Friday, May 11, 2012

(posted by Greg)

Monica had her Bev treatment as scheduled last Thursday morning. Marley took Monica over for a morning treatment. The appointment with the pain doctor was scheduled for 12:00 a.m. I took the Skytrain separately from work so that I could sit in on that appointment and drive home with them. I arrived right on time (a miracle in itself) but missed part of the appointment because for once (an even bigger miracle) they were actually running early.

The pain doctor we saw was different from the first one we saw. But, like the pain doctor we had seen 2 weeks earlier she was very empathetic and had a great bedside manner. Apparently, there is nothing we can do about the waiting time (July20th) for the first referral to G.F. Strong regarding possbile botox treatments for Monica's arm. They have adjusted the dosage (downward)  of the new drug which is intended to relax the muscles in her arm. The full dosage was making Monica very drowsy when she took it. We have been experimenting with 1/2 dosages and it seems to be working better.

May 4th was the anniversary of Monica's operation. It is hard to believe that a year has passed. However, when I review the year (and all  the things that happened) in my mind, the passing of so much time makes more sense. The year was a horrible one because of all of the drastic changes. However, we have had a lot of great family moments during that year and some experiences which I will always remember.

At this point, I am grateful for each day. I am really thankful that Monica has the spirit/attitude that she does and that Marley has been able to be home with us this past year. Currently, we are in quite a happy routine (so much so that you forget the changes which have happened). Monica is doing quite a bit of work on the computer (organizing photos for a photobook) and getting out and about quite a bit. We see Ingo and her mother quite a bit. Monica's mother is currently a fantastically happy part of our life. She is doing so well: she likes  where she is staying, enjoys having her meals prepared, is making new friends and trying all sorts of new activities (such as shooting pool and Wi bowling). All is well with her at the moment and this is a big relief for Monica.

Last night Monica and Marley went to the Ballet with Jesse's girlfriend (Sydney) and her mother on a ladies night out. I dropped Marley and Monica at the Skytrain station with Monica in her wheelchair and they took the Skytrain downtown. All went well. The Skytrain and the Q.E. Theatre were all wheelchair friendly. (Although Marley said that her calves got quite a workout pushing the wheelchair up the little hill from the Skytrain to the theatre in a tight skirt that didn't allow her to take big steps.) I picked them all up following the performance and learned that the Q.E. Theatre layout works well for picking up someone who is in a wheelchair.