21st of September, 2010

2.54pm Tuesday afternoon. Just a small update. I met with Jaanas local therapist this morning, Giselle, who was with us up in Germany and in Sweden. After I left Jaana and Giselle up there, at Jaanas first occupational therapy session after the operation, she was asked if she wrote. She then without indicating anything, leaned over the desk, picked up a pen and did this:




Giselle was amazed! Two years of trying to get Jaana to write and this just 4 days after her stem cell treatment! Lets hope it is continuing ...

20th of September, 2010

6.26pm Monday afternoon. Jaana is getting a lot better in her speech! She is now willing and able to to talk on the phone. It is not a sound without some difficulty to understand sometimes, but the difference is very much noticeable. She has her phone next to her in bed and readily answers when I call every time and answers questions, not only by 'yes' and 'no', but also with her own words. It is great to hear about all friends and relatives visiting her as they days can be a bit long after her therapy. Ritva, Jaanas mum, is there every day and walks a picks up food at a close by Hotel, should she not desire the in house selection. Deserts and chocolate seem to be consumed at the same rate as usual. Her mobility, seem also to improve but maybe not as noticeable as her speech. That said though, I saw a improvement in her balance even in Dusseldorf.
Parmi will come back home in eight days. She is very much missed and her return will be much appreciated. Upon her arrival I will stay for another five days or so before embarking on a long journey which will end with me bringing Jaana home around the 11th of 12th of October.
Ludwig is doing fine in Lugano. He does not even call that much, but seem to have found himself a great place. He really is stepping up a notch and have to organise his life a lot more and by now I am sure he has tied more ties than I have in my entire life...

7th of September, 2010

5.58pm Tuesday afternoon. Jaana has had her first rehab session at humlegarden today. I spoke very briefly with Giselle, her Barbadian therapist and it was more of a get together and evaluate sessions, so I will write more when I know.
Meanwhile, Jonathan, Camille and I have arrived safely in Barbados a few hours ago. It was clearly the right decision for Jaana to stay 5 weeks in Sweden as it is stinking hot over here. In a few months it will start to cool down, but know we are all gasping for air.
More later...

5th of September, 2010

3.05pm Sunday afternoon. Jaana is now showing improvements already. Her left side of her body, which has been very stiff and let her almost unable to lower and control her arm, is now back. She can raise her arm, extend it and more importantly, afterwards relax it. What is needed now is a intense, massive amount of therapy and hard work. In addition, she has not been crying at all and her mood seen far better than before. Balance is marginally better but is showing improvement. The next 2 months are critical for her improvement.
For all her coming visitors, please play memory games, always let her answer with words, show old pictures and so on. Enjoy her company as I am sure she will enjoy to meet all friends again. Tell fun, nice things and minimize depressing ones, as it is the least thing she needs. Visit her, bring new borns which will make her happy. Very important is that you only visit her if you are in good health as she does not need an infection after her operation.

4th of September, 2010

6.13pm Saturday afternoon. Jaana is back in the hotel! After two days at the hospital, she is back resting in the hotel. She as been a bit dozy after the operation, but is now back to the same level of consciousness as prior to the operation. Now it is time to change the status quo and for the improvements to start. I spoke again to the surgeon and he is very happy about the operation and her recovery. Jaanas therpist form Barbados is here now and has been with with Jaana in hospital all the time since she woke up. I will report before we leave Dusseldorf for Sweden. My next profession is going to be travel agent...
To all of you sending messages, emails, writing on the blog or phoning (not so many, thanks for that!), Jaana and I would like to express our deepest gratitude. Fantastic to see all support for us. Thanks!

2nd of September, 2010

Noon Thursday. Jaanas operation is done! She came out of the operating room 10.05am CET and is now and for the next 24h in the ICU. This to monitor her state so nothing goes wrong and there is no bleeding.

Jaana, my dear wife, you are a true beacon of life spirit, values and bravery. When we kissed 'so long' just before your operation, I know you were full of fear. As we shared some tears, I know we both had the same thought. With this fear, you still went ahead and completed your treatment. This takes bravery to a level I hope I one day will have. You are an amazing wife, my best friend and the best person throughout I ever met. I want you to know that as you are recovering.
Now, the difficult and dangerous part is over. It is now time for hard work again with as much training as you can. I have no doubt, that with this behind us, you will excel in your recovery. Your own stem cells will now start to do their magic and let's hope for a lot of it. Happy 1th anniversary my dear Jaana.

Parmi, you know that you are part of our family. I told you so many times, and I mean it now more than ever. Without you, both Jaana and me, would not have coped the way we have. You are fantastic! I hope you know how much you mean for all of us. I wish you a nice holiday and look forward to welcome you home soon again.

31st of August, 2010

5.13pm Tuesday afternoon. Time for a short update. Today was a rather busy day. First Jaana had some blood draw for normal blood test etc, then bone marrow from both her hips were drawn. Different from last time, this was a bit pain full, but extra marrow was drawn to make sure there would be enough good stem cells for the surgery on Thursday. After this, she rested a bit and then there was a meeting with both the anesthesiologist and then the neuro surgeon. Both of them described in detail the agenda for Thursday. Now we are back in the hotel for her to rest. Tomorrow it is back to the hospital for MRI scans to assist the surgeon on Thursday so the can do this with the highest accuracy possible. I will keep you updated on Thursday after the operation which is scheduled for 9.30am CET.