Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Tuesday, April 23

I told the family it would be great to have personal communication to Elder Babcock in email with comments and questions and encouragement and advice. He read blogs too. He preferred the computer. We continued using music in the ipad.

It was very difficult for him to have so much time doing nothing and feeling that he could not do anything he wanted to do. Elder Babcock read email from the family every day, but not mine to them. He also followed the family blogs. Blogs were a great help to preserve new memories day after day.

We had just walking twice around the atrium, most of the time with just me and he was still willing to exercise more when we returned to the room. Great progress. Each time around is 92 steps, with a couple of stops to rest and a stop for leg lifts. He would ask, “What next?” and then he would do another exercise. The therapist was speechless, because he had always returned exhausted and not wanting to do anything else.

The infection was a small section or stripe in the front part of the brain shown on the MRI. I think they put a chemical in the blood to make it appear white in places of infection. The ears are clear and no fever. The hole between the ear and the brain has been closed or will close. They would have to do an MRI to see if it was clean. It was part of the original meningitis. That he had one or two days without antibiotics is not a problem. The short-term memory should improve when it's gone.

He needed to take three weeks of the same pneumococcus antibiotic. Also the thrombosis has almost gone. The pneumococcal 23 vaccines Elder Babcock had already received in the States should have protected him. There is a new pneumococcal 13 vaccine. He should get it in a year when we return to the states. It covers a small number of strains, but is more powerful.

Living in three places was hard for me. I had things at the hospital, in the hostel and in our house in Victoria.   Elder Babcock was not sure what he would do with the elders when he heard that they were coming. Elders had not come for a long time, except for Elder González and his companion on Saturday and Sunday for the sacrament. When they arrived at 3:30 and I learned that another companionship were going to come at 6:00. I realized that would give me the opportunity to go to Victoria to wash clothes.

Google and the Chilean language often disagree. Elder Babcock walked for physical therapy with one of the elders, while I was gone. His Mexican Spanish was pretty good, but he was not as good with Chilean. Fortunately his Spanish was growing rapidly and was gradually being better understood.

He was resting after having been with the elders for four hours. He was happy to have me back. I could stay later in the clinic with the elders here to walk me home. Elder Babcock liked that.

I just talked with Dr. Concha. Ten more days at the clinic before the next scan. She agreed, no surgery and was impressed that Elder Babcock was doing so well because the part of the brain that was affected handles communication and emotions and other very basic things that did not seem to be affected.

He tired easily. We had to make use of any window of opportunity. Memory is a big thing. And although the hearing was better, he said it sounded like he was at the bottom of a pool, whatever that means. He could not sleep with the music so loud. But he could explain to me when women were singing alone or when the base sang louder, so the music would continue.

When I was in Victoria, he read the notebook with the letters from the missionaries. He warned me that some parts of the elder's Spanish were a bit enigmatic, but he said he understood 95%. He said he wanted me to add family letters to notebook. He had the vision of a history of his experience in the clinic. He was still writing or thinking of his paper called cosmic confusion. For him writing has always been hard work. He wanted to think first and write perfectly instead of pouring it all out and fixing it later. He has always been a good editor for me. I told him I planned to transcribe everything on the computer.

The comments from the elders were very important to us:

Elder Wood:

Today is the 23rd of April and the surprises did not cease.  With little help, Elder Babcock went to the bathroom, and we walked around the 2^nd floor of the hospital with him.  We watched him do exercises, and even walk up on stair.  He’s beside me now feeding himself dinner, and teaching me lessons that I haven’t been able to learn in 23 months of missionary service.  For that, for your example of faith and diligence, for your service and never giving up, I, your brother in the work, will always be grateful. 

It’s a great day in the Kingdom.

Elder Alvarez:

Elder and Sister Babcock, it has been a privilege to be with him during this time, I have strengthened my faith and I know that miracles exist. Elder Babcock has a great wife, brave and strong. They are an example for me....  Courage forever, anything is possible and thank you for serving the Lord and never giving up.