October 26, 2012

Hello Everyone,  

 

I know it's been a long time since an update but we have been traveling back and forth to Tupelo so much I haven't had time to write much of anything.  I have finished my radiation treatments and am doing pretty good.  I am still tired from them.  That was the hardest part - the tiredness - and even that is getting better.  I will be on a cancer prevention drug for 5 yrs. which is common now days.  The main side effect of it is bone pain and that isn't pleasant.

 

Dale is doing great.  We are still going to therapy 3 days a week.  Billy Paul Spencer has been helping me out by carrying Dale one day a week when he can and that has helped so much.  I was telling Dale the other night that Billy Paul was going to carry him on Tuesday and he looked at me and said "Billy Paul" as plain as we could say it.  He repeats a lot of the words he hears you say.  HA!?!  He has got his new Grandson's name down pat "Nathan".  It's so sweet to hear him say it because he gets so excited when you talk about Nathan. When he is talking on the phone to our girls he will come out with a new word and then he tells them "bye" when they get through talking.  When he knows what he wants to say he is trying really hard to put the words together.   This is a big accomplishment to be able to get the words to come out.  If he can't get them out the first time he will sit there and then he will come out with the main word that let's me know what he is talking about. 

 

In Occupational Therapy they are still working on the right arm which has more movement.  He still doesn't have movement in the right hand but hopefully that will come back.  Last week they started to working with him on making a peanut butter & jelly sandwich but he ran out of time before he finished it.  I started to ask if they had any pineapple, he could make it a lot quicker.

 

In Physical Therapy he is walking for 20 minutes at a time and a lot of that time is spent outside if the weather permits.  They also have what they call an adult tricycle and he takes off on it.  At home we are walking outside and he is walking a long way down the driveway and back.  At therapy he goes up and down flights of stairs and he walks hills, so they put him through it there.  When we get home he is ready to eat supper, get ready for bed and be in bed by 8:30 at the latest.  It still takes a lot of energy for him to do 3 hours of therapy.  Thinking about it makes me tired and I haven't had a stroke.

 

We want to thank each of you for your love, prayers and concern for us.  We have truly felt your prayers and love.  Each of you are very special to us and we thank our Father for you each day.  

 

We love you,

 

Doug & Dale

"¹ When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion,

    we were like men who dreamed.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow in tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ He who goes out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,    carrying sheaves with him."   Psalm 126