Friday turned out far better than anticipated! I got to Handmaker a little after 9, and mom was in the gym working with the physical therapist. She had her sort of walking while holding on to the parallel bars, or at least holding with her right hand, but the left was still not able to grasp the bar well. The left leg was obviously not doing very well and she was far stronger with the right side, but it’s something. It’s the first time I’ve seen her somewhat upright in over two weeks. I brought along a cup of her favorite Tschibo German decaf with heavy cream, of which she had two sips…..

We left for UMC for her first visit with Dr. Lemole, the neurosurgeon who is taking over her care from Dr. Schroeder. We both liked him so much. It just seems like the people at UMC work together as a team, even though they are in different buildings. At CNS, they shared a practice and building and yet there didn’t seem to be a sense of teamwork between the doctors in any way. The neurosurgeon said that Maria Bishop was in charge of this ship, and makes the decisions and everyone follows her lead. Wow. At the other place, you’d think the neurosurgeons were gods. We both feel so good about the way everyone seems to care here. It is exactly what we had hoped for. Dr. Lemole also had the sutures removed already to avoid further infection. Now, just a few more days until our next meeting with Dr. Bishop and we’ll have a better idea of where we are headed.

Mom seemed like she was in a much better mood. She still had her moments of, “why is it taking so long, I’m tired of sitting here.” I finally asked her if she had a date or someplace pressing to be. And if she thought anyone liked waiting. We all wait our turn. Period. Even I have places I’d rather be. I’m not complaining. It wouldn’t change anything. She seemed a little calmer….. On the way back our driver was really funny and every time I looked at her she had a big smile on her face. We got back to Handmaker in the middle of lunch, and since she hadn’t pre-ordered, her choice was tuna casserole or egg salad on a croissant. She went with tuna casserole (which was a questionable choice since she’d never had tuna casserole and is not a fan of casseroles in general). I got the hell out before it arrived, because I knew this wasn’t going to be pretty and I’m no dummy!

Rick and I picked up some tile samples for the kitchen for her to look at, and we all went over after her dinner. She was still in a good mood and seemed genuinely happy to see us. I can’t emphasize enough just how much of a difference that makes. Sometimes I get there and I sit in my car and talk myself in to going inside because I know I’ll probably be sad, or hurt, or frustrated. It just takes a little something positive to make it all so much better….