Peter Pan

Hello all of our dear readers! My apologies for the delay in posting. But the good news is, I found a place for us to live in Regina! A nice place, that has everything (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, office) on one floor (for Bridget's potential mobility issues), in a good neighborhood close to the university. So that's one less thing to worry about in our lives.

Upon my return I immediately went to the hospital to see Bridget, and as I expected, I was impressed with her continued progress! Her ability to get up on her own in bed is excellent, and when she sits up now she sits up straight and tall and never leans over to her left side.  When she does pivot-transfers from the bed to the wheelchair she really does most of the work on her own, with me or someone else there just in case (and to sort of guide her). It is so exciting that she just keeps getting better!

While I was away Bridget started walking around with what we have dubbed the "Peter Pan" device. It's this ceiling-mounted hanging body-brace thing, that supports her weight to varying degrees while she walks around the room (as if to help her fly in a stage production of Peter Pan). Tomorrow she is going to try a version which will allow her to walk around the halls, instead of just walking around the mat in the gym over and over again. I will try to get video!

Bridget's sensation on her right side continues to get better as well. Yesterday night she said to me: "And this strange thing keeps happening, where I'm lying here, and suddenly I feel like there something under me that I'm sitting on, and I then I realize - nope, it's just my butt! So she's getting some feeling back in her right butt :)

And today she had some pretty remarkable recovery of sensation in her right arm. She was getting a blood draw in that arm, as she always requests that arm for that sort of thing since it's numb anyway, and but then this time she actually said that it kind of hurt! Then later in the day she reported that she was suddenly more aware of her arms presence, in a proprioceptive kind of way. Then even later she started getting some pins and needles feeling in that arm, as if it was waking back up from being asleep. So that's some super exciting news!

We also had a fun visit form our friends April and Whynn this afternoon, in between Bridget's therapy appointments. It is always good to see friends, exchange hugs, and share some laughs.Yay for people! And my Dad arrived today! He is out to visit Bridget and I for a few days, until the 5th. He was pretty excited to see Bridget and see for himself how well she is recovering and coping with all of this. It is hard to capture in pictures and videos, but Bridget is exceptionally positive and down-to-earth through what she described to April and Whynn today as "pretty much the worst time of her life. Pretty much! But through all of this she is still the normal Bridget you and I all know and love, and anyone who sees Bridget in the flesh can attest to that. And that, my friends, is truly awesome.