It’s Sunday evening and I THINK things are finally winding down for us. The weather has been pretty crazy today, with tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the afternoon. Hopefully the worst is past us and we can now relax for the evening.
It has also been a very hectic week, and I just didn’t have much time to sit down and write an update it seemed. Work has been very busy for me, with several projects ramping up at the same time, and we had something going on nearly every night last week. Matt’s therapy schedule has geared up too, and of course, we had the trip to Iowa City. I’m HOPING this week is a little less crazy…but of course, that remains to be seen.
Matt’s appointments in Iowa City went well. He had his follow up MRI in the morning and we met with one of the neuro doctors to discuss the findings. Things looked the same, so Matt’s AVM/AVF is still stable and no further intervention is needed at this time. We’ll follow up again in 6 months or so. Then it was on to the eye doctor to see if there have been any changes in Matt’s vision since his last surgery. Unfortunately, it appears the tilting Matt was experiencing before the last surgery is pretty much back where it was…it had improved right after surgery, but over time has slowly gone back. We all agreed that Dr. Olson did everything he could do to align Matt’s eyes, but his brain is just not perceiving things to be aligned…so there’s not much else to do. They told Matt to just do what is comfortable for him, and if that means wearing the patch on the right eye all the time, that is fine. They offered to fog the lens of his right eye, but he wanted to just wear the patch and have control over whether or not the eye is exposed. Besides, he says, it leaves an air of mystery! We’re still hoping that some day the bouncing in the right eye will subside and he’ll be able to fuse the images together – but taking the patch off the right eye for extended periods of time just didn’t do anything for the bouncing and Dr. Olson is empathetic to how crazy that bouncing would tend to make someone. So, for now, Matt will just keep using the patch. It was a milestone, of sorts, being done with the eye doctors. While we didn’t achieve the results we had originally hoped for, we are grateful for the chance to try and improve things…and knowing that we don’t have to follow up with that group of doctors feels like another big step towards normal living…and I have to say, it feels good. For us, I think it’s just another thing to accept and move on with life. Even though it’s not ideal – it is livable, and we’ve definitely overcome worse obstacles than a patch!!
Therapy sessions with Amy have been going well. They’ve been working a lot on balance and coordination activities. He always works hard, and though he sometimes thinks he didn’t do so well, I’m always proud of the effort he gives. He always, ALWAYS gives 100%...even when he’s afraid to try, and even when he’s tired…he’s not a quitter.
This weekend we’ve kind of been holed up together, catching our breath after the long and busy week. It’s just what we needed. I spent some time outside today (before the storms started) planting a new batch of perennials I got with the gift certificate from Matt…and it just felt good to get dirty and check on the status of my other plants. The fence will be going up in a few weeks and then we’re planning on getting some trees planted this fall. The yard is really going to start taking shape and I couldn’t be happier about that. Even though I MEANT to phase in the plants and just concentrate on the front this year…I’ve found that working in this yard and tending to these plants is so much easier than in our old house. I wonder if part of it is because I don’t have to do so much for Matt in this house.
I feel comfortable stepping outside to play in the yard while he hangs out in the house, knowing I can just pop my head in to talk to him and he’s not clear down in the basement. I love being able to plant things while he sits near by, keeping me company. I love so much about this house and living here (aside from the creepy SPIDERS)
I just don’t know if I’ll ever stop professing my contentment and happiness about it…even though I’m sure it gets old to hear. We are just so blessed to have this opportunity to live here. I simply cannot say it enough!!
It has also been a very hectic week, and I just didn’t have much time to sit down and write an update it seemed. Work has been very busy for me, with several projects ramping up at the same time, and we had something going on nearly every night last week. Matt’s therapy schedule has geared up too, and of course, we had the trip to Iowa City. I’m HOPING this week is a little less crazy…but of course, that remains to be seen.
Matt’s appointments in Iowa City went well. He had his follow up MRI in the morning and we met with one of the neuro doctors to discuss the findings. Things looked the same, so Matt’s AVM/AVF is still stable and no further intervention is needed at this time. We’ll follow up again in 6 months or so. Then it was on to the eye doctor to see if there have been any changes in Matt’s vision since his last surgery. Unfortunately, it appears the tilting Matt was experiencing before the last surgery is pretty much back where it was…it had improved right after surgery, but over time has slowly gone back. We all agreed that Dr. Olson did everything he could do to align Matt’s eyes, but his brain is just not perceiving things to be aligned…so there’s not much else to do. They told Matt to just do what is comfortable for him, and if that means wearing the patch on the right eye all the time, that is fine. They offered to fog the lens of his right eye, but he wanted to just wear the patch and have control over whether or not the eye is exposed. Besides, he says, it leaves an air of mystery! We’re still hoping that some day the bouncing in the right eye will subside and he’ll be able to fuse the images together – but taking the patch off the right eye for extended periods of time just didn’t do anything for the bouncing and Dr. Olson is empathetic to how crazy that bouncing would tend to make someone. So, for now, Matt will just keep using the patch. It was a milestone, of sorts, being done with the eye doctors. While we didn’t achieve the results we had originally hoped for, we are grateful for the chance to try and improve things…and knowing that we don’t have to follow up with that group of doctors feels like another big step towards normal living…and I have to say, it feels good. For us, I think it’s just another thing to accept and move on with life. Even though it’s not ideal – it is livable, and we’ve definitely overcome worse obstacles than a patch!!
Therapy sessions with Amy have been going well. They’ve been working a lot on balance and coordination activities. He always works hard, and though he sometimes thinks he didn’t do so well, I’m always proud of the effort he gives. He always, ALWAYS gives 100%...even when he’s afraid to try, and even when he’s tired…he’s not a quitter.
This weekend we’ve kind of been holed up together, catching our breath after the long and busy week. It’s just what we needed. I spent some time outside today (before the storms started) planting a new batch of perennials I got with the gift certificate from Matt…and it just felt good to get dirty and check on the status of my other plants. The fence will be going up in a few weeks and then we’re planning on getting some trees planted this fall. The yard is really going to start taking shape and I couldn’t be happier about that. Even though I MEANT to phase in the plants and just concentrate on the front this year…I’ve found that working in this yard and tending to these plants is so much easier than in our old house. I wonder if part of it is because I don’t have to do so much for Matt in this house.
I feel comfortable stepping outside to play in the yard while he hangs out in the house, knowing I can just pop my head in to talk to him and he’s not clear down in the basement. I love being able to plant things while he sits near by, keeping me company. I love so much about this house and living here (aside from the creepy SPIDERS)
I just don’t know if I’ll ever stop professing my contentment and happiness about it…even though I’m sure it gets old to hear. We are just so blessed to have this opportunity to live here. I simply cannot say it enough!!
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