Yay for technology!

Happy news from the speech therapist - he said it in sort of a casual way - he told Ed he's slow progressing.  I'd never really considered it in that context.  But he still has his speech, he still eats normally.  As Ed put it - he's not dead... We'll take it!! :)  :)

We were at the VA yesterday getting hooked up with new technology when the speech guy said it.  They were trying to figure out future computer use:  would his voice go first or his neck muscles?  

Ed uses Dragon Speech on the computer - he has no hands to use a mouse.  It's daunting and amazing to watch.  He hollers at the computer:  MOUSE GRID.  8 quadrants come up across the entire screen and he'll say the number the corresponds to where he wants the mouse to go.  It sounds like a football game:  8 7 7 mouseclick!

Now, his voice is getting tired after an hour or so of this.  So we're getting this camera that follows a dot/sensor put on either a baseball hat or glasses.  It will follow Ed's head movement and the cursor goes where his head goes.  Pretty cool.

He's also getting his wheelchair rigged up to the tv, the lights and the fireplace.  Happy happy for both of us -- independence for him so he can use his head to change the channel, turn up the volume, turn on the lights or the fireplace.  A small return to wife status for me vs. robot ordered to change the channel every half hour.  Yay for both of us!  Yay for technology!  Super yay for slow progression!

May is ALS Awareness month.  The picture above is my niece, Molly, spreading the word about ALS.