Rachel Update

Sorry for the delay in blogging. My work at RC has been pilling up; however, I like it like that. We had a rough weekend as Rachel had ANOTHER MRI on Saturday. Since it was done on the weekend we had to wait until today to get the report and fortunately it looks ok. That's the good news. Rachel started her speech therapy (which actually deals with her memory, not so much her speech) and she did not score very well. She will have a loooong road ahead of her as she works to get her brain synapsis firing on all cylinders. The biggest blow came today as we had an appointment with the eye doctor. Rachel's visual fields were tested and it turns out she has lost significant vision in BOTH eyes. The doctor said she will never be able to drive if she does not regain more vision. We are obviously hoping that she will obtain more vision as the brain heals; however, we have no idea we just have to be patient and see what happens. She was pretty emotional as we drove home from the doctors office. Yes, we have ALOT to be grateful for, but remember, Rachel does not have any recollection of what she went through. All she knows is that she had a splitting headache and woke up 12 hours later in the recovery room. Therefore, the news of possibly not driving again is devastating. I, on the other hand, am not that concerned. I explained to her on the ride home that my experience was totally different than hers. I kissed her goodbye and was absolutely convinced that the next time I saw her she would be in a casket. So the fact that she might not drive again means two entirely different things to us. But (like a good husband should) I am allowing her to express her feelings and I am not saying much right now. I can't imagine never being able to drive again. Totally dependent on other people, not being able to go places with just her and Abbey, not being able to work out of the home...these are just a few things she is dealing with.

We have an appointment with the Infectious Disease doctor in the morning and hopefully we will get the IV removed! This would be a big help as we are so inconvienced by it at the moment. The next step is the surgery to replace the skull bone. This won't be until mid-February. We originally thought it would be after Thanksgiving but our doctor "changed his mind." After the skull is in she will have a heart procedure. I say procedure because we still do not know what exactly they will do. A tiny hole was found in her heart and the doctors think this is how the infection got to her brain so quickly. Instead of the blood going to the lungs and being filtered, it went through this hole and directly to the brain. To avoid this in the future the doctor wants to patch the hole. Again, we do not yet know how this will be done.

Rachel has requested prayers for her "driving situation." I, however, am just glad she is still with me. Two months ago when the surgeon told me, "we are going to do emergency surgury in hopes to save her life," I would have never dreamed we would be where we are today. It's amazing how clearly we see and how sharp our vision becomes in the midst of tragedy. I will never take a moment with her for granted again. In fact, last night I was offered front row tickets to see one of my favorite bands, U2! Instead, I chose to spend the evening with my favorite person.

P.S. That being said, does anyone know if U2 is coming to Detroit next year? Sorry Rachel, can't pass them up twice.