Hi there!

Life in Boise has been chaotic as usual, so we have not remembered to update everyone regularly. But things are going really really well, and Mom is scheduled to get out of rehab this Wednesday Nov 13! Mentally, she is getting back to where she was before, with maybe a little more forgetfulness and overall confusion. But WOW she is much more lucid and her sense of humor is back - and we are so thankful for that. Physically it is a different story, as she still requires a walker or wheelchair, and is very wobbly without support. But every day brings more progress.

She has been hitting a lot of milestones in all aspects of her recovery (4+ hours per day of physical, speech, mental rehab) and is learning more about her new limitations. She keeps saying to us how this is a chance to start anew, how she has a new lease on life...things like that. It has been inspiring to see her turn this around so quickly - especially when you look at the posts from only a few weeks ago. 

Right after the stroke when she was struggling to regain consciousness, the doctors decided to remove/reduce almost all of her medications. This was done to see what some of her baseline vitals were, and so they could try new strategies to get her to react. Now that she is doing so much better, they are still holding off on introducing a number of her former meds. So really, she's on fewer meds than she has been on in decades, and we think it is really having a positive impact!

The plan moving forward is to have Mom live with me, my wife and daughter until she can move around unsupervised. We will work from home a combined 3 days per week, with a home healthcare worker filling in the other two weekdays. She will also have rehab specialists visit her periodically. We have a nice room for her, and will be bringing in her awesome recliner bed, and a couple items from her home to help her get adjusted. We also have Abby all spic and span to help with cuddling needs.

We cannot thank everyone enough for their support, and we will keep you posted as the days go by. Feel free to call, email or text Mom - and please keep in mind, she is still recovering. 

Love,
The Family