Update On Mr. AOW: Wonderful News! At Last!

After being off his feet for nearly a year following a plum-sized brain hemorrhage on September 15, 2009, and after all that time of acute and sub-acute physical therapy (still ongoing), Mr. AOW is up and walking with a quad cane!

Mr. AOW cannot yet walk without physical and tactile cues from me or the therapists. The walking consists of halting steps, and he tires easily. But my husband is walking at last!

I have to practice with him every day for at least the next three weeks so that he can further develop the muscle memory required for walking. Daily practice is critical!


My getting Mr. AOW ready to walk takes a lot of time: $100 hemisling on the left arm, $1600 AFO brace on the left leg (Pictured left. What a job getting that thing inside a shoe and all strapped up!), Ritalin, Baclofen, and Starbuck's caffeine aboard so that he can be alert enough to follow the necessary procedure. Also, I have to enlist a "safety net," meaning that another person has to be present so as to have the wheelchair behind Mr. AOW in case he starts to topple over. His sense of balance isn't perfect.

Oh, and another bit of good news....Mr. AOW has had one full week of dry nights! The washing machine is finally getting a rest. I think that the day will soon come that Mr. AOW can stop having to sleep in that hospital bed in the living room.

Blogging, including making blog rounds, is taking a back seat right now, but I will continue to post when I find time and (Gasp!) tweet news stories and commentaries. I will also continue to host The Gathering Storm Radio Show every Friday.