Ups and Downs

While Amanda continues to get a little stronger as the hours go by, there are down times too. This evening she was frustrated and angry about the numbness and facial weakness on the right side of her face and tongue. It makes talking, smiling, eating, and drinking a chore, and understandably she gets annoyed by it all. The doctors indicate it will take time for the nerve to heal, but it's hard to be patient.

She accomplished the goal her surgeons set for her by sitting up in bed a number of times and then actually getting out of bed and sitting in a chair. Unfortunately it makes her very dizzy and nauseous, but that's apparently the body's way of figuring out how to adjust to the new balance scenario. Again, an understandably frustrating situation where patience is the lesson to be learned whether we like it or not.

Tomorrow, the goal is to start walking. I anticipate our pals dizziness and nausea will accompany Amanda on that journey too, so more development of patience and determination. A wise man (Neal Maxwell) put it well, when he said, "Paul speaks of the marathon of life and of how we must "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). Paul did not select the hundred-meter dash for his analogy! Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some dynamic contrast."

I get the sense that this experience is shaping (and will continue to shape) Amanda into an even more patient and compassionate person, which is hard for those of us who know her to imagine. She's already richly blessed with those strengths. I suppose she will move on to super-patient and super-compassionate, it's just hard for me to watch her struggle and be of such little assistance. Sounds like lessons for me to learn as well.