FYI, Teresa Heinz Kerry has been upgraded from FAIR to GOOD, and she's been moved across the

[MADem]

road from MASS GENERAL to Spaulding Rehab (another top-notch joint, FWIW).

They are still trying to figure out what the "origin" of her "seizure" was. I'm no Bill Frist, but I'm wondering if they just don't want to say the other "s" word (stroke).

In any event, I wish her a swift recovery and full return of all function. I have a relative in rehab right now due to stroke about a month ago, and she is still struggling to learn to speak again.

This info was right off my tee vee...I'm sure it will turn up in some paper or another sooner or later.

[snappyturtle]

1. Happy to hear it! nt

[Warpy]

2. Good. Let's hope it was a small CVA

and that she's as lucky as my dad, who got back 95% of what he had with intensive rehab.

It took him years to forgive me for signing him into "that jail," but they were fully functional years.

[MADem]

3. "That jail!"

Spaulding, fortunately, isn't like that--it's actually more like a vicious work camp. I had another relative who did a month and a half there and it was like boot camp every frigging day save Sunday. He was so happy to get out of there he would have skipped out the door if he was able. That said, they did get him from flat on his back, barely able to articulate, to a wheelchair and talking, then to a walker and talking clearly, and then to standing and shuffling on a walker with nearly normal speech, and then to a cane, a brace, and an ability to clomp around in his own way--and sing on-key. He also had no use of the hand he wrote with, and they brought that back as well. It's astounding what good, aggressive, early-intervention and 'get in there and dig' physical therapy can do. The brain is an amazing thing!

That's about as good as it's gonna get for my relative, but it's way, WAY better than the future I initially invisioned after seeing him in the hospital shortly after the trauma.

[sheshe2]

6. They are the best of the best, MADem~

They made a family member of mine whole again. I will always be eternally grateful.

Best wishes for Teresa. Prayers for a speedy recovery~

[Warpy]

7. Yeah, my dad had given up on himself and put himself

on a waiting list for a nursing home. I said that wasn't going to be allowed and pitched a fit until someone from the area's intensive rehab center came in to evaluate him and agreed with me that he had excellent potential. And he did.

His affected side was weak but it only showed up when he was overtired. His bicycle habit dropped from 30 miles a day to 10. He was functional, though.

[MADem]

9. Thirty miles a day, Sweet Jesus! Was your dad IRONMAN? nt

[Warpy]

10. No, he just lived 15 miles from a great beach.

30 miles is really nothing if you're in halfway decent shape and Florida is really flat.

My own bike commute was once 11 miles each way.

[Cha]

4. Great news! thanks

MADem

[rhett o rick]

5. k&r thanks for posting.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

8. Good to hear. nt