Saturday, May 05, 2012

Dad update #174

It's been a while (over a month, I think) since I published my last "dad update," so I thought I'd rectify that today.

The biggest news of the last few weeks is that my dad is walking again. He needs the assistance of a walker (or some contraption that's like a walker--I don't completely understand my mom's description of the one-handed device he's currently using to get around), at the moment, but even that's pretty amazing when you consider he only took his first steps about two-and-a-half weeks ago.

When will he take his first, unassisted steps? No one really knows. I'm hopeful he'll take them eventually, though, and that's all that matters to me right now.

Things are going well for him in other areas, too. He's talking more whenever we chat via FaceTime, and he's eating and drinking fairly normally at this point--although he still has some difficulty in swallowing "thin liquids" like water, something that seems to be an issue for many folks who suffer strokes.

As much progress as he's made in the last two months, though, my dad still has quite a way to go before he can return home with my mom. His left arm is still too weak to be used for much of anything, for instance, and his body is pretty weak overall, too.

Here's hoping that his progress continues in the coming days, weeks and months and that he and my mom are able to return to some semblance of normalcy as soon as possible.

See also: Previous posts about my dad

18 comments:

Retr0gamer said...

Seems like he's making great progress. Getting up and about is a big step for him. I'm hoping he makes even more progress in the coming weeks.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thanks, Retr0gamer! Yes, he's making very good progress. It's hard to be patient sometimes, but what am I going to do, right? You can't rush recovery...

Anonymous said...

Hugs! I hope he will see much more great recovery in the months to come.

diaglyph said...

Glad to hear the positive progress :)

Sean said...

I`m glad to hear that he is making some progress in his recovery. I hope he`ll keep getting better and be able to come home with your mom sometime in the near future. Keep us updated, I think I speak for all your readers when i say that we are all pulling for him!!

RetroKingSimon said...

It's great to hear things continue to improve with your dad, Bryan, here's hoping for more of the same! :)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, LA! Me, too :)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, Igor! Yes, it's great that for the last few weeks he's only had positive progress. Now excuse me while I go knock on wood...

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, Sean. I really appreciate your well wishes -- and everyone else's too. I'll certainly keep all of you in the loop as to how he's doing, although I would update you too often (this is a gaming blog, after all). I have a feeling my next two posts will be about him taking his first, unassisted steps and about him going home with my mom :)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, too, Simon! All of this positivity has to help at least somewhat, right?

Viewtiful_Justin said...

It sounds like fantastic news all around, honestly! I'm happy to hear he's doing better, even if incrementally.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, Justin. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that recovering from a stroke takes a very long time. Thankfully, my dad came to this realization a while ago and is seemingly OK with it. He told us last week, though, that he can "see the light at the end of the tunnel," which was great hear :)

Chalgyr said...

It's great to hear that he's been progressing well, but that you are also understanding that there is improvement to be had. My best wishes to you all - it sounds like you're handling it well, and here's hoping you get continued good news in the near future.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thanks, Chalgyr. I really appreciate the support and best wishes :)

Unknown said...

Your father continues to be in my thoughts. It's good to hear he's been making some progress!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thank you, Anne. All of these positive thoughts and vibes surely are benefitting my dad :)

SUIKA said...

Well we all look forward to more news of him getting butter. I know this post is like, days old now but, what does he think of all the hardcore videogame stuff that yr into. Y'know, like, the fact that (in my experience most people don't get this) yr really into the whole aesthetic of videogames and not just playing them? I'm sure you've maybe talked about this before.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thanks, SUIKA. As for what my dad thinks of my interest in video games: I'm honestly not all that sure. I mean, I know he and my mom are supportive of it (i.e., they never say things like, "Aren't you a little old for such a hobby?") and they're definitely curious about my blog (they used to ask about it all the time), but that's about it.