Mom had a relatively quiet day today. She opened her eyes only 12 times, moved both legs and arms off the surface of the chair in a startle response while she slept, said, "Ow" and "What" once or twice. Dad and I visited with her throughout the day. I did her physical therapy 4 times, some aromatherapy (slight response to chocolate and frankincense), and she listened to her IPOD on the docking station (MaMa Mia and Phantom soundtracks)---she loved the music, of course.
She needed insulin around noon---blood sugar was up to 196 but back to normal by 5:00 p.m. (this is typical with people who are immobile and tube fed). Dad said that she also was given a medication through her trach to help open her airways more (he didn't ask for the name of the drug). This is the first time we heard of such a drug being given (a respiratory person gave it to her).
Mom was visited by Uncle Mike (her brother) and Aunt Pat (her sister-in-law) today! They both talked to her, stroked her hands and arms, and Uncle Mike even played the guitar and they both sang to her as well!! Aunt Pat (whose background is in the medical field) gave us some insight and support on what to do and what we are doing already. They both were with us the night all this happened to mom and were such a huge help then. Some of the suggestions she had were to:
-Roll up a few hand towels and give them to mom to hold (this will keep her hands in a more naturally open position)
-Continue with the physical therapy/range of motion exercise we do already
-Any massaging should be done with open, flat hands/palms and NO squeezing at all (that could cause a blood clot to travel). A smooth, flat handed rub without squeezing of any kind.
-Find out when the last EEG was done and ask when the next one should be
-Ask for, or make, a foot board for mom's feet which should be used all the time. This is a board that is padded with towels and a pillow case that presses up against the soles of mom's feet in order to support them in a standing position so that her feet don't "drop" (this means toes and feet straight forward in line with her legs). If her feet do "drop", then she wouldn't be able to walk again
-Keep her left arm elevated even more than we do, and the upper arm as well.
-Pull sheets under mom straight and flat to prevent bed sores
-Since we are so active with delivering mom's therapies, we should be part of the weekly team meetings that the facility has on mom
-Ask for a copy of mom's whole chart to peruse
-Ask whether TEDS stockings would help mom's circulation in her legs and left arm??? If so, these supportive stockings should be custom fit and measured according to the circumference of her thighs, calves, and ankles. Get them for the full leg.
-Vary mom's positions both in bed and on the chair every now and then---up, down, bent, straight, elevated...
I still intend to investigate the medications mom is on. I am wondering if it is possible that the dilantin mom is on as a seizure med may be contributing to her state of coma---ask if it can be decreased or discontinued for a while to see if there is a change
" ...wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10
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