The miracle continues!!
Claudia saw mom early this morning and readied her for the day. She did her physical and cognitive therapies (cognitive using the IPAD). While she was with mom, mom took her eyeglasses off and placed them on the bed and said, "I want.... I want...." out loud. Claudia said, "Your glasses?" Mom said, "Yes." She loves the IPAD but sometimes has difficulty isolating her index finger to point at the screen and touch it. Sometimes, she uses her whole fist, or several fingers at once to manipulate it...but she DOES do it on her own alot. Other times, we offer her hand-over-hand assistance or do it for her.
The speech therapist worked with mom next!!! She's back!! While working with mom, she wrote that mom said, "Good morning" to her, followed commands to touch whatever..., when she showed mom a picture of dad and asked, "What's his name?" mom said, "Jean" and when the therapist said, "Who is he?" mom said, "My husband."
Then, when I was with mom in the early afternoon, one of the respiratory therapists came to check her out and commented that she is a true miracle and she is doing phenomenally well and that in 14 weeks she is doing so much more than is typical. That 14 weeks is no time at all given her injury and all she is doing. All the nurses and CNAs keep coming in and out and waving to her, talking, and saying what a miracle she is too. While I was there, mom grabbed my dress, my shirt, my bracelet, and my necklace and I said, "What? Pretty?" and she said, "Yes!" When one of the CNAs came into the room and asked how she is, mom replied, "OK" and the aide started to cry. Mom and I played with the IPAD --- did cognitive therapy (letters, numbers, vegetables, and emotions). I am not telling dad this, but mom initially looked sad to me when I first arrived. I finally asked her, "Mom, why are you so sad today??" and she silently pointed at the trach. This happened twice. I assured her that it was only temporary and that she is getting better and better every day. I told her to look me in the eyes and when she did, I told her that I promise she would be off the trach very soon and that the more she talks and breathes deeply, the sooner she'd be off it. So pray that she gets a spirit of joy and that she stops worrying about it.
Fay, mom's faithful friend from choir, came to see mom next. Dad came in the late afternoon too. Dad asked her for a kiss and she gave him a loud, smacking one!! She loves to hold his hands...both of them at once. Fay and Dad talked to mom. I left before they did so I don't know if Fay sang to mom, but she usually does.
Donna and Tom came after dinner. They did some physical and cognitive therapy. They tried to have mom write on the dry erase board but mom didn't want to do much with it so she turned her head from it and them! Then, at one point, she took the rolled up towels we use to keep her hands open and wiped the board clean!!! She did that twice!!! I guess she may have been thinking, "Which part of 'I don't want to do this' don't you get?" hahaha!! She held some picture cards in one hand (2 or 3 at once in one hand) and Donna and Tom were amazed at her dexterity. Tom said she did well and that she should give him a high 5 and she did it 3 times!!! When it was time for them to leave, they said they were going and mom said, "OK" and they asked if she wanted them to come back and she said, "Yes" and then she said "Good bye."
I came back to see mom and tuck her in around 8:30-9:00 and found her bed rails down. I almost died!!! I found out that it is now a NYS law that no patient can have the bed rails up or on their bed at all because it infringes on their human rights and is considered to be a form of restraint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made a fuss and got permission to keep the rails up for tonight and was told that dad needs to sign a form stating the same thing. RIDICULOUS!!! Classic example of a good thing gone bad. Mom was awake and watching TV through sleepy eyes. I got her ready for bed (put glasses away, took out hearing aids, dimmed the lights...), said our prayers and kissed her good night.
The miracle continues. Keep praying. love to all!!!!!!!!!! xxxxxxooooooo
"...he is never far from any one of us." Acts 17:27
No comments:
Post a Comment