Journal entry by Sean Holt —
Sorry for the delayed updates. There is just so much to do that certain task have fallen to the bottom of the To-Do list.
Kelly is doing well for the most part. She has been getting out of the house several times a week thanks to the help of friends and family. About twice a week, she gets out to go walking or head to a store (to walk) and pick up a couple of things. On Friday's she has her Physical Therapy appointments. She does her physical therapy at home everyday during the week and takes a break on the weekend. If you would be someone that is available during the day on week days, please feel free to reach out to Kelly and offer to be available to come and take her . . . anywhere other than here. LOL.
A week ago at her physical therapy appointment, she learned that at about 4-5 weeks (which was last week) the swelling in her head is just starting to go down. These past few days she tried to reduce the amount of Ibuprofen & Tylenol she is taking from every 4 hours (alternating) to every 6 and found out in short order that she is not quite ready for that.
While we have been to one Thanksgiving (and have one more to go), leaving the house for extended periods of time and being around a lot of noise (even at "inside voice" levels) definitely takes its toll on her. While she is still working on balance and has some vertigo issues, having a lot of noise (aka 2 or more conversations happening at once) or loud noises is the most painful for her right now.
Right now is one of the most difficult times in her recovery as some days she feels great, others she is in quite a bit of pain. A lot of the big milestones are either behind her or a month or two in the future.
Since I've had a couple of people ask; How am I? Stressed, tired and overwhelmed. This week for Thanksgiving the kids are off of school, so I had to take PTO for Monday through Wednesday. This was both a curse and blessing. First a curse in that I am now out of PTO, and a blessing in that I needed one less thing on my plate in order to get some things done around the house. Luckily I was able to get all of the necessary things done outdoors before the first real snow. There are a couple of things that didn't get done, but those can wait until spring. Now, I just have to try and catch up on the house chores before next Monday when I have to "dive back in".
While we have had some friends and family come and help out, I am still constantly "on". I have also been very lucky in the past two weeks I've had some friends come and hang out with Kelly and the kids on Friday evenings so I could get out of the house. I absolutely don't regret being able to take some time to spend with friends outside of the house, but both times I was purely exhausted and almost chose to just stay home and go to bed early. . . . still glad I chose to get out of the house.
Short of begging, iff you are someone that wants to come and help out with some cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc. Just message me and let me know what works for you. There is always something to do.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and I hope that your Holiday Season is full of light & love.
Sean
Kelly is doing well for the most part. She has been getting out of the house several times a week thanks to the help of friends and family. About twice a week, she gets out to go walking or head to a store (to walk) and pick up a couple of things. On Friday's she has her Physical Therapy appointments. She does her physical therapy at home everyday during the week and takes a break on the weekend. If you would be someone that is available during the day on week days, please feel free to reach out to Kelly and offer to be available to come and take her . . . anywhere other than here. LOL.
A week ago at her physical therapy appointment, she learned that at about 4-5 weeks (which was last week) the swelling in her head is just starting to go down. These past few days she tried to reduce the amount of Ibuprofen & Tylenol she is taking from every 4 hours (alternating) to every 6 and found out in short order that she is not quite ready for that.
While we have been to one Thanksgiving (and have one more to go), leaving the house for extended periods of time and being around a lot of noise (even at "inside voice" levels) definitely takes its toll on her. While she is still working on balance and has some vertigo issues, having a lot of noise (aka 2 or more conversations happening at once) or loud noises is the most painful for her right now.
Right now is one of the most difficult times in her recovery as some days she feels great, others she is in quite a bit of pain. A lot of the big milestones are either behind her or a month or two in the future.
Since I've had a couple of people ask; How am I? Stressed, tired and overwhelmed. This week for Thanksgiving the kids are off of school, so I had to take PTO for Monday through Wednesday. This was both a curse and blessing. First a curse in that I am now out of PTO, and a blessing in that I needed one less thing on my plate in order to get some things done around the house. Luckily I was able to get all of the necessary things done outdoors before the first real snow. There are a couple of things that didn't get done, but those can wait until spring. Now, I just have to try and catch up on the house chores before next Monday when I have to "dive back in".
While we have had some friends and family come and help out, I am still constantly "on". I have also been very lucky in the past two weeks I've had some friends come and hang out with Kelly and the kids on Friday evenings so I could get out of the house. I absolutely don't regret being able to take some time to spend with friends outside of the house, but both times I was purely exhausted and almost chose to just stay home and go to bed early. . . . still glad I chose to get out of the house.
Short of begging, iff you are someone that wants to come and help out with some cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc. Just message me and let me know what works for you. There is always something to do.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and I hope that your Holiday Season is full of light & love.
Sean
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Kelly Jo Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Kelly Jo's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
