Along with the fatigue issue, Eddie's immunity has been not so great, unfortunately. He has been catching colds on and off for the last couple months. Despite the fact that his white and red blood cell count are low, the hemotologist thinks it's nothing to be alarmed.

I've been trying to boost his immunity with supplements. We are mindful of his food intake, making sure he gets plenty of vegetables and fruits in relationship with meat (organic whenever possible). He drinks primarily water throughout the day, occasionally green tea at mid-day and tart cherry juice before bed. He's never been good about drinking plain water as he was a beer drinker prior to his stroke. So pushing water has been a challenge. We drink smoothie with plenty of berries and twelve various fruits and vegetables as well as turmeric soup every morning. We mostly cook at home, occasionally eat pre-made food from Trader Joe's. I've cut down salt and sugar intake drastically. I've been researching so much on food, I feel as though I'm taking a crash course on nutrition.

We are continuing to keep up with Eddie's physical activity. He does his exercise and walking routine with our boys. We started implementing breathing exercises. He could improve on his balance and flexibility, strength and posture. Although, his stiffness has always been an issue. 

Eddie has been helping us with chores around the house. As I mentioned in our previous posting, our dishwasher broke down. So we've been doing dishes by hand. The boys would take turns washing, Eddie would dry and I would put away the dishes. Eddie is quite good at it and starting to remember where the dishes belong. He's also getting very skilled at folding laundries. Every now and then, he sweeps and do gardening with us.

I try to have my boys be involved in caring for Eddie as much as possible. However, they're still young and we are all learning through trial and error. One day while I was running errands, Eddie was having a hard time getting up from his nap. So Ryan tried tickling him. Eddie wouldn't get up so then he tried waking him up by aiming lights with flashlights. Eddie got mad and irritated. He threw a glass cup with water at Ryan missing him by few inches. Luckily, nobody got hurt. But Ryan was upset that he had to clean up all the mess.

Evan had put together a play list of Eddie's favorite songs from the 60's and 70's. We play his music while he does the puzzle on the iPad. He's proficient at 64 pieces. We play card games and try exercising math skills with cards. His writing skills are improving at baby steps. Fortunately, he is able to read, however, his comprehension is rather weak. 

We haven't had Eddie start on the biofeedback/Neurofeedback sessions yet. I feel we need to improve his stamina and get a better handle of the fatigue issue first. Eddie is consulting with a Naturopathic Doctor and getting more tests done. He'll probably have to do some sleep analysis as well. He still wakes up few times a night. Therefore my quality of sleep is affected as well. I'm learning that poor sleep does a number on ones health. I started consulting with a different Naturopathic Doctor for my health issues. Ryan has been battling with some skin issues. He's getting some allergy tests done.

We are hanging in there. Although at times it could be overwhelming, we are trying to take it one day at a time and count our blessings. Thank you for your love and support. We wish every one of you
A Happy Thanksgiving!