Before I go any further, since I'm not sure if I'll be doing an entry tomorrow, I must say... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER STEPHANIE who will be another year older tomorrow.
We received word today that Barbara will be transferred to Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago on Monday OR Tuesday. Here are a few quotes from their website that excite me about Barbara being able to go to this place:
"The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has been designated a Model
System Spinal Cord Injury Center by the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education for its
dedication to patient care and rehabilitation research."
"The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has been recognized as the "Best
Rehabilitation Hospital in America" since 1991 by U.S. News & World Report.
No other specialty hospital has been consecutively ranked the "Best" by U.S. News & World Report for so long. In 2003 RIC was also ranked as a "Best Hospital" in rheumatology for the fourth consecutive year."
One of the obvious issues here will be that I won't be able to be with her everyday. Although we aren't that far from downtown Chicago (where RIC is located), it is still about an hour drive. Not to mention the expense of either parking in downtown Chicago or taking the train. Barbara had hoped to be a bit more able to do things for herself before this move, and she's concerned about the boredom that comes along with immobility. However, it sounds like they may keep her quite busy. Her overriding desire to be able to walk and craft again has helped her better deal with her fears and anxieties.
Her heart rate has been a bit high. In the course of treating that, her blood pressure got pretty low as a side effect of the drug. It seems we've been through that discovery process before. Hmmmm.
Also, her fibro-myalgia is heating up again.
A neck x-ray was taken today to determine if it is time to remove the neck brace.
Please pray that Barbara's anxiety and depression will ease, and that the impending transfer will go very well,
Pray that her vitals will be stable,
Pray the wound area on the back of her head will heal well,
Pray that I will be able to be with her just the right amount of times,
And pray that Barbara will be able to walk soon!
It's interesting how mean-spirited the coverage of the impending super bowl is here in the Chicago media area. However, I have an insight that I'm quite certain many of you will vehemently disagree with (not to mention that linguists among you will disparage the fact that I ended a sentence with a preposition). Quite simply, I find this Super Bowl stuff to be appalling. After my years of living with Barbara's illness, I can't fathom why we celebrate the ritualistic and flagrant destroying of the human body. Any sport where the end result is that the better the player, the more devastated their body will be for life, is simply without merit. While you have people like my wife who would give anything for health, we go crazy over a sport that celebrates the destruction of the human body. But then, that's just my beef, and I'm sure if you look at my life you'd find areas where I'm hypocritical for making such a point! Then again, I've known very few people who are consistent. Still, if I hear one more story about "Da Bears" up here, I do believe I'll, uh, I'll... well I don't know what I'll do, but you can rest assured, I'll do it.
And that's the rest of the story.
1 comment:
Hi Greg--Barbara's going to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is enough to excite anyone after reading your description of it. It sounds like just what Barbara needs. Our Father, We're thankful for your guidance in helping Greg and Barbara find the perfect rehabilitation place. We pray that Barbara's anxiety and depression will disappear and that the transfer to RIC will take place smoothly. We also pray that Barbara's vitals will stabilize, the wound on her head will heal, and she will be able to walk soon. When Greg visits Barbara in Chicago, give him pleasant and expedited transportation, and let him appear there according to your perfect timetable. Be with them both as they make this transition, Father, and give them both strength, determination, courage, and rest. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.--Gene and Marcia
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