September 11, 2012

For the first time today someone made it clear to me the nature of the road that Gretchen is facing - and it wasn't part of the medical staff.  I was talking with a good friend today (his father also had a hemorrhagic stroke) and he told me that the physical recovery is the fast part.  The mental recovery will probably take over a year before Gretchen is back to 100%.  A number of medical people have told it would take "months" but they never told me what would take that long so I saw her physical recovery and thought that she was beating the projections.  They never told me that the main physical things are the easy part so I shouldn't get my hopes up.  Why can't medical people give honest predictions so that we know what to expect? (because if they are wrong and it doesn't go as predicted they are liable to get sued...maybe I should sue for the false hope caused by Gretchen apparently surpassing their vague answers! - that'd fix'em)

So, am I discouraged? No.  I am wondering which miracle God will perform, getting Gretchen back to "fully" functioning in record time or sustaining me through a year of this.

One of the nurses told me early on that there would be good days and bad days in Gretchen's recovery.  Apparently, today was one of the bad days.  She didn't feel well all day and when Peter and I left to head to Scouts she was practically asleep.

This morning I put phone number up so that she could call Peter, her parents, and me (I'm adding her sister as well).  Gretchen took advantage of that and called me at the office.  I know that it is a small thing, and it was a bad time, but it meant a lot to me.  I suggested that she call Peter but she just wasn't up to it.  Maybe tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I just learned that I have to work late tomorrow (Wednesday) so there probably won't be a post tomorrow.  I will probably be so late that Peter will come home with his night time routine completed at his grandparents' and change and go to bed.