JUST BREATHE!

As of yesterday we can begin to breathe a bit easier...the official paperwork arrived stating that Caitlin's Medicaid benefits will continue. Therapies will be uninterrupted and no more appointments that last three hours. Hopefully no more paperwork to fill out for a while! Hopefully no new stress to fill this place either! We need to go on with the good things and wholeheartedly celebrate them with nothing negative lurking under the surface!

Caitlin has been doing very well in relaxing that right arm after the Botox injections. Amazing in that she had 12 injections between her shoulder, bicep, pectoral, and forearm and never once flinched or winced. I did that for her! Jeri, Caitlin's OT, came to the appointment with us which was really wonderful. She and the doctor worked together in relaxing Caitlin's arm prior to the injections. It is amazing to watch Caitlin take her left arm and just straighten her right arm out to a full extension without much difficulty. Compared to the arm wrestling I felt like I was doing in the past when I tried to move the right arm this is just so drastically different that I hold my breath each time I watch. Caitlin has been diligently working on dressing herself and the arm movement has helped tremendously. As always I am in awe of Caitlin's determination and perseverance with each task she undertakes. It may take her an hour to get one shirt off and another one on but she does it and almost always has a huge smile on her face when she is finished.

I returned to school this week and my plan is to work three days each week. It is a bit of a rush at lunchtime when I go pick Caitlin up at therapy, bring her home, and then return to work. Friends have been here to feed Caitlin lunch and stay two hours. Stephanie, Michael's girlfriend, then comes to stay until I get home from school. One week down and seven more to go until school is finished for this year. We will make it happen one week at a time!

Caitlin's vision in her right eye changed as a result of the stroke. This week she got a new corrected lens in her glasses and the difference in her ability to read the computer screen has been tremendous. Luckily she had her connections at Sierra Eye Associates to get right in and have the problem solved!

I feel a need for rejuvenation after what felt like such a fight to make sure Caitlin continues to get what she needs. Advocacy is a huge balancing act between emotions, thoughts, and actions. There are days when the balance is challenging to maintain but at the end of each day I finally am crawling into my own bed upstairs (the air mattress for two months on the floor downstairs was enough) and am sleeping the whole night. High expectations and striving to be your very best self have always been part of our lives and I realize today how strongly both Caitlin and I continue to hold onto this each and every day. We are working hard together and individually to continue to succeed in overcoming the challenges we are faced with. I have to keep reminding myself to just breathe!