Wonders Never Cease

So Mom and Dad and Aunt Cindy went to see Dr. Warnick Friday.  He looked at her lab results and decided that low thyroid levels may be the culprit (for all the speech difficulties/confusion/exhaustion).  She will see her family doctor tomorrow and he'll start her on some thyroid medications.  Dr. Warnick (the surgeon) thinks that this alone may take care of these issues, so he wants to try that first before exploring any other options.

Meanwhile, she has been cheerful despite all the aforementioned ailments.  Many of you have probably seen her out and about.  She's been to Aunt Nancy's birthday celebration, church, and of course, our house.  :)  She's also been hanging out with Esphyr two afternoons a week, and Esphyr has learned to build marvelous block towers by herself while Grandma snoozes.  Her sense of humor is very much intact.  She laughs and smiles a lot, especially with the kids.

Thanks to all of you for thinking about her and asking.  Thanks to the small army of food-bearers.  Thanks for the prayers.  We appreciate all of you!  In the words of Tom Kelly, "Take care of each other."

Much love,

jk

Post-Op Update

Hello all!

Sorry I have been so late getting an official update posted.  Dad and Mom went to see Dr. Warnick on Friday and he was thrilled with how well she is doing physically.  She passed all her gross-motor neurological tests with flying colors.  He was baffled by the other concerns: Mom's lack of fluent speech and a little confusion about ordinary tasks.  Dr. Warnick didn't think these things should be happening based on the area involved in the surgery (the cerebellum), so he ordered blood tests, which will take place Monday (tomorrow), and speech therapy, which they will schedule soon.  He thinks these side effects should pass with time, but he's only giving it two weeks before he calls in another neurology colleague who specializes in these areas to help out.

That's the latest.  The best part is she always says "yes" if you ask "are you happy?" and "good" if you ask "how are you feeling?"  So at least she's not in any physical pain. :)  She doesn't seem too frustrated when she can't find the right word for something.  I think it's harder for those of us who are trying to understand her and wish we could do more.  (Yes, that's me.)

So thanks for all your kind thoughts and inquiries.  We'll let you know what we find out tomorrow.

Thanks!
jk