The end of week 8

Today marks the last day of the eighth week. Wow! It is hard to believe how far Joe has come over the last few months. It really is amazing! He is sitting on the edge of his bed, usually with assistance. He has even started doing some exercises in that position, too. He's laughing, talking, and eating up a storm. His story has proved to be inspirational to his new "neighbors" who have just arrived and whose families are a little down in the dumps. They have saught us out (including my dad) to voice some of their concerns and ask questions. I guess as they say "misery loves company".
Today was a busy and painful day for Joe. A few days ago he had a neurology consult and it was determined that he should have some testing done using electronic probes to assess the damage to his fingers. From the beginning, when he "woke up" a few days after the accident he could not feel the last few fingers on each hand. Today they tested him using different voltages of electricity to see if there was any blockage or if the nerves had started to reattach themselves. He said it was brutally painful, and there were times when he thought it was really bad and the doctors would say they were going to turn it up a little. The doctors have figured that there is some blockage in each arm and different degrees of damage to the ulnar and median nerves on both arms. The good news is that they have pinpointed the problem(s). Now it is a waiting game to see if they will begin to repair themselves or if he will have to have more surgery down the line.
He is starting to sleep a little bit longer each night and is grateful for that. We are awaiting Friday's surgery for the skin/muscle grafts and to remove the rest of the hardware in his mouth. Hoping this will be the last surgery for awhile...
Thanks as always for all of the love and strength,
Stacy