Wedding Bells and Other Goals

Tuesday Will had an appointment with Dr. Edgely, the doctor who is overseeing his recovery. He wanted to know how the Peg-tube removal and PFO closure had gone. Will assured him they had both gone well. Dr. Edgely was pleased, but asked Will to get his cholesterol levels checked to make sure his diet was consistent with the goal of maintaining a healthy heart. Will’s Easter candy is still sitting on his dresser, untouched, a quiet reminder to me that he prefers food with nutritive values. We hope the cholesterol screening will confirm that he is getting just that.
The next question was where did Will see himself in a year from now? His answer was "back in residency." The doctor thought that was a good goal and encouraged him to set smaller goals that might help him to reach that end. He asked Will what other goals he might have in mind. Will said, "get married!" The doctor didn’t think he could do much to help him with that particular goal, but he agreed it was a worthy goal to shoot for.
Wally suggested he might want to get his Driver’s Training course scheduled pretty soon. The reason is Wally is flying back to Ohio to pick up Will’s car on April 15 and will be driving it back over the next couple of days. He is hoping Will will be in a position to drive quite soon. Dr. Edgely felt that he could help with that goal and suggested the Occupational Therapist, Marc, be brought in to assess Will’s readiness for taking on the highway.
A goal of Dr. Edgely for Will is to check with the state of Utah to see what programs they offer in vocational rehabilitation. He suggested Will look at taking courses on line so that he could progress through them at his own rate. He also changed some of Will’s prescriptions to help magnify his cognitive recovery.
As the appointment progressed, I sensed that both Will and Dr. Edgely were sizing up the situation. Dr. Edgely was reading Will for any emotional deficits that might be understated, and Will was reading Dr. Edgley's assessment of his progress. He was receiving from Dr. Edgely’s assuring manner, a spiritual boules as it were. Things were progressing extremely well. I had wondered if the appointment was coming too soon after the PFO Closure, but concluded it was a very necessary visit.
As we left the University of Utah hospital, we ran into one of the doctors who had done the PFO procedure. He was happy to see us and we to see him. He had seen the pictures and article on the blog. It was gratifying to know that our circle of friends is being magnified through this whole experience.