Trust His tender care!

Just for the record, brain injuries are no fun! Today was one of those days that left us scratching our heads and wondering, "Who are you, and what did you do with our Mother?" Mom did not want to do much of anything today, despite a great day yesterday and everyone's best efforts today. We did manage to get some therapy in today, despite the fact that Mom didn't want to walk too far with the walker. Jim Jr. and Randy helped her stand up and sit down on the side of the bed about 10 times. Then later on the therapists hooked Mom to the harness and she ended up walking a bit with the extra support it provided. But overall the day was mighty puzzling and downright frustrating. However, sometimes there's more than meets the eye . . .

Lately Mom has been complaining that the back of her right knee hurts and she doesn't want to straighten it out to walk. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to walk with bent knees! Tonight, just when everyone was about at their wit's end with Mom's "lack of cooperation," Dr. Samuelson (the knee surgeon) arrived to see Mom. Lo and behold, after examining her, he expressed concern about the fact that . . . drum roll . . . the back of her right knee is forming scar tissue and is unable to straighten out all the way! (Seems as if Mom knew what she was talking about all along!) Anyhow, Dr. Samuelson ordered a splint for Mom to wear at night while sleeping which will keep her knee straight. The hope is that after a few nights the scar tissue will relax and she will be able to straighten the knee out all the way.

Today's situation couldn't have been more frustrating for the family and staff because it is evaluation time once again for the insurance company and we are in desperate need of a good report. What with scar tissue, an underactive thyroid and starting two new medications, the real situation is a tad bit hard to discern for those of us in the thick of things. That's why it was so refreshing to hear Dr. Samuelson's perspective about Mom's current condition as it has been a week and a half since he last saw her. His comment was that Mom is an entirely different person than he saw on the last visit because of all the improvement she's made! Now just how do we go about packaging that up for the insurance folks in Oregon?

We can only leave it in the hands of the One who can work mighty miracles. We will just lay this at His feet and trust His tender care.