Back in the Groove

Jon is taking the night off from authoring the blog, so it's my turn back in the writing saddle. It's been a hectic few weeks, and this past week was no different. Things are heating up for the family and for Jon. Now that the kids are back in school, their activities are kicking in to high gear again, which means football practice, soccer practice, piano and scouts. All good and fun things, but makes for some crazy schedules, as many of you know.

And Jon is back in the groove of football season. He's back to working weekends and some later nights. He's trying as much as he can to leave early a few days during the week so he can rest. Lingering effects of the stroke still tire him out and make a regular work-day pretty exhausting. But he's handling it like a trooper, and is making progress getting things ready for the seasons (football, soccer and volleyball), with the help of his co-workers.

In the midst of all of that, he's still finding time for therapy three days a week. He is still making progress. It might not be as constant as it has been in the past, but at least we are still making some headway. I think his walking has gotten substantially better. He really only uses his cane if he's in a big crowd. He doesn't use it at the office or at home, so that is coming along nicely.

His left arm continues to be a bit more stubborn, but it's getting there. He's still going strong in OT and they are working him hard. He passed the driving simulator, which mainly measures reaction time, so probably before too much longer he will be driving. We are still relying on the generosity of friends to get him places, and everyone is still being so great when we do need help.

He has been doing a lot of the e-stim in OT, the electrical stimulation that they use on his arm to get the muscles firing. We now have a home unit, and I was able to "shock" him for the first time tonight. I have to admit, it was pretty fun! The first couple of times it wasn't high enough so I cranked it up, and by the grimace on his face, I could tell I was moving in the right direction (and yes, I turned it down. I'll only use the high setting on special occasions:)

So while the progress continues, Jon still has a way to go to get back where he wants to be (back on the softball field for the next city league season next summer), and we can certainly still use the prayers and support. It's been more than three months since Jon had his stroke, and we are both still so thankful and grateful for the support we have. All of our friends and family are still so great about everything, and we truly appreciate it! It's not easy trying to get everything done and everyone where they need to be, and the help we have is priceless! So thank you once again to all of you out there who continue to read and comment, and who continue to hang in there with us!