Andrea Pearl Updates

 Andrea got home on Tuesday! The cats were excited to see her and she is giving them lots of extra love. The neighbors are happy to see she's back too. And of course Ed is thrilled.  Andrea continues her rehab at home. Last week, Ed (who was trained in the basics by the in-hospital rehab staff), was temporarily leading her through the physical and occupational therapy routines. This week, the specialists (the usual PT, OT, Speech) start coming in on a regular basis. Ed will shift over to his real strength, music therapy! Our Miss Pearl is moving about the house well, only needing a “spotter” to make sure she’s ok on the stairs. She's cooking some, so meals are much more fun. And, she’s already figuring what to plant on the back deck this Spring. Life is good.

Andrea will be headed home from the In-Hospital Rehab sometime this week. This is great news with big emotions. Mostly happiness, mixed with a little anxiety about how it all will work once she's home. Friends waiting in the wings might ask about short visits of 1-2 people once she gets home. Andrea didn’t want visitors this coming weekend; perhaps by next weekend she’ll be adjusted to home life, have set her PT & OT schedule, and be ready for some company.  As always, check in with Ed or Laura to make arrangements for a visit. Scheduling must accommodate the visiting health professionals who will help Miss Pearl continue her upward trend. All indicators are positive! ❤️

Andrea Pearl continues to make progress. She's moving her right arm a lot more, so in concert with her perfectly fine left side this lets her do some 2-handed activities.     Happily, she is more “herself” each day, too. A few more visitors, yesterday her cousin Todd from Alexandria was there, last week a couple local friends. If you want to visit, please be sure to check in with Laura and/or Ed to prevent cross-ups. The big news is that she may head home late next week… again, dates are vague and depend on the docs determining her readiness. Updates as soon as more is known! In the meantime, work is underway to make Andrea & Ed’s home a safe, easy to navigate place. The spaces are now more cleared and open; help continue this effort by considering transient gifts such as flowers, plants, food, etc. Think “items that don’t need a permanent spot in the panoply.” Keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming, they really do make a difference.

Andrea is working on stair steps now, here she is headed down a flight. Steps are a big component to Andrea doing well at home, so this PT work is especially helpful. A busy week with physical therapy adding new challenges. She meeting them with grit and determination! This week, TGIF will truly apply. There is a change in visitor policy, whereby two people can visit in one day. Because Ed or Laura are still going daily, if you are interested in finding a day/time you might visit, you will need to coordinate with them. Better news every day!

Our girl is continuing to improve... While she’s been waggling her right hand fingers all along, yesterday she moved her right arm for the first time. She moved her forearm and is starting to get more feeling in the arm. Andrea’s talking better, she's communicating much better all-around and every day she's more and more herself. While it may be a few more weeks, a change of venue is in the air. Keep going Miss Pearl, you can do it!

February 23, 2022  Sisters, Sisters... Andrea is getting to see her sisters, in a round robin of visits. Laura is a regular, but last week Jennifer visited from out-of-town for a few days. This week Andrea will also get to see Barbara and possibly Margie (and they will get to see her!) Though still limited to one visitor at a time, the sister brigade provides a welcome change to Andrea's routine. The routine part that stays the same? Andrea is still working hard with her rehab folks, and the improvement is clear and definite. The docs are very happy with how things are going, and exploring a possible timeline (measured in multiple weeks) for Andrea to leave in-hospital rehab. The next step may be to go home, and continue out-patient rehab. This is exciting news, but the timeline is still vague. Updates will continue. In the meantime, keep those prayers and well-wishes coming. To use the free AHN e-Card service: https://www.ahn.org/patients-visitors/visitors/ecard    ...