9/14

I'm told there are people still checking in periodically and wondering what's going on with Mike. So we'll provide a little update...

Mike is up and walking on a cane full time now. He is also able to walk without the cane albeit with a wider stance and slower gait. He's found that the physical presence of the cane is a good silent indicator to people that he needs a little more space around him -- and people act accordingly.

Mike is also starting to look around the house for projects which is classic pre-stroke behavior. He can be found patching holes and painting walls right now. I am sorry to report that the stroke did not "correct" the part of Mike's brain that allows him to shout, "Good enough for government work!" at the end of a, shall we say, less than perfect job (with all due respect to government workers reading this blog right now). It is good luck indeed that I am not a perfectionist.

Starting back at the physical therapy has provided Mike a benchmark for his recovery. He can seen how far he has come as his therapist regularly gives him timed tasks (e.g. walking from one end of a hallway to another) and updates him accordingly. He has also begun with a personal trainer who claims her goal is to have strangers size up Mike and conclude he had knee surgery, not a stroke that took most, if not all, of his cerebellum.

Mike hit the six month anniversary of his stroke September 2. This triggered Providence's HR department to start the paperwork going for his termination. We received a kind phone call from his boss letting us know that Mike would be welcome back any time he could return but for now, they have to get him off the books. We are pleased to report that as of September, Mike's long term disability also kicked in so he will probably have a year of breathing space to figure out what to do next. On the agenda is another neuro test to determine the extent of the cognitive damage; we anticipate that to happen in about six months.

We're entering Portland's Fall with the most glorious weather. We've had a run of stunning 80 degree days which inspired us to take a long look at a corner of our cantilevered house that is sagging. In the next few days I'm having a guy come in to tear off the south facing wall. This project should be angst-riddled enough to drive another six months of blogging.