MOM ATE A FEW SPOONFULS OF APPLESAUCE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first solid food by mouth in 7 1/2 months!!!! YAHOOOOO!!!!!! So far, so good; it looks like she is keeping it down. She ate it after she saw Claudia and everyone else said that her spirits were lifted after she ate the applesauce---Carmine said that eating solid food would do a lot for her confidence and attitude---and it seems like it did. Tomorrow, the speech therapist at the center told dad that she was going to try 1/2 cup of applesauce and then more than that the day after if all goes well.
Claudia began the day with mom today. She said that mom was out like a light and her limbs were limp even throughout physical therapy/range of motion exercises. Claudia said that mom winced during some of the exercises but didn't wake up. Mom's CNA came in to wash mom up and get her ready for the day next. Mom's eyes were closed throughout this process too, though mom did begin to move her feet spontaneously and move around in the bed during this time. The CNA told Claudia that mom is now beginning to have a "fear or startle reflex" back again. This is a good thing. When mom first came back from the hospital in January, mom was not afraid of the hoyer (spelling?? the machine mom sits in that lifts her up off the bed and into her chair and vice versa). Mom is now showing fear and startle reflexes during this time by holding onto the straps while on the lift etc. This is a good thing because mom hasn't shown this reflex since before the incident on December 22.
Dad wrote that mom was awake today and had a good day. He said that he did her full physical therapy/range of motion exercises and worked on the photos of family and the orange scrunchy tube. He said she was very chatty (mouthing things). Dad also said that mom is touching the trach line again, now that her hands and arms are moving better.
John and Ava came to see mom this afternoon. John did her physical therapy/range of motion exercises again and he said that mom appeared to resist him and be annoyed by it. He apologized and told her she had to do it in order to get better. He, too, said that mom was "talking" (mouthing) up a storm!!!! But he couldn't understand a lot of what she was saying to him. Ava and Claudia were right--mom needs that Passy-Muir Valve on her trach so that she can speak aloud!!!!! We have to get the facility to OK it!!!! They read the "All About Me" book and photographs of the family and they sang to mom and were cracking jokes and she was laughing. John said that mom had a lot of strength in her right arm and it moved with strength. She moved her arms a lot but mostly the right one. John played SOLITAIRE on the IPAD and mom was very, very interested in watching him play. He tried to get mom to touch the cards on the IPAD but mom didn't want to do that---she wanted to watch him play more. She did hold the IPAD for a little while though.
Tonight, Lenny wanted to go tuck mom in for bed. He called me when he got there to ask how late she was allowed to stay up because she was mouthing a lot of words and sentences to him and he was having fun with her (he asked almost as if she was his friend and he wanted to know how long she was allowed to stay up and play!!). Lenny said, when he arrived tonight, mom was looking at dad's picture on the wall and he asked if she was looking at it and mom mouthed, "Yup, I miss him." Mom also kept mouthing, "I want....I want...." He also asked her if she knew his name and she mouthed, "Yup, Lenny Granelli" and then he let her touch his beard and asked, "What do you think of that?" and she said, "I like it." Lenny said that mom touched his beard in a pincer grasp-type of way. He let her "talk" to me on the phone too. I kept saying that I loved her and missed her and asking if she loved and missed me too and Lenny said she kept saying, "Yup" over and over. Mom kept nudging Lenny to try to communicate that she wanted the clipboard off her leg. Then Lenny told mom it was time for bed and they said prayers and he got her settled and left.
"...for I am the LORD, who heals you" Exodus 15:26
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