Life at Timbercrest

(Note: Doreen got moved into Timbercrest back in December and continues to make great progress. We'll post updates and pictures on the family gathering at Christmas, but here are some more recent reflections from Judy.)
by Judy

On January 19, Judy went to North Manchester to visit Carl and Doreen and to take Doreen to an appointment with Dr. Kachmann, her neurosurgeon. She hadn’t seen him for a long time, and Lori Zimmerman, Carl and Doreen’s new physician, thought it would be good to check with him and see if he could make sure that the continuing dizziness was not related to the shunt or any other treatable brain conditions.

[By the way, Lori Zimmerman is the daughter of Gary Zimmerman, who was the academic advisor and mentor for Judy, Karen, and Amanda when each of them was at Manchester. In fact, Lori was the baby on the blanket in the child psychology course that Judy took from Gary. Lori, her sister, and her parents also took part in Karen’s wedding, so it seems natural at the same time it seems strange. I wonder how that baby could be her parents’ physician!]

The appointment in Ft. Wayne went smoothly. Judy, Doreen, and Carl drove together and were able to use a wheelchair at the Neurology Clinic. Dr. Kachmann and his nurse Brian greeted us like old friends, and they were very pleased to see the progress Doreen has made. They pronounced the shunt as functional and seemed to feel that there was nothing unexpected in Doreen’s progress. We really did not learn much there, but we were glad to see that they were pleased and that things were functioning the way they should. And Doreen made a point to thank both Dr. Kachmann and Brian for saving her life. She also apologized if she insulted them with her joking before the last surgery they performed. She has heard (although she doesn’t remember doing it) that she asked if they were going to use a chain saw for the surgery. Of course, Dr. Kachmann and Brian both said that they appreciated the sense of humor.

A theme in Doreen’s thinking during that day and since then came from a message given by Joe Mason at chapel on January 18: “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” She has been singing Great is Thy Faithfulness in her head since then, and she feels it has worked. She feels that she has gotten promising feedback from several sources since then, and feels she is getting strength for the days.

After returning to Timbercrest, Judy shared some birthday presents, although Doreen’s birthday was actually on January 25th.

The next day, Doreen saw Lori Zimmerman again, and this time she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. It could that this infection has been a factor in the dizziness. She is now being treated for that, and we all are counting for the treatment to be “bright hope for tomorrow.”

A few days after that, Doreen went to Grossnickle Eye Clinic in Warsaw to see if they could give her any information about her problems with her eyesight. What she was told is that she has some cataracts that should be removed. Actually, she was told the same thing by her eye doctor in Illinois earlier. That doctor had told her that she would tell him when it was time to remove them. She is now agreeing that it is time. After the cataracts are removed in February, her prescription for her glasses will be checked. Then they will see if anything else needs to be done. So some more “bright hope for tomorrow.”

A couple of weeks ago, Doreen also had her hearing checked. Not surprisingly to anyone in the family, she has a hearing loss. Next month, the hearing specialist will start working on finding the right hearing aids—and will check Carl’s hearing more closely. Having assistive devices could make a huge difference for both of them! All of these things were put on hold after the emergency last spring, but now it is time to get on with them!

Last week was the final week for therapy for the time being, because Doreen had reached a plateau and was not showing continuing progress. Some of the lack of progress could be blamed on the dizziness and perhaps on a brief bout of the flu the week before last. But Doreen’s response is that she isn’t sure if it is a success or a failure that the therapy is stopping. Is it because she has a accomplished so much or because she is accomplishing too little? In any case, she is hoping for continuing restorative therapy to keep strengthening her hands, arms, and legs and to keep moving ahead.

For her birthday today, Doreen and Carl were able to attend church with the Manchester congregation, the first time they had do so without their daughters. Kurt Borgmann, pastor in Manchester and son of Carl and Doreen’s first exchange student in the 1950s, picked her up. After church, Daniel (Karen’s son who is attending Manchester) and the Borgmanns went out to eat with Carl and Doreen at a local restaurant. It is wonderful to be able to do these more “normal” and familiar activities, even if there are many reminders that things have changed. We are all very grateful that Doreen has celebrated another birthday and look forward to many more!

In case you don’t know, Doreen now has a phone in her room. Let us know if you would like to have her number.