We're still hangin in!

Dear Family and Friends,
Anita is still making progress. The pace is slow, but when she does something new she hasn't done before, it's duly noted! She has been going to outpatient rehab for four weeks now, about 20 minutes from the house, 2 hrs at a time, twice a week. Getting in and out of the car is going very smoothly now; she can raise her left arm up over her head, but only with the help of her right arm. The left hand is slowly limbering up thanks to a hand rehab specialist. Anita walks with a four prong cane and a waist strap that someone holds on to. Her distance is getting longer.
We've been to church three or four times and even to a committee meeting last Monday evening. Several weeks ago my sister, my nephew and family and our son and his family were all here for a Sat. night cookout. A house full, but it was good. (Kayla stayed over Friday night just to make it interesting) Did I mention she got back in the groove and completed our taxes on time ?! Hope life finds you well, and if you get a chance, give us a few lines the next time you're emailing . Take care, ed

The Monday of the Easter season

Dear Family and Friends,
It was a very good week. Anita participated in the Palm Sunday parade around our church block ( she rode for the first time in her life), we joined the Croslands ( Daddy Bill) with their parish group for a very enjoyable potluck dinner and Maudy Thursday Service led by Caroline Kelly. I surprised Anita with a "day early" birthday cake while we all sang, well , you know. On Friday , Anita's real birthday, I went bowling with Forrest Palmer, his birthday too!, and then we picked up Anita and Barb ( Forrest's wife) and went to OutBack Steakhouse for a joint birthday celebration. Anita's appetite gained some momentum with all that delicious opportunity, including a surprise hot fudge sundae and the singing wait staff. Our stuffed selves came home and played a rousing game of phase ten, which Anita won. ( I forgot to mention Anita saw all her rehab people between 11 and 3 and had the sad job of saying that she was moving on to outpatient services the next week. She will miss their personal attn.) (( 2nd thing I forgot, Allison and Kayla came over with a birthday lunch and lots of flowers for Grandmom!))
We joined many in the joy of our Easter worship service , getting to see many church friends in the before and after time. Ruth and John Ensign's granddaughter , Liz, sat with me as Anita stayed in her wheel chair in the narthex. " She doesn't have to sit as still when she is just outside the entrance door." Late in the afternoon, Kenny, Allison and Kayla came over for a cookout , an Easter egg hunt and distribution of some Christmas gifts Anita had gotten prior to Dec 1st. It was a long day, but a very enjoyable one.
Today we had a regular doctor's appt for Anita , did some lab work and got a referral for an eye doctor ( easier to spell then O... ). Anita is still dealing with that, BUT it is improving. Tomorrow we have our first outpatient rehab appt., just around the corner in Conyers,GA. A new step up in Anita's recovery. Please continue your prayers. Progress and new adventures are just around the corner, by the grace of God. Take care, ed

a story of progress

Dear Family and Friends,
You'd think that if I traveled less to see Anita, I could write more. That doesn't seem to be the case however. We are hanging out at the house. Last weekend, BJ, Anita's sister, came for a visit to help out with the daily routines AND inventory the refridgerator and freezer AND do some cooking of meals AND do some cooking ahead to put into the refridgerator and freezer. It was a good visit for Anita and Ed took a few off from cooking,etc. BJ's visit was very appreciated. ( they even caught up a bit on family doings )
Phy and Occup Rehab come in twice a week each and this past week we had two doctors appt., one with the doctor that fixed a lot of Anita's bones and one with the doctor that supervised her rehab at the hospital. We discovered that some of Anita's tendons healed by having bone tissue replace the orig. tendons. Don't fully understand that situation, but the bottom line is there needs to be more agressive efforts on the left elbow, hand and knee. Even putting them in warmish water or wax and then massaging and stretching them as much as possible in conjuction with her pain pills!
Anita has stretched her left knee to almost 90 degrees so that she can now get into the car without my assistance. ( sitting down, sliding back and pulling the left and right leg in ) Progress.
She even went shopping today at WalMart for the first time in over 110 days, and you wondered why the economy was slightly depressed !
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, and even with all the weather calamity last night in Atlanta not too far from our church, we and two other neighbor churches will gather together and parade around
our block waving palms. This is a tradition that will occur for the 20th time. Anita will get to ride, but not on a donkey.
We continue to be ministered to by friends that don't realize fully how far it is to our house. Besides "sitting" with Anita there takes place some great getting to know you conversations. Your cards, emails ( Anita can work the computer with one hand ) calls and prayers continually support us in Anita's slow, but steady and frequently surprising, recovery. We are looking forward to the highlight of this special holy season this coming week and plan to participate fully with a wonderful community of believers at our church. We wish you a season of peace and renewal, all year long.
Ed

Dear Family and Friends,
Before I get too far away from remembering the seventy seven days I was visiting Anita at the hospital I need to thank Allison and Kenny for their very significant contribution to this time of caring for Anita. Being much closer to the hospital saved a lot of time, gas , wear and tear. It was very comforting to have a place to stay and family I could talk with and share with each day as the uncertain time went on. They have their house back now and if they need a sitter I'll have to drive a bit further to stay with my granddaughter, but there's a good chance it could happen. ed

a big weekend, then setting a weekly routine

Dear Family and Friends,
Anita is alive and well, but we haven't you told much about the in between. There are three people that visit two to three times a week, the Phy Therapist, the Occup Therapist and the nurse. In between times its cook a few meals (ed), practice what the therapists have told Anita, Anita talking with friends who call to see how she's doing and getting Anita near the computer to start paying the bills ( formerly done by Allison) and seeing first hand some of the news and messages that come our way. In between all of the above, Anita is taking an assortment of pills, from pain to a good daily supply of vitamin types. We've been to the office of the plastic surgeon - he said the graf is doing very well, but he is concerned about her left hand being swollen and in need of some specific therapy to help it regain full use. We may have to find another therapist unless the occup therapist can spend some specific time on the hand. We'll see. Next week we go to see the doctor who did the elbow, right hand and left knee surgeries for a followup visit, that's Tues. A few folks have been in while I was meeting an obligation at church or elsewhere. Thank you for being in touch with your calls, cards, thoughts and prayers. We look forward to seeing folks in the future, as fast as we can get it to come. Take care, ed

Anita's home and on the go

Dear Family and Friends,
Friday, Feb 15th was the big day, after 77 days, it was home, here I come!! It wasn't a quick ride home, that stop at the drug store was a killer. Thank goodness the druggist was a friend of mine and worked very hard to figure out what the doctor said, find some generics, etc. Anita was in the car for about 2 and a half hrs, with rush hr traffic, picking up a few essential groceries, etc. We have a rented hospital bed to help with the transition.
Sat. evening was the main banquet for Central Presbyterian's 150th anniversary celebrated at the train depot across the street from CPC, where Allison & Kenny had their wedding reception. Anita wasn't sure she was up to it, but encouragement from me and a phone call or two from friends and the preparation to get ready was go. ( After two days of getting ready, believe me, preparation to travel is a BIG thing!) There were 450 people there and when Martin Lehfeldt, the master of ceremonies announced that Anita was in the house, there was a standing ovation. Quite, Quite an emotional moment for Anita, one that she will not soon forget. So many friends came by our table to greet Anita throughout the evening, it was amazing and heartwarming, plus. She did quite well in her tennis warm ups and wheelchair. We didn't stay for the dancing, but the program for the evening was great and Anita ate all her steak. Her first in over 77 days !
We decided to attend our special church service on Sunday, but again, prep. caused us to be a few minutes late. The church was full. Anita sat in her wheel chair in the narthex where she could see and have a bit more air circulating around her. Ted's sermon was great as was the music and leadership of all who assisted. Afterwards Anita hung out in the narthex and had her receiving line along with Ted and other pastors. It was without a doubt, "another great day at Central"!
Lunch was a bit crowded, so we came home to a quiet lunch and a short nap. Tomorrow Anita is planning on just hanging out. We are planning on rehab coming to the house several times weekly and some scheduled visits to doctors over the next two months. Thanks for being with us in such a special way over these last recovering days. Many more to come until she gets behind the wheel and heads for the tennis courts. Take care and be there for those who need your ministry. So many little things you can do are appreciated more than you are aware. ed

A call for assistance

Friends,

With Anita returning home there will be many ways for us to help Ed and Anita in the transition and her continued recovery. I have been in conversation with members of Central Presbyterian's choir, the down-yonder parish, and the women's circle who all want to help with meals. I hope to be able to coordinate a few meals a week for the next couple of weeks as we gage what assistance the Carwiles will need. Ed has requested someone to sit with Anita next Thursday afternoon when he goes to a doctor's appointment. If you would like to make some food or visit with Anita please email me at jscanlon@cpcatlanta.org.

thanks,

Jonathan

One more night, no more hospital rehab

Dear Family and Friends,
Today was Anita's last day of rehab and I attended the seniors luncheon to start the official celebration of our 150th anniversary. Lots of folks were there, told everyone that Anita was coming home in less than 24 hrs. Food was great, program was very entertaining, lots of creative people did their thing. Looking forward to doing some more participating these next three days, will see how Anita feels after a ride home in a car. Hope to reconnect soon with friends at Central Presbyterian and all of you blogger readers out there. Keep the faith and stand by for rehab adventures at the next level. ed

Just a little longer

Some of you may have heard, but Mom was able to buy a couple more days in rehab. Being cleared to put weight on her left foot, she wanted a little more time to work with PT before she heads home. Her new departure date is now Friday morning.

Thanks so much for checking in. We appreciate all of your support. We are close to heading to a new frontier with at home care, but are excited about the progress that leads to Mom heading home.

We have extended Dad's stay at casa Webb (only a minimal extending charge).

Until next time,

Allison

Intentions are good, but not sure fire

Dear Family and Friends,
So many days and so few words, until now. Visitors are even coming from out of state! My cousin, Ennis and his wife Nancy Carol, came to visit Anita Wed and Thurs. from VA. What a very nice surprise. Then on Friday Lynn Turnage and daughter, Catherine, came by to meet Anita for the first time. Now Anita knows who I've been talking about for the last year or so.
Then Eric came down for a quick weekend visit. ( he's been under a lot of work pressure in Jan. ((an annual event )) and wanted to see Mom before she escaped the coop. Then Friday also the hip doctor says she can start putting weight on the left leg ! Let's hear it for Anita getting to stand up with equal weight on both feet.
No one raises the issue of the shoulder anymore, so we figure it must to healing on its own. The next step is to make the trip home and for Ed to engage in cooking one o one with intense supervision. We still have some frozen meals received along the way that we need to thaw out for just such an occasion. Tomorrow is day 72, only two more to go before the next level. This is going to be a little scary for Anita, so keep her on your list. Thank you again, ed

Gone, but not lost - I'm Back !

Dear Family and Friends,
It was sort of an uneventful weekend and then it stretched in Monday, throw in a pestering, hacking cough and I'm in bed by nine. The decision is in, first the catheter out Wed am and Anita out next Tuesday PM. Just ask Anita and she's the first to admit , it's a little bit scary. Sort of like, Eli Manning. Two to three minutes to go and the clock is running. They gave Anita several days to make up for the erector set removal and a day of checking and rechecking the blood thinner situation. ( orig. talked about discharge this Fri.)
The future is some home rehab with visiting rehab folks and some visits to the rehab office at Emory Hospital's rehab facility. Kenny is going to build a short ramp so we can roll from the garage into the kitchen. Our doors are not all that wide so we'll need a narrow wheel chair to move around the house and into the bathroom and maybe a more normal wheel chair to carry with us when we travel. As you might guess, we're talking some new territory here.
So I will say good bye to my guest qtrs at Allison and Kenny's house and head back out to Covington. Thank you for being with us, it's amazing to think back sixty seven days and try to comprehend all the support we have received. We will be contacting many family and friends in the months to come. Take care and we'll get back to more reg. blogging. ed

Week Two of Rehab - Almost Done

Dear Family and Friends,
The erector set is gone ! , but the arm is tender. Rehab did not happen on Wed, so she is a little bit behind schedule. Hopefully she can catch up next week.
Caroline Kelly and Debbie Miller from Central Presbyterian came for a visit yesterday and Anita celebrated communion for the first time in a long time. That was very special for Anita,and me too. Today Rod Hunter came by with a selection of books and read to Anita since she is still dealing with that double vision thing. We had a good visit afterwards too.
Sat. is a short day , only morning rehab. Visiting hours are longer on Sat., starting at one pm. We see something that looks like the end of the tunnel, maybe quicker baby steps will get Anita there sooner. Enjoy your superbowl gatherings, is it the game or the food? Decisions, decisions. Take care, I hope your church does souper bowl on Sunday. ed

If it comes apart, maybe it's time to go !

Dear Family and Friends,
Anita is making good progress in stretching her muscles and abilities to do more things each day. Several days a week all the people on the rehab hall have lunch together while sitting in their wheelchairs. Anita has learned about some people with interesting backgrounds.
Tomorrow Anita with have rehab in the morning and then go to surgery to have the erector set removed, she will be sedated and be done in about 2-3 minutes. I'll be waiting for her to return to her room. Another plateau reached. The next hurdle will be to have the catheter removed so she can be in total control of her plumbing system. The down side of that is that it will take several days for her bladder muscles to get back on the job. I did say it was a hurdle.
We will rejoice Wed pm and Anita will continue to work the muscles and do the special exercises so that she can move from the bed to a wheel chair and back again with only the assistance of one person. The future work will be from chair to seat in the car, do they have training for that? I need some memos. Take care and stand by, she's making progress you can see. Ed

Don't Make em like they used to

Dear Family and Friends,
Rehab is coming along, trying new things and repeating others. The patch of skin from Anita's right leg used to replace skin taken from her left forearm has replaced itself and now is fully exposed to air. Today things were progressing when the erector set came apart, evidently they forgot to issue Anita an adjustable wrench ! That delayed things until the right person could be summoned to repair what had come apart. Of course the quote was, " I've never seen this happen before". Leave it to Anita to be in the middle of stuff like this.
No rehab on Sunday, yeh, rest day, just like the creation story. Next week we'll see if the doctors are ready to take off the metalic gear . Thank you for reading even though you don't type in a comment. We are in touch. Take care, ed

Fancy that - sitting in a chair to eat lunch

Dear Family and Friends,
Two days of rehab down and ? to go. Anita is being eased into working a lot of muscles each day. So far , so good. Her appetite is getting stronger, why not, she's expending more energy these days. The erector set doctor told Anita today that when he removes the e-set Anita will have to wear some sort of splint that will keep the elbow immobilized for six more weeks. It looks like writing with her left hand is going to be on hold a little while longer.
Anita sat in her wheelchair to eat lunch today and after awhile getting back into bed was looking much better that continuing to eat. I'm sure practice on this skill will take some more time. Caroline and Jim came by this evening for a visit, she had worked ten years ago as a chaplain in the same wing.
Anita's friends are ready to set up a tax prep room as soon as Anita can get the hospital CEO to tell her which room can be used ! Another project to keep her busy.
Hope you are well, please cont. to walk with us in the recovery journey. Take care, ed

Moving On ! ( with a little bit of anxiety )

Dear Family and Friends,
Don't try to call Anita in room 543 , instead wait until after 3:30 pm to call her in room 467, unless she's too bushed to answer her phone. Today was move day to the acute rehab wing. She's been welcomed and assured that she will keep doing well on her road back to normal. We left behind many faces we'd gotten to know well and had treated her the same. Amidst the good wishes we loaded up the accumulated stuff and moved down one floor and to the opposite side of the bldg, away from the helicopter pad, a shame. The room is bigger and very close to the elevator next to the emergency entrance. Can't tell you much until I check in tomorrow after 3:30, that's when visitors can come, until 8:30 (weekdays), after 12 noon on Sat and all day on Sunday.
Only four more days hopefully until the erector set is removed, that will require a trip to surgery, sedation and some recoup time. We'll see if that happens as previously indicated. Anita may be getting back into "some " civilian attire, we'll see how much cutting they're do to get some sort of top around her hardware. Thanks for checking in and writing comments if you'd figured that one out. Take care, enjoy your short work week. ed

Do wheelchairs come with horns?

Dear Family and Friends,
Anita was a little nervous and apprehensive about moving from the bed to the wheelchair, especially since it meant putting all her weight on that right foot and simultaneously twisting and getting her anchor to hit the chair. To avoid that problem and collection of neg. feelings the rehab. folks provided a small board to sit on and slide from the bed to the chair after coming to a sitting position. We don't understand this situation at first because we haven't been lying down for almost fifty days, it's all in your perspective. Anita did have a good ride today and even powered the chair on her own for part of the way down the hall. I pushed the remainder of the trip around the fifth floor as we watched the snow fall on Atlanta. Did you get any?
Anita's appetite is gradually coming back and probably will pick up speed as she burns calories on all this physical stuff. Hope you are well and safe as we experience some of the harsher aspects of winter, ie s&i. Take care until we meet again on the next blog. ed

A FIRST FOR ANITA IN 48 DAYS !

Dear Family and Friends,
As the talk with the social worker and coordinator of rehab services swirls about, Anita's picture is looking toward acute rehab facilities on the 4th floor of AMC starting next Mon or Tues. Yesterday, with the help of two rehab nurses Anita sat up on the edge of the bed and negotiated to a wheel chair where she sat nervously for forty five min. Quite a feat! Some of her muscles want to know what's going on. ( as you might suspect the erector set needs support as she sits- a bit tiring)
Today was not quite as strenuous. Mostly thinking about next week mixed in with several visits. One from Howard Montgomery and another from Jonathan Scanlon. Anita is ready to do more things on her own - hold cups, drink without a straw, and hold the hospital phone. She is giving her right hand a good workout holding sandwiches and eating cold cereal. As you can tell she is mentally getting ready to move on. Let's hope her body can keep up. Thank you for staying tuned, we look forward to some more firsts in the next 4-5 days. Take care, ed

She's sitting and standing again !

Dear Family and Friends,
Today was the first day to get back to the ole rehab exercises with the help of two therapists. They were pleased with her results today and I suspect they will be doing something everyday. Yesterday was visitors day with a friend of mine from Richmond stopping by on her way to visit ill relatives and friends in Ala. Also, three of Anita's newest friends from the Atlanta Food Bank came by to catch Anita up on the EITC program she was a part of before getting derailed. She must be getting better because she proposed setting up a filing location at the hospital to help those who need assistance in filing their taxes ! The trauma doctor said the CEO would probably frown on working out of room 543.
Today we got to watch big snowflakes fall for about an hour or two in the late afternoon, but then it turned to rain as I headed out in the evening . Take care, as Anita gets back into the "swing" of things and the graf keeps healing. Keep the faith, ed

Plans can be modified

Dear Family and Friends,
It looks like the Graf doctors are willing to let Anita move around some so that the Rehab people can do some things which means Anita does not have to leave. It's like reading the fine print and figuring what you can do to meet the ins. guidelines.

So. . . .Anita had a pretty good day and we're back to promoting eating to get the healing in a higher gear. Several friends are scheduled to visit Tues and Anita is looking forward to that. Just for the record. That erector set stuff attached to Anita's arm is really attached to her bones . You may have known someone in a similar situation. I try not to notice too much. Give thanks that doctors know what they are doing. Amen and amen. ed

Just hangin round, healing

Dear Family and Friends,
I'm back! It's been an uneventful past three days. The skin graf continues to look good, ie healing OK, maybe a pain pill or two, but Anita is doing well. Her keeping things straight skills are returning slowly after several rounds of morphine to keep the pain down, primarily last weekend. We had several visitors today.They updated us on Central's morning worship service and described the youth choirs from out of town. Wish I'd planned ahead and found a volunteer to bring me a" 2 go" box of Stan's fried chicken !
Tomorrow may bring more conversation about where Anita can go to heal enough before the doctors work on the broken shoulder. "Dr Aetna" doesn't like to pay for hospital rooms when there are less expensive places to heal. Since Anita's arm has to remain immobile all her exercises are done from the waist down and she can do them without a rehab person. So we'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for staying tuned, we appreciate your support and prayers. Did I mention our goal is to attend our 150th anniversary celebration at Central ? Take care, ed

For the faithful

It has been a pretty slow week with Mom just relaxing and letting her arm heal. Dad spoke with a social worker yesterday that coordinates care of long-term patients with the insurance companies in mind. Mom will be transferred to an acute rehab facility, hopefully in Decatur, but we are unsure of timing at this point. Though she awaits shoulder surgery, it might be far enough away that she will go to a rehab facility and then return to the hospital for surgery. Cost is a driving factor in this decision process so we will let you know more as we know more.

Thank you for your visits and phone calls this week. I was out sick for a couple days and have been unable to visit so look forward to catching up with Mom this weekend.

Pain alleviation has its consequences

Dear Family and Friends,
Over the past two days Anita has requested morphine to ease the pain she is experiencing in her left arm where the skin graf took place. Since the pain medication travels via her blood, the brain is becoming affected and Anita is not sure which day it is, etc, etc. When I leave and come back after several hours she thinks it is another day. We will just have to ride this one out.
The Conyers tennis team came to visit her today and she enjoyed that. There were six members present and they said she doesn't have to be captain this next season, but a cheerleading position was open, just for her!
I ran some errands today , picked up the mail and checked on the house and email. Anita was tired this evening and let me go without a peep. She had a good lunch today, but ate very little dinner. She just wasn't hungry. We also lobbied to get the liquid potassium off her daily schedule. It was nasty tasting and had to be diluted in some juice to get it down.
Here's hoping Wed is a better day. Take care and call someone you care about in the next twenty four hours, being in touch is good therapy for both the giver and the receiver. ed

Let's hear it for a little less pain

Dear Family and Friends,
We had a good visit with the skin graf doctor. He was pleased to see pink skin after he took the gauze off the main graf area next to the elbow. He wants the arm to remain suspended so air can continue to bring blood to the surface and facilitate healing. (a wrapped area doesn't bring the blood near the surface ) Anita has a lot of reoccurring pain with this situation and requests morphine to help her get thru and relax and sleep.
It should be a good week with just rehab from the waist down. The arm is not suppose to move hardly at all. ( you can't sit up or stand with all that hardware attached ! ) They took Xrays on Sat of her hip, knee and wrist. Maybe the orthopedic doctors will tell us how they interpret the healing based on what they see. Anita continues to expand use of her right hand, holding a phone and taking hold of a sandwich. She takes the support off for periods of time to allow for greater flexibility and exercise. Here's hoping for a good, low key week. Anita's other main occupation is to take in more calories and particularly protein. Think positive, ed

Finally, it's done

We are glad to report that Mom had her skin graft done yesterday. It was a little more extensive then we thought with her going down for surgery at 7:30 am, going in at 9:00 and not coming out of recovery until 4:00 pm. They used some skin and some blood vessels from her underarm and replaced her underarm with some skin and blood vessels from her right hip. As you can imagine, when blood flow is involved, it takes some time.


She is now connected to an "erector set" as my dad would say keeping her arm elevated as the skin on top and below tries to heal. The doctor expects the contraption for 2-3 weeks. Very uncomfortable for mom and really limiting her movement. Last night was the first night she really seemed to be in pain and experiencing some discomfort. The nurse came in and was able to give her some additional pain reliever, but I am not sure how well it is working considering she has been on continuous drugs for over a month now. Getting some sleep last night helped and each day will help continue the healing of her arm.

As for the right arm, it has improved and has been fitted for a smaller cast brace that is providing her more mobility. Though she is left-handed, she has now signed her name a couple times with her right and Dad teases possibly neater then with her left.

Thanks to Amy and Allen Mast for coming on short notice yesterday so Dad could run an errand. Dad is thoughtful to make sure Mom had someone with her after surgery while he was gone. He tries to stay with her each night until after she is asleep so that she has everything she needs and knows he is there. I know so many of you would do the same thing for a loved one, but it is something touching to witness it first hand.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Busy Day - Another try Friday

Dear Family and Friends,
Anita had a busy day with Rehab, final speech visit ( they determine diet to some extent) and some nice visits from friends from Central Presbyterian. Tomorrow they will again examine her open wound and decide if it is a high percentage time to close it with a graf. Let's pray it will be ready, Anita is starting to wear out from the preparation steps.
The doctor for her eyes finally came in to give her an exam and decided that there is a good chance that with time and rest the eye condition will heal itself, but if not to come in his office for another look in four to six weeks. Let's hope and pray that's a good intial assessment.
We're hoping that Anita will be fully mobile in time for Central Presbyterian's big 150th aniversary celebration weekend from the 14th to 17th of Feb. ( by mobile I mean able to move with the best of them in a wheel chair, anything more will be a bonus and a true sign of determination on Anita's part.
Until tomorrow eve, Take Care, ed

Two Days Behind

Dear Family and Friends,
Catching up time. Monday was busy for Anita, first an angiogram which is a process to check the blood flow in her left arm, all in preparation for the final steps in closing the open wound next to her elbow. Today, Wed, may be the date they do that closing. Also Mon. there was an MRI to make sure no problems with her neck vertebrae, etc. That was OK , Dr said see me in 3 months for a followup check.
New Years Day was quiet, except for keeping track of some football contests, not Anita's first choice. We had a surprise visit from family on the Elberton, GA side of Anita's family (Jean and Kristin), she enjoyed catching up. Anita keeps enjoying cards that I bring and read to her. The vision thing hasn't been officially diagnosed yet, but she is wearing a pirate patch on her right eye to rest the muscles and to avoid the double vision. Her spirits are good and her voice is getting stronger. No more supplemental O2!! These steps in the positive direction are all great and we thank God for these blessings.
Take care, let's get 'O8 off to a good start. ed
Hi Ted!

Great to see, Great to share!

Just a quick update from today from the long distance Carwile. I happened to be calling in when the doctor came in and said the MRI looked OK that they had taken on Monday to look at her neck. They will continue to monitor in 3 months, but for now we can enjoy keeping the collar off of Mom. I know that it is helpful to not have that restriction and there has been no pain so that is a nice step in the right direction.

We had a nice visit while down there for the holidays and as Dad and Allison have mentioned Mom definitely did some aiding of local economies before this unfortunate incident. There were three little girls that still had plenty of gifts to open and we were still able to have enough room in the car where nobody had to ride home on top of the car! I believe the car packing gene is definitely from Mom's side of the family and was very necessary this weekend!

I'd like to thank everybody that has been able to visit as now that Mom is in her room and awake visitors are even more appreciated as Dad and Allison can't be there 24/7 so being able to break the boredom is helpful. Hopefully now that all of the holidays are over the doctors will all be around all the time and more decisions and activities can take place. Mom has really appreciated her care and she shared that with the doctors. I know they appreciated that.

I hope everybody has had a wonderful holiday. It was different this year of course, but still a great opportunity to witness the results of strong faith as well as a time to see a family's true wealth which is not measured in the checkbook, but in the thoughts and visits and prayers of so many. We are very blessed. I have enjoyed seeing such a great example of how to be a man and love your wife. That is a gift that we take for granted too often. Thank you Dad!

I hope everybody has a safe 2008 and buckle up!