a busy week

The holidays have come and gone and Jimmy has been hard at work, weaning himself off his pain medication, continuing therapy and making some great strides. It's been challenging with the staff at Craig being a bit inconsistent with holiday vacations, so Janelle has been known to hunt down a physical therapist or two to get Jim's exercises in for the day. One of his therapists, stressing the importance of diligent, daily work described it like this: "Your therapy is like a gallon jug. Each session is like filling up an eye dropper and emptying it into the gallon jug. Your goal is to fill the jug."

Some of the great things that have happened in the last week: Jim is now able to stand with assistance and bear weight on his legs for short times. He got into the therapy pool and Janelle has video proof of him walking under water. He set a record at Craig on the bike, riding over 5 miles at a high resistance. His doctors released some more of his restrictions which has enabled him to transfer to a private vehicle, lie on his stomach and even raise to his hands and knees. He got an hour long massage the other night to relieve some of his muscle tension. All in all, he continues to progress. He also says they are close to releasing him on an occasional weekend. He would love to play hooky and hit the Sportmans' Expo which is in town this weekend!

Some things to pray for over the next few days: tomorrow he will meet with urology. The sooner he can get things taken care of in that department, the sooner they will allow him to move to a double bed (a good thing for married couples). Also, on Friday, they will have another phone conference with Dr. V and Dr. Hsu to determine status and prognosis. This will be the first time they've conferenced since before the third surgery. We are hoping for good reports and a bright future with an upright Jimmy. One more thing to consider praying for: Luke starts his schooling next week and will not have the availability that he's had. He's been a huge help to both Jimmy and Janelle. We're wishing him much success and are so appreciative for what he has been able and willing to do!