Better than excellent, actually. Since his valve replacement surgery and
subsequent harrowing 34 days in cardio-thorascic ICU, he has continued to
progress to a point of development surpassing anything we dared hope for back
in the day.
His health is excellent, and, as importantly, his outlook is excellent. Anxiety
levels are way down, which leads us to suspect that all along, even when the
cardiologists were telling us he was essentially okay, he wasn't. I know from
my own experience that heart issues can cause acute anxiety, not because of
your awareness of the issues and attendant fear, but rather because the
physical symptoms themselves promote anxious feelings. It is possible that now,
with a well-functioning artificial aortic valve, Ben is no longer experiencing
the anxiety levels that were normal for him through much of his life.
His attention span and cognitive level seems to have improved as well. Things
don't distress him the way they used to. He pays more attention to what he's
doing, and it's now possible to take a conversation with him down to close to
10 back and forth exchanges, something we never thought would be possible. His
limit before surgery hovered around four exchanges, if that many. Sometimes one
statement or question would send him off.
And he can be a charming little fellow now--correction, a charming 28-year-old.
His latest hobby is introducing himself to attractive women in book stores,
supermarkets or anywhere else he happens to be. (An excellent way to entertain
himself, I think. <g>) The vast majority of them smile and are very nice to him
in return. Every now and then one of his targets will freak, but the majority
of those contain their fear or whatever it is and remain pleasant, though I can
see them struggling.
We are all in a good space. Thanks for asking.
--Bob Whitmire
Certified Neanderthal
On Dec 12, 2013, at 5:47 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> How is Ben?
--
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