Wow, I didn’t realize it has been over a month since I last posted.  We have been in a ‘holding status’ down here in Florida.  About 6 weeks ago, Dan’s father stated his legs felt weak, and his mom took him to the local hospital, which then told him to go to the hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  As the day progressed, his weakness continued to worsen, and spread to his arms as well.  By the end of the day, he was essentially paralyzed, as he had no movement in his extremities.

He was admitted to the hospital, and several tests were run.  After a few days, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and auto-immune disorder.  The doctors suspect this may have been a reaction to the flu vaccination that he received.  After 5 days of intravenous administration of high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, his nerves began to regenerate, which was a very painful experience for him.  He was transferred to the inpatient rehabilitation center at the hospital, and received 3 hours of daily physical and occupational therapy, and has slowly regained the use of his extremities.  Between the excellent therapists, and the fact that his dad is very competitive, he has made a remarkable recovery.  After 30 days of inpatient rehabilitation, he had progressed from no movement, to a wheelchair and finally to a walker.

He was discharged home, and continues making remarkable progress with outpatient therapy.  Currently he is using a cane, but has been walking small distances with no assistance.  The prognosis is for a full recovery!  Dan was able to fly back to Wisconsin and visit his dad in the hospital, and get some chores done around the house for his mom.  We had discussed winterizing the 5th wheel and returning back to Wisconsin, but they kept telling us to wait.  The reason we stay in Scottsmoor, Florida is to be close to the condo that they rent out in New Smyrna Beach.  They continued to be optimistic that they would return to Florida, and felt if we came back to Wisconsin, they would not get down to Florida. Time will tell if they will be able to make it down for a visit.  We will be here through March 27th.   One thing that helped out in his fathers recovery, is the fact he is very active, walking two miles every day prior to this illness.  The doctors stated his good health contributed to his quick recovery.  Taking care of our bodies now, can pay big dividends later.

Lots of visitors

Mom, nephew Kyle, Dad and Dan

ODDS AND ENDS

We did manage a few visits to Walt Disney World, before our Florida resident pass that we bought last year expired.  In addition to the usual cast of characters roaming around, they are now heavily promoting Star Wars, with storm troopers roaming around the grounds.

In addition to meeting up with our friends Karen and Al at Disney, we were able to have a nice lunch with friends Forrest and Mary in Orlando, Dick and Cheryl in Cocoa  and watched the Super Bowl with Tom and Ellen. It’s always nice to be able to catch up with friends that you have not seen in months.   Unfortunately, I did not take any photos:(

Our neighbors in this RV park found a NuWave Pro Induction Oven at a rummage sale, and let me borrow it for a few days.  I know a few RV’ers who have these, and love them.  I was impressed by  the “as seen on TV” oven, and may consider purchasing one.  It did a great job with cookies.  It uses less electricity than the convection oven, and cooked them in about half the time.

The weather this year in Florida has been a bit cool, and the three month extended forecast is continued below average temperatures.  The Midwest forecast is for above average temperatures, so we may leave Florida and venture north after March 27th.  We will play things by ear, but we would like to get back to Wisconsin and spend some time with Dan’s parents, before our summer workcamping job.

Quote for the Day: “Looking after my health today gives me a better hope for tomorrow.” – Anne Wilson Schaef