Continuing where we left off

**pictures of my incision & scar below

Well, by now I had been home about three months.  I was alert but napping very frequently.  Reading was hard as my eyes jumped from line to line and that resulted in headaches.  I spent a great deal of time in bed.  The fatigue I experienced, and still do, is like something I have never felt before!  It is unrelenting and I must succumb to it everytime it calls.  

I had a visiting nurse, an occupational therapist and physical therapist who each came to the house.  My sister, to whom I will be forever grateful, stayed at my house for a week, organizing my appointments and care.  It seemed like someone was coming everyday!  I found it quite annoying and I remember being totally out of it and not wanting to get up.

I finally decided to seek the therapies outside of the home after about a month later.  I really didn't feel like I was getting much help with the at home therapies.  I began going to speech, occupational and physical therapy at a traumatic brain institute therapy center.  It was a helpful but scary and sobering experience.

I was there for 3 hours 3x's per week.  I was driven by my sister and parents.  I was in terrible arthritic pain which had to be managed first before work on my gait, speech and problem solving issues could be tackled.  

I met many nice people who unfortunately were in horrible circumstances, like those who are paralyzed due to different types of brain injuries.  I met one woman who fell 25 ft but wouId never walk again and she had a 13 month old at home.  I would go home mentally and physically exhausted!  I would come in and just fall into bed and sleep for hours.

The therapy did help a lot in the speech department, occupational therapy went well and I walked away from physical therapy with weakness and a limp.  I graduated from having to use a walker to being able to use a cane.  

After therapy began the real dark side of my journey.  Depression and anxiety set in.  I went to a deep, dark place from which I am barely emerging...more on that to come!  Please contribute if you can to our medical bill fundraiser www.gofundme.com/helpingtracy