MRI results

We heard from Barbara that Randy was walking much better this morning--he is stronger and did not need too much assistance to make his way down the hallway. He is still dizzy, and now with the MRI results we understand why: his left cerebellum was slightly damaged during a mild stroke, which probably occurred during surgery. There is still a bit of swelling, so they are going to take him off coumadin for the time being to reduce risk of bleeding. Most likely the dizziness will go away as the swelling goes down, and with physical therapy he will likely regain all of his balance, though he may still tend to lean to the right (appropriate considering his Republican partisanship).

They are going to move him to the inpatient rehab area (maybe not until Monday), where he will stay for a week or two (NOTE: earlier we said he would be coming home tomorrow, but first he needs to control his tilting). While he is not happy about staying any longer in the hospital, Randy is happy to know the underlying cause of his dizziness and is hopeful to make a quick recovery. Note to adoring musical fans: he can still move his fingers in the correct patterns and thinks he will be playing the guitar again soon.

Since he cannot lift anything, Janell has found an appropriate and helpful activity for him: watching Sesame Street with Scotty! We're sure he is looking forward to that. He is probably also looking forward to home-cooked food, considering that he was overheard asking the nurse for some "real salt, real pepper, and real butter--on the side!" Then again, given his new heart condition, he may not be allowed to have real salt and real butter at all.

Meanwhile, Matt and Karrie had to fly out this morning--they will be returning to work life in Boston. It was fun to see them and spend time with them, in spite of the circumstances which brought them here. In other news, Scott got a haircut this morning, and all the grandkids played in the snow.