI from yesterday to the MRI from tomorrow.  This should indicate if the bleeding has increased or not. They think he had a seizure yesterday and they have been treating him for that.      

 Bob is in the hospital again.  He is in Plaza Medical Hospital in Ft. Worth.  They are not sure if he had another stroke or a seizure.  They took some tests tonight and will be taking more tests tomorrow. He seemed really good when I left him tonight.  He still had some numbness on his face by his eye. The tests they took earlier showed no signs of blood in his brain which is good.  He has been doing
really well lately and I hope they can  figure out when the blockage is coming from. I will keep you updated as I know.  Please remember him in your prayers.  Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Bob using the Saebo.

Bob is using what is called a Saebo.  It aids in closing and opening his hand. It has been helping him more than any other exercise aid.

In the past couple of weeks he has been getting a massage and it is helping a little with the pain in his shoulder.  

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a smaller group but I didn't take many pictures. Until Bob is a little more mobile I have my hands full just taking all of the things he needs when we go somewhere. The camera is too much. I did upgrade my phone with a nicer camera and editing capabilities. I'll probably take pictures with that for a while. I hope to get a lot of pictures at Christmas. Ben, Jane and Jake are coming the week of Christmas and we are very excited to spend time with them. I had a birthday last week.

I am always happy to get another birthday. Bob says " getting older is contageous" " if you hang around long enough you will catch it."
 
Bob works every day as if it is his job going to therapy and doing the exercises. His walking has improved a lot. He graduated from an arm cane to a regular cane. His study at UT ended last week. We go a couple of times this week for tests so they can evaluate the results. He is doing Occupational Therapy a couple of times a week. His shoulder brings him a lot of pain which makes it difficult for him to do exercises. But, he keeps trying. They are trying to make a decision about what to do about the pain. The most difficult thing is just doing the normal everyday things that we all do without thinking most of the time. For instance, getting ready for the day. Showering, dressing, struggling with compression socks, braces and more. It's so time consuming. I have started to allow 2 hours just get myself ready and assist Bob with his needs. Otherwise we are late for appointments. We still have a lot of hope and realize Bob is very fortunate to still be here. It is just going to take longer than we originally thought. The best way for us to deal with this is to go back to how he was originally and see the progress since. Bob's attitude keeps us both going.