Couldn't write the update last night...loooooonnnngg day at the Rehab Facility yesterday. I was wiped out by the time I finished teaching at 9:00 p.m. and came home.
I guess you could encapsulate yesterday by saying that, "Transitions are difficult for us all."
Claudia, Anthony and my dad and I all spoke to the Nursing Supervisor yesterday, who informed us that, when the Rehab Team (Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech, Respiratory Therapist, doctor) all assessed mom yesterday morning, she was unresponsive. Hence, the Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist are not going to proceed with therapy at this time and will reassess mom in 1 month to see if she is more alert then. Needless to say, Claudia and I will be meeting with these 2 therapists in the near future to discuss mom and begin therapies. Their plan of actions were not acceptable. They chose to assess her the morning after her move from North Shore---this was draining for her!!!! We know this from watching her over the last 3 weeks. She was having a sleepy day yesterday.
The Supervisory Nurse was bleak. Gloom and doom. No corneal reflex, no response to commands, no arousing her or ability to become alert. While we know that she doesn't know mom or the progress she has made over the last 3 weeks (though we fill in everyone we meet), it is hard to hear a bleak report...especially for dad. When Gay left the room briefly, at one point, I saw dad's sad demeanor and said, "Hey dad, we aren't accepting that report. We choose hope. We still have it. Nothing has changed except that this woman's words and assessments are added in the mix of things. We choose God's report and the reports of the doctors at North Shore, as recently as Monday, the people who know her better at this point and have watched her progress. We choose hope." But dad's sunken face and demeanor was hard to be in the presence of. Please pray for him and reach out if you can with a phone call or card. I, too, know what it is like to lose a spouse...though my situation is different...in ways it really isn't. It hurts to be suddenly alone...and I can't imagine what it is like to lose someone you are in love with who is in love with you too.
BUT...enough gloom and doom. We don't buy it. The supervisory nurse and OT/PT people and doctor there don't know feisty, lively mom yet. They will.
We had much better conversations (Claudia and I) with the Respiratory Therapist and Speech Therapist and Social Worker, who all took the time to listen to mom's story and progress and Claudia and my reports of mom and what we have taken note of. Claudia and I have a plan....and you can be part of it (but the prayer is the main thing!!! so keep that going!!)
Claudia and I have noted that mom has 3 states that she vascillates in and out of according to either how she feels or what has gone on in the way of procedures or transports to places. (Aside: Mom has been through a lot in the last 3 weeks, what with procedures, infections, transporting her...). But back to her 3 states:
1. The "out of it all" state...in this state, mom looks totally unresponsive. No matter what you do, it is hard to arouse her and stimulate her to do anything. This state usually follows an infection, fever, movement/transportation, procedure (drain removed, coil...).
2. The "sleepy" state...in this state, mom looks different...much like a person sleeping. (you can visually see the difference between the states even though she has her eyes closed in all 3). In the sleepy state, mom can be aroused and stimulated to become more alert. We can get her to try to open her eyes, she begins to move around... Sometimes, when she is tired, she drifts in and out of this sleepy state before becoming alert.
3. The "alert" state...in this state, mom has her eyes closed too, but you can see her eyeballs flickering under her eyelids, she turns toward a voice, tries to open her eyes, can sometimes follow a command...
The Respiratory Therapist and Speech Therapist were both intrigued and interested in this information. The Speech Therapist is coming back again and again to assess mom and agreed with us that we should do "Infant Stimulation" type of therapies with her. She is going to share some coma stimulation therapy with us as well. The Respiratory Therapist agreed with being hopeful and told us one of his many success stories about a man of 85 who was in a deep coma and on a trach and vent who woke up and went home fine without any trach or vent. His plan is to wean mom off the vent, or try to do that, at least 4 times a day (2 times every 12 hour period). They monitor carbon dioxide levels not blood gases to do this. He reported that mom's initial attempts yesterday were not successful. We have wonderful working relationships with these 2 therapists.
Claudia and I plan to chart mom's states---out of it, sleepy, alert and will be developing charts to do this. You can fill out the charts when you visit. We are also researching therapies and will be leaving a book of activities you can do with mom when you visit, if you choose to do so. More on this will follow as Claudia and I develop the program. The Speech Therapist (who will be doing cognitive therapy) thought this was a great idea.
Have to run...but will report an update of today later tonight.
In the meantime, CONTINUE TO PRAY!! Love you all so much...Kathy
"And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you!" Psalm 39:7
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