Thursday, December 22nd

Well tonight is Greg’s last night at the Hospital! How glad he is to be coming home! After Christmas he will start physio with someone in Grenoble to fine-tune any lingering vertigo. But he’s moving amazingly well and quickly. Being home will be easier for both of us, although it is farther for people to come and visit. But Greg can find new things to entertain himself with, rest well when he’s tired, and then carry on. It’s quicker and easier to go outside for fresh air. And he can rest in multiple places, changing the scenery. It is Home.

Various things reveal he is gaining strength. He has finished another, longer, book. And yesterday as I read a card to him that was written in French, he made me go back over each word until he was completely satisfied with my pronunciation – and then made me conjugate a couple of the verbs! Mr. Taskmaster!

He is making at least two trips to the cafeteria a day now, for drinks, though he is sticking with straws for the moment. And last night he actually went for a bit of walk outside with a friend … a bit of an exploring adventure from the sound of things – and such stimulation is exactly what a person wired like Greg Johnson needs, to keep him from going stir crazy with cabin fever.

The other small adventure yesterday, which I forgot to report, was his eye stitch falling out. It is more common for the lid to actually rip than for the stitches to come undone, we were told, so I’m grateful it was only the stitches. This morning the surgeon decided not to replace it – Greg just needs to remember to keep the eye moist enough with artificial tears, and be extra-ordinarily careful to keep it clean. The surgeon was also pleasantly surprised that, although Greg – as usual – could not blink when they poked around in his eye, he none-the-less, for the first time, had a pull away reflex. The surgeon had not expected this to be returning yet (if, he feared, at all) – so this is a hopeful sign. Any such glimmer helps.

By the way, as regards to physio for his face, Greg was told that there will actually be very little he can do, other than wait, and that he can actually do damage by doing too much. Waiting will be hard, as Greg’s genes are much better at acting than waiting. Over the years with my RA he has gotten a bit better with this most challenging of verbs (“to wait”) – at first it was so hard for him not to be able to do something to make things different. But now it is his own body, not mine, and that is different yet again.

He was in good spirits this evening when guests came to visit, as he talked about his various plans and dreams for the house. And I was sure that he and his “room mate” were both going to get sound head aches as they were both laughing so hard at the other gent’s bed folding up on itself, and at his fears to call the nurse for help as he had already gotten into trouble four times today. I fear he will be a little bored once Greg goes!

I left a very tired Greg tonight – one who was happily off to take his last hospital shower. I think the next few days will be both exciting and tiring … and then after that the demands of reality will set in again. WE have a challenging road ahead of us, but a Good one too – especially with the various company we have been blessed with to help us along.

As of tomorrow I won’t have to wait till so late to scribble these blogs either – so hopefully they will be a bit more cohesive and coherent. We are still waiting to get internet access – at this point it is possible we won’t have it till after Christmas – so I will be continuing to “phone in” my blogs to patient typists, but hopefully it won’t be long before we can type them ourselves, and even read our e-mails. I know Greg will enjoy being able to make some reports himself.

Happily to bed, knowing that tomorrow is my last trip to the hospital, at least until after Christmas! Thanks to the graciousness of others I won’t even have to drive this time.

Love,
Kirstin