Monday Jan 9th

Well, the weekend's over and back to some serious therapy. Margaret was so funny, she had me help her get in her wheelchair before the PT therapist showed up, so she was all ready to go.... Christy, (the PT therapist) is really funny, but she works Marg hard. Today they were mostly working on her standing, trying to "walk", and trying to get her left leg to move a little more on it's own. So, her left leg has gone from no movement at all, to moving one or two inches. She's also getting some feeling back in her left arm, but I haven't noticed her moving her arm yet.

Sunday January 8th

Another lazy, relaxing weekend day. Our big event today was going up to the therapy rooms and they had a bunch of dogs for the patients to pet and interact with. Two of them ended up licking Margaret's face! Amelia and Jeremy got to come again, and Amelia, being the typical teenager, decide the best thing to do was snuggle up with her Mom and take a nap with her all afternoon!

Saturday, January 7th

The weekends are more laid-back around here. Only one-two therapies and more time to relax. Margaret had lots of visitors today and enjoyed seeing you all. Jeremy and Amelia were able to spend most of the day with her too. Amelia took Margaret to the the "piano room" and played a few pieces for her. We also had another "first" today.  I was able to Margaret outside this morning for a little fresh air and sunshine on her face!

Friday January 6th

Not much new today---Margaret finished painting/glazing a ceramic coffee mug which is part of her recreational therapy, they'll fire it in the kiln next week. Her highlights of the day were a visit from her her priest from St. Jude's who brought her communion, and Jeremy and Amelia stopped by for a short visit tonight.

I had a request for Margarets address:

Center of Rehabilitation Medicine
1441 Clifton Rd Ne
Room 444
Atlanta, GA 30322

Wed/Thur January 4/5

Margaret continues to impress me! Yesterday when I arrived, she was laying in bed with her head turned slightly to the left (she had never had her head past midpoint before) She continues to improve her/eating swallowing and is eating more and more varieties of food. Today she was practically doing "half" sit-ups with the physical therapist! There's a piano in one of the family rooms and today Margaret went down there and started playing some sheet music.

It dawned on me that some of the visitors may not know what to expect when they first see Margaret, so I thought I'd give you a heads up.

First of all, you'll probably notice she now has a "crew cut" and there is a large "bump" on the side of her head where her brain was swelling. her face looks thinner because she has lost weight and her smile is a little crooked due to the stroke. Her speech is much better, and you can understand her almost all the time. Margaret can carry on a conversation, but will sometimes just stop talking as she processes what she will say next. As you all know, Margaret loves to read, but it is difficult for her to read with her vision problems right now due to the stroke. (Today we were reading headlines in the paper and looking at pictures in a magizine) Margaret also likes being read to and then talking about the articles or the book. Margaret also has what i think they call a "flat mood/tone/emotions". This is common in the type of stroke she had and will appear unemotional (althought we do get get a grin now and then!)

Again, Thanks to all her visitors who have been bringing her flowers/food/magazines/DVD's etc etc.   Margaret can eat alsmost anything now as long as it isn't dry or sticky and can be swallowed fairly easily. We're still coming up with things margaret can do when she has visitors to interact with them--one good idea was working together on crossword puzzles, reading to her, playing cards, going thru a magizine/book with her, or even watching/talking about the news with her. Always looking for more good ideas!

Tuesday, January 3rd

Margaret continues to improve little by little. The big news today, was during her therapy session, she was moving her left leg a little bit on her own. This is a great development, as it shows some of the nerves/muscles are beginning to work again. Margaret says thanks to all her visitors over the holidays, she has really enjoyed you stopping by.

Monday January 2nd

Hi, it's Terry, Margarets brother. I got here Friday afternoon and just got the passwords so I now can keep you all updated. I am just blown away by how many visitors Margaret has had and how many calls, and offers of help, and recommendations, and referals, and cards and prayers she has had. She truely has a wonderful group of friends, neighbors, and co-workers! Many of you have offered to help fixing up the house--I know ramps will be needed, but don't know what else at this time. I will hopefully find out later this week now that the holidays are over and the regular staff will be at the rehab center.

The target date for Margaret moving back home is Tue Jan 24th. That could change based upon her progress. She'll have 24 hour care once she's back at her house, and will continue with the rehab with probably of mixture of in-home and at the rehab center. Those are details still to be worked out.

Margaret still keeps improving little by little every day. I've noticed a change since I got here on Friday, and many of her visitors have commented on her improvement since Margaret arrived back in Atlanta. A huge step for her was being able to start eating solid food. It still has to be cut up into small pieces, and she can't have dry or sticky foods yet. Basically, she needs to stick with foods that are easier to swallow.

Funny story: On New Years Eve, Margaret had one of the nurses wake her up at midnight, so they could watch the ball drop at Times Square at midnight!

Again, thanks for all your help with Margaret and the rest of our family.
Terry Pumper