Claudia began the day with mom. She had a really hard time waking her this morning. Claudia did her leg lifts twice and her arm lifts twice. She did mom’s full physical therapy/range of motion exercises and had the CNA help her to move mom up in the bed so she could sit straight. She had French toast and Claudia showed her once how to turn the fork prongs down to pierce the food and then turn the fork upward to put it in her mouth easily. Following this one time prompt by Claudia, mom proceeded to use the fork correctly and successfully on her own independently!! Claudia then taught the new CNA how to coach mom along with eating and how to let her feed herself. Once mom was eating well, Claudia ran to execute OPERATION GET MOM OFF VENT: PLAN A - Find the head of respiratory and convince him to put the PSV # on the vent down from 12 to 10. She searched, but he was in a meeting, so she went to mom’s respiratory therapist and began the speech. She told the therapist that it was the plan to get mom’s PSV from 12 down to 10 this week. She told the therapist that she (Claudia) and I checked our extensive notes we took from December and that we saw that the head of respiratory had gradually brought mom from a 12 to a 10 by first lowering the PSV to 11 for a mom didn’t with respect to how to lower the numbers. That therapist said not to jump from 12 to 10—too shocking). Claudia told the therapist to “remind” the head of respiratory that this is how he did it with mom last time and it worked well. The respiratory person mom spoke to today said that the message would definitely be delivered. Claudia left for work and prayed.
Carmine came to see mom next. I am not sure what they did together today, but I know it is always so important and worthwhile. You can tell when Carmine has been here judging by mom’s affect. She is more alert and talkative after he comes.
Dad came to see mom next. The CNAs told him mom ate all her lunch. None of us were with her for lunch today. The CNA said that mom was trying to feed herself too. Dad gave mom the plastic nuts and bolts. He said that she fiddled with them but did not take them apart or put them together at all. He tried to do the pom poms and the container and tweezers too but mom just laid the tweezers flat on the table and lined up pom poms in them by hand and then she’d take them out of the tweezers and put them in the container. He also did her physical therapy and had her pull the orange, scrunchy tube to strengthen her arms. Dad also put the MET game on for mom to watch and he gave her 4 cups of juice!! Hahaha!! I guess all my “scolding” paid off.
When I arrived, I noticed right away that mom’s vent PSV was down from 12 to 10!!! Yippeee!! It’s a step closer to being off the vent totally. Mom was sweating a bit and began to breathe a little heavier after I asked her if she wanted some juice (to which she replied, “NO!” and pushed me away). I sat with her and talked a bit and held her hand and reassured her that, although getting off the vent would be hard, she could do it…I reminded her of what a strong woman she is and how she is very much able to get through it. Mom, dad and I watched TV until dinner. For dinner, mom had quiche, mixed veggies, juice, a croissant, and peaches for dessert. Mom ate the whole meal alone!! She used mostly the spoon and she was able to push the food together in a pile on the plate so she could scoop the food easily. I helped her a little with the peaches for dessert just because they were ready to return the plates to the kitchen.
Some people at the facility and we have noticed that mom looks good this week. So good. To us, she looks so much like herself…facial expressions…sort of also in the way she carries herself. Also, what I forgot to mention over the weekend was that, when mom spoke audibly this weekend, she sounded like herself….it was her voice…not the gravelly vent sounding voice since she’s been here. She doesn’t always make audible sounds because it only happens when the vent cuff is not tight enough…but the voice we heard this weekend was hers…it was sooo great to hear for the first time in 10 months.
The respiratory therapist said mom’s numbers have been fine all day and therefore, she will stay in the CPAP mode until 10 p.m.---this is great, because, in the past, she has stayed on CPAP only until about 6 p.m. or so if that. The idea is to get her to stay in this mode throughout the night and 24 hours a day.
Mom and I did a crossword puzzle and these are the clues she got:
“A beach shelter. Starts with a C. Ca….” Mom mouthed, “Cabana”
“a fishing pole. Starts with an R” Mom mouthed “Rod”
“Spelling competition” Mom mouthed, “Bee”
“Plant whose leaves have a gooey gel used to help with burns. Starts with an A”
Mom mouthed, “ALOE”
Mom fell asleep and I prayed over her and left.
Claudia came back after St. Joe's and mom was awake. She put a magazine on the bed tray for mom to look at. Mom looked at the magazine and tried to turn the pages. Claudia had her drink her juice and she finished the juice in the cup and opened another one. She drank a little of the second one. Claudia put dancing with the stars on and during the commercials she did nuts and bolts although mom needed a lot of prompting. She also did pegs with her but again she needed a lot of prompting. They watched Dancing with the Stars and Claudia commented on the show. Claudia took out her hearing aids and set the timer on the TV and said a prayer and left.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
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