December 27, 2011
We have had a wonderful Christmas with our boys and other family. Christmas day was a lot of fun with the boys. We stayed home all day and played. Jeff and I got to put together the new lego sets. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do with a girl. I love boy toys! Yesterday, we spent the day at my parents’ house with them and my brother and sister and their families. We had a huge meal and exchanged gifts with them all. There are 10 kids age 8 and under, so I’m sure you can imagine the noise and excitement. It was a lot of fun.
For the past week, Jeff has been having more of what we think is Bell’s Palsy. The left side of his face droops, sometimes affecting his speech so much that I am the only one who understands him. It is usually bad first thing in the morning and at night, when he is tired. He was supposed to go back to work today. He still works from home, but usually has to call in at least once a week. This morning, he overslept and then tried to go downstairs to the office. He took his time and got up slowly and held on tight to the handrails, but still passed out and fell part of the way down the stairs. I really hate that all our bedrooms are upstairs. He hurt his left shoulder and right wrist, but neither is broken. When I found him, his hand was caught in the spindles of the rail. He ripped his shirt and got a pretty bad scratch on his back. He also hit his head on the hardwood floor, so he has a pretty bad headache today. Needless to say, he had to call in again. Frankly, he was in no shape to answer support calls anyway with his speech impaired. We got him to the couch, where he has been ever since. He slept for several hours and then woke up long enough to eat a little lunch and help Mason put together a lego set. Then, he went back to sleep and still is. I am so frustrated. It seems like something must be going on because he stopped chemo and has gotten worse instead of better. The facial drooping and speech problems bother me too. I know the speech is a direct result of the facial droop, but what is causing that? Last time it happened, the doctor said that Bell’s Palsy doesn’t usually come and go. He saw a Neurologist a while back and they said everything seemed fine. Right now, he is weaker than I have seen him in a long time and passes out very regularly. I think I might take him to see his family doctor tomorrow. My babysitters are out of town today.
My extended family is getting together today in Burlington, NC. I wish I could be there, but am very glad I didn’t try to go. I had already decided to stay home. Jeff has to work and I wasn’t comfortable leaving town with him feeling the way he has lately. I also am very nervous about the concept of having my four boys in my grandmother’s home. She has lots of breakable things and I know something would get broken. They are also kind of a lot to deal with if you’re not used to it, especially the noise. After Jeff’s fall this morning, it is a good thing I didn’t go. The weather is also terrible, which I wouldn’t want to drive in. I hope my family is having a good time together. Hopefully one day I will be able to travel more again. For now, I will watch Jeff sleep and try to get my house back in order. If I don’t get the laundry caught up soon, we will all be wearing shorts.
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