First of all, I want to thank my lovely wife for filling in so far. She’s done a terrific job.

Second, I think it is amazing to see the outpouring of support and good wishes for my recovery. I never expected anything like this to happen to me. Who would? Nevertheless, I’m down here in Jacksonville at a hospital that specializes in putting people like me back together again. Every day is filled with all types of physical therapy dedicated to enabling the right side of my body to converse with the left side once more. I have no idea what to expect of my physical abilities the day I walk out of here (or get wheeled out of here) in mid-February. But I am certainly hoping for the best.

Saturday and Sunday are generally very quiet days. Gives me time to work and to reflect upon everything I’m dealing with. This is unlike anything I have ever had to handle in my life. There are days that I really don’t want to think about what I have to face. But I feel like it’s my job to keep as positive an attitude going as is humanly possible. I owe that to my family and friends.

Thank you for all your support.

PAD

Our lives were turned upside down. We rushed Peter to the hospital because he had lost the use of his right hand and his right leg wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do. The first couple of days were concentrated on stabilizing Peter and preventing some thing worse to happen. By New Years Eve, he was pretty much stabilized and the damage was done. On almost the stroke of midnight, he was able to close his fingers around Ariel’s hand and the road to recovery had started.

He spent the first week in a hospital as they tried to get his body to do what it needed to do so he could live. There were ups and downs, triumphs and tragedy, laughter and tears. The tears ran the gambit of sadness, rage, loss, joy, happiness, and love. It was a rather emotional week for the Davids.

These past two weeks he has been in a rehab facility working on getting back what he had lost in a very short period of time. He has gone from not being able to walk at all to walking for short times with minimal assistance. His hand has gone from only being able to close to having the ability to both close and open. His face looks like his face. His speech is pretty much where it always had been unless he gets very tired.

We have gotten him tools so he can work again. He is using Dragon Dictate to get things down and I have been editing and formatting things that DD doesn’t do. He is writing and working on a number of projects that he was working on before the stroke. He is getting himself back up to speed on things. And I think it has helped him to be able to work and get stuff from his brain to the page.

We now have a tentative release date that we are all working towards. There is a lot to be done on my end as well as his to make sure we can continue the forward progress that Peter has made. Some of this is still up in the air because Peter’s body is still sorting out what it can do. The more he can do, the less I will have to do to adapt the house for his comfort and safety.

So I am home and dependent on others to tell me how my husband is doing. I get all my questions answered and the relevant health details on how he is doing in a timely fashion. Caroline talks to Peter by Facetime at least once a day. I talk, e-mail, and text with him through out the day about various things so he can feel connected to what is going on here. Shana has been a rock through out all this and a good daughter for taking care of her father. I don’t think I would have returned here if I didn’t have Shana there to help him.

This week has been a little harder for me than last week was. Settling back into the swing of things here has been a bit bumpy but nothing I can’t handle. I am use to just having Peter around. If something comes to mind, I use to just go to the office and talk to him. Now it is a series of steps to get information to him and from him. But I am coping and Caroline is coping with her daddy so far away.

This weekend I plan to sit down and write out what I know I need to do before Peter comes home and next week I will start on the list of things that must be done. As I learn what Peter is going to need, I will add or subtract from that list as needed.

Three weeks ago I was terrified that I was going to lose my husband. Three weeks later I am making plans for him to come home. It is a much better feeling believe me.

I am grateful to the team that is helping Peter get back home to us

PETER UPDATE:
They have him working on a treadmill with some assistance. They are working on strengthening the right leg so he can walk on his own again. They are working on strengthening the grip of his right hand.

Yesterday he was able to go on a short outing to a bookstore, which was a big move forward and really good for him. Peter and I go to either a bookstore or comic books store pretty much once a week. He hasn’t been in either for almost a month, which is highly unusual. He said he enjoyed it and was glad to get out of the rehab even for just an hour or so.

We talk to him several times a day and communicate through text and e-mail. It is hard because I want to be with him but I know that he is in the best place for him to get himself back together and come home to us. He is up on Caroline’s day to day life. Peter and I are working together on several projects. I am being his editor and proofreader.

In other Peter news, X-Factor 250 hit the shelves yesterday. This is the beginning of his “H–l on Earth” story line and a great jumping in point. So I encourage you to pick up a copy, read it, and next Monday I will be posting a post for a discussion of the issue.

THE REST OF THE ENTRY:
Today we get our Christmas presents and other things I had to leave at my folks because I couldn’t bring it all back with me. We were in a car so I didn’t pack like I was going to be taking an airplane home. This weekend will be about unpacking and putting things away.

I was rather productive yesterday. I went and did my volunteer job at Caroline’s school. I help out in the library with whatever they need me to do. Since some of my first jobs were at a college library in both the reference section and collection management, my skills are well suited for library work. Then I did a short stint at the gym. I came home and dealt with paperwork, e-mail, and editing until Caroline came home. I am hoping that today is just as productive.

Peter threw me a curve with something I need to figure out for Headcases. It is not impossible but it is a challenge. (Hey Chip, if you are reading this, can you get in touch with me? I have a special effect that I need your input on. E-mail is the same as before.)

We found out that Gordon Lee who owned Legends Comics in Rome Georgia passed away. Gordon was one of those people who Peter and I called mutual friend. We both knew him before we started dating each other. My sympathies to his friends and family. Gordon was someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight when he knew he was in the right. The CBLDF helped him with various 1st amendment issues over the years. He and his passion about the first amendment will be missed by many.

Well I am off to deal with whatever I need to deal with next. I have a little list that is getting longer by the day. But I am dealing with it and that is a good thing. Over all I am doing OK. Not perfect but I am still able to function and get done what needs to be done in a timely fashion.

I am grateful that Peter got to get out of the hospital even for a little while.

But it was a baby step so not too bad.

UPDATE ON PETER:
We had mostly good news from his recovery team with only one what I am hoping is small set back. He has made vast improvements in a week and the team is feeling very positive about the next couple of weeks. We also have a tentative date when he might be coming home. This is only tentative and may change depending on so many different things but at least there is a date in sight and we have an idea of what is next for him.

Now I need some recommendations of places for outpatient therapy for stroke victims out in Suffolk Country Long Island. So if anyone has any recommendations or someone that might be able to help, you can write to me at puppetmaker (at) gmail (dot) com or comment here. I want to get those ducks in a row before he comes home since a lot of paper work needs to be done.

There is a new “how to help Peter” entry at Peter’s web site (www.peterdavid.net) which includes a donate button that we are working with Hero Initiative to donate to the cause. The Hero Initiative has been so helpful through all this. We can’t thank them enough for all they have done and are doing.

THE REST OF THE ENTRY (which may or may not have to do with Peter but probably will):

Today I am going to my Kung-fu class for the first time in a while. I am looking forward to it because I have missed it but am concerned that if I unwind, I am going to just lose it. I figure either way, it will be good for me to do and I have a great Sifu.

Caroline’s busy calendar keeps going. She is happy to be back in the mix of the familiar. She has friends to talk to in school. And she made it into band this term which she really wanted to do.

It is the little things I am starting to notice. Now that we have had the big wave of coming home and sorting things out (I spent a good long time on the phone about various things yesterday), I start to notice things like that the ice cube trays are staying full. Milk and other food staples are sticking around longer. One less person eating in a house does reduce the amount of food that needs to be bought. Laundry is just the two of us and Caroline’s clothes just don’t take up that much space in the washer. There is a Peter sized hole in the house and we need him back to fill it.

I know when he does get back, things are going to be very different. Right now we are sorting out how different and what is going to have to change here so he can safely live here. It is the beginning of a journey at the conclusion of another.

I am grateful for any information I can find that can help Peter.

UPDATE ON PETER:

Yesterday he walked 25 feet with a crutch but no other assistance. This is yet another big step in his recovery. They have also upped the number of hours that he is in rehab therapy, which is a good thing indeed. He also finished a script for a project I can talk about shortly. So he is working on getting back to us and is just working on various projects. Dragon Dictate is working for him and what he needs to do at this
time.

UPDATE ON THE SITES:

Yeah, we got hit pretty badly with some malicious code that really screwed up the system but Glenn and his team have been working on the sites and getting things back up. My web log is still down so just remember I am Puppetmaker40 in live journal and I copy what I do in my other weblog.

Until I know things are stable, I am not doing the Phluzzie Raffle.
And since I have been asked here are what Phluzzies are

These are my signature puppets. I can do all kinds of colors for them. They are hand puppets big enough for adults. They are not for small children as they do have small parts but bigger kids love them.

Caroline was wondering if anyone might be interested in an original Caroline drawing to help her Daddy.

Crazy 8 Press is still the place to send people to get Peter’s books. The momentum has been amazing and the further we get this out on the net, the better for Peter and us. You all need to take a moment and pat yourself on the back for all the help you have been in this.

I know the donate button is still pending. It is a combination of a couple of things that have to be sorted out before we can put it up and actually get the money. If you haven’t heard what happened to author Jay Lake recently (and we send him many good wishes for his battle again a very aggressive cancer) and Paypal, you might want to give this a read.

Ariel wants to organize an online auction, which she is at the beginnings of. She will be posting about it here once that is sorted out.

JK Woodward is organizing an art auction for Peter. JK and Peter have worked together on Fallen Angel and other projects for a number of years. More on that when I have the details.

UPDATE ON THE REST OF THE FAMILY

Shana is being a good daughter and keeping an eye on her dad and his care while he is rehabbing. I couldn’t be as calm as I am now if it weren’t for Shana.

Gwen got to see her dad last week and Peter really enjoyed her visit.

Ariel is back at college and ramping up for the next semester. She has a good support system up there that is helping her with various things she needs help with.

Caroline is getting back into her groove at school and her after school activities. She does have some sad moments and some sad dreams but that is to be expected. She is use to having both her Daddy and her Mommy around the house all the time. Right now she is dealing with a Daddy sized hole in her life. They talk every day via Facetime so she can see him.

I am doing OK. There are moments when things seem overwhelming but I can get back to just being whelmed pretty quickly. I am going to the gym to keep my body moving and get my exercise mood up-tic to counter some of the rest of this mess. I am eating and taking care of myself. As I have stated before, I am so grateful for all your good wishes and kind thoughts. Knowing people have my back in this is such a big help for both me and Peter.

I am grateful for every piece of paperwork that gets done.

Fezzig: You just wiggled your finger. That’s wonderful!
Wesley: I’ve always been a quick healer. -The Princess Bride

I have learned or relearned more about how our muscular system and nerve system works in the past two weeks than I have in years. After one has a stroke, there can be a couple of days of aftershocks as the body and the brain sort out what happened to it. The total effect of the stroke might not be known for a while.

Where Peter had his stroke is where the motor control of the body really routes to the rest of the spine and through out the body. In his case, the right side of his body was severely affected. From the time he got to the hospital on Saturday and till New Years Eve, we weren’t sure about a lot of things except he was alive which for me was the important thing and that they were working on keeping him that way.

By News Years Eve the crisis had passed and the damage was done. As we watched the ball drop in Time Square, we seem to turn a corner. He never lost sensation in any of his limbs but he didn’t have any motor control. As the New Year rang in, he was able for the first time in a couple of days to move his hand to close it around the fingers of Ariel who was holding his hand. He then light gripped my hand as well.

From that point he has been working on that grip which has been getting a little bit every day. However if he wanted to extend the fingers, he had to help the hand to flatten out. We all worked hard to keep the tendons from tightening up on him making it harder for him to spread his hand flat. Once the tendons either lengthen or shorten, it makes it just that much harder to get range of motion back in that part of the body. So we have been fighting his body to keep him where he was before the stroke.

Yesterday he could open his hand on his own. Not with his other hand or someone else spreading his fingers, his right hand responded to his brain’s command to flatten out. Now he has to work at it, but he can start to do it. The more of this he can do without assistance, the better it will be for him in the long run.

He still has a long road but he keeps moving forward with determination.

He also started getting back to work again. He had the time and energy to conduct some business and answer some e-mail that I really didn’t have the answers for. His replies seem a little more terse than usual but that has more to do with trying to get things done so he is short with his wording to get the idea across. He is doing what he can to get himself back to where he was.

I am grateful for every finger wiggle and toe twitch.