I began the day with mom today....very, very, very early in the morning hhahahaha!!! like 12:00 a.m.!!! She appears to have sundown syndrome. This is a condition of anxiety and panic and sometimes even depression that occurs as soon as the sun goes down. It was also a full moon last night which can tend to cause emotional mayhem in people with head injuries or mental illnesses or instabilities. After Anthony and Con and the kids left last night---I sent them home with my laptop to give to Claudia so the blog could get posted because there is no wireless internet access at the facility---I sat with mom. She was STUBBORN which is sort of like mom but it was to the umpth degree last night. It was funny to me though once I was there (around 9:30 p.m. after I finished work). She is too comical--she kept telling ME to go to sleep!! AND she kept telling me NOT to mess her hair and to leave her make-up on and alone!! hahaha!!
Two days ago, Mom talked on the phone, out loud to JoAnn, Angelo, and Claudia!!! She also tried to begin several conversations with Anthony Michael by initiating the conversation herself!!! She asked him questions like, "So, what are you going to do when you leave here today?" Also, when someone asked how long she is married, mom said, "Well, let me see. What year is it now? Hmmm...2011 and I got married in 1959 (it was really 1957)..." and she began to try to do the math to figure out the answer!!!
Dad is doing well thank God though I don't think he truly realizes what it will be like to take mom home in the condition she is currently in. Who knows if we will have to do that or not...a lot is based on rehabilitation. She is currently in a skilled nursing facility so while she can stay there as long as she needs to, the rehabilitation is limited. If she moves to an in-patient rehabilitation center, the rehab will be great but it won't last forever which means that whenever they feel she is plateaued---she will need to go home. This is fine but will or may be difficult if mom can't walk or is in a diaper still or has a feeding tube. Dad won't be as free as he is now---even though he may not think he is free at all. Mom won't be able to be left alone in the current condition she is in. There is a lot to think about.
When I got to mom this morning, she was very agitated and confused…she gets like this when she is overtired and doesn’t sleep. I asked her if she slept well last night and she said no. I believed her based on how she was acting and what she was saying. She kept talking about needing to cut things and about having gone to the dentist and the store and how she’s been waiting for us to take her home. She gets this way when she hasn’t slept or is sleepy; but I will monitor her for a urinary tract infection too. She was nasty and argumentative during this time with me.
By the time Anthony and dad came, mom seemed to perk up more and as the visit progressed, mom became more present and lucid. Anthony did mom’s physical therapy on her legs. It is all thanks to Anthony that mom can stand today---it is only through his perseverance that mom can stand. Then, Anthony and I worked on mom’s arms. We each held one of mom’s hands and asked her to pull herself up. Mom couldn’t do it at first, but then she was able to. We did this type of modified sit ups to about 10. Mom was able to count along and she was even able to remember the count in between stops.
The pulmonologist and the head of respiratory came to see mom in the middle of her getting ready for the day. Mom greeted the pulmonologist with a huge smile and said hello. Then the pulmonlogist said that mom was nothing short of a miracle and the most perfect example of the power of prayer that he ever witnessed. He confirmed that mom’s trach will be removed (decanulated) on Monday morning!! He asked mom to make a fist and she did then he teased her and asked her to box with him and she did—she had just finished doing that with Anthony. The pulmonologist likes to tease mom and tells her he is the best looking doctor she has and mom always laughs. He asked mom if she could speak louder and mom yelled really loud and said, “OH SURE I CAN!” We all laughed.
Mom’s CNA was a new person today. The aide knew of mom though through the grapevine. The aide was happily anxious to work with mom. The aide was so loving to mom. The aide even worked with mom to help her take care of herself—giving mom lotion to put on herself (and mom did it!! Not great but she did it!). By the time the CNAs were putting mom in the wheelchair, they were fighting over who she liked best. Mom wanted her make-up on so I put it on for her today. Then, dad, Anthony and I went outside. Dad had to leave and he kept saying good-bye and coming back and saying good-bye and mom said, “Oh geeze he keeps going away and coming back and going away and coming back!!” and she laughed.
The speech therapist came to give mom some more trial foods. She gave mom the choice of yogurt or applesauce—mom chose the yogurt. Then she asked mom if she wanted apple or cranberry juice and mom picked apple. The food still had the blue dye added to it so that the therapist could see if mom aspirated at all. Mom did well and there was no aspiration yesterday (this means food going down the breathing pipe). Mom was VERY confused about how to feed herself at first—VERY…but a short time later, she was feeding herself with the spoon. I think the room and set up were too distracting at first. The roommate’s TV was on too loud! Then the therapist put too many things on mom’s table. Once all was cleared from the table, mom did really well. Mom finished the yogurt and then she had thickened juice—nectar consistency. During the feeding therapy, mom’s friends, Maureen and Flo, came and mom looked up and said, “Oh gee, I have a cast of fans to watch me now!” and laughed. Mom drank the juice with no problems. The therapist suctioned mom and there was no sign of aspiration there. There was also no sign of any secretions at all --- which is great! The therapist asked mom what day it is today and mom thought, then I said, “Yesterday was Thursday so what is today?” Mom said, “You weren’t supposed to tell me that!” Mom knew the day was Friday and said so.
Maureen, Flo, Anthony, Mom and I moved to the lounge to visit. Mom looked at pictures of Maureen’s great-granddaughter and commented a lot as she looked—right on target too! Mom was able to remember Maureen’s family surnames too! She enjoyed looking at the pictures. Mom also was able to keep up with the conversation and to comment appropriately at times as well. Mom left for physical therapy next. When she returned, the therapist said that mom did well but as much as usual. They stood her at the parallel bars today because it is easier to stand there and gives more support. They plan to increase the weights next week.
After Maureen and Flo left, we stayed outside. Anthony asked mom, at one point, if she wanted to go for a walk and mom said, “Actually, someone has to push me.” We began to make some phone calls. Mom called Anthony Michael, Samantha and Lenny. She really spoke loud and clear to Anthony Michael.She also was able to carry on a conversation with him!! She asked questions like: So what are you doing now? Where will you go later? etc. She did well with Sammy's phone call too but talked lower. She had an entirely different type of conversation with Lenny. The variety was great! When Anthony Michael told mom he and Ava were coming tonight to sleep over after Gina's show, mom said, "Oh then they won't be here until like 10:30"---her reference to the time was right on the money!!! At one point, mom looked up and a bird flew overhead and mom asked, "Oh look--what's that?" Stupidly, I said, "It's a bird mom!" She said, "Yes, I know, but it's so big I thought it was an albatross!!" Next, we 3 goofed around and we told mom we were going to play, "Prank Phone Call Speech Therapy" with her!! We called various family members and mom played the prank on them such as, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" etc. Mom thought this was hysterical and so did we because she sometimes mixed 2 jokes together. Our family members laughed and enjoyed this too! At one point, the Social Worker (who never really saw mom in a year) saw us outside and said hello to us and especially to mom. Mom gave her a huge smile and was soo attentive and answered all her quesitons...when the person left us, mom wiped the smile from her face, turned to Anthony and said, "Who was that?" and laughed---we all cracked up! Mom was outside for hours today again. It was great for her to see the outdoors again and all the people too. However, she became even more tired then she was all day (she wasn't sleepy, just tired and would often speak in jumbled sentences and very softly with her head facing downward) so at that point, I brought her back inside. She kept asking to go to Gina's show and then also to go home. She kept trying to lift herself out of the chair and walk as well. She was actually able to hold onto the arms of the chair and brace her feet at the bottom of the wheelchair and extend her entire body upward and straight--she did this many, many times---great exercise.
We are going to have a team meeting on Tuesday most likely to discuss the next step in mom's recovery and her eventual discharge. As thrilled as I am...I am sort of nervous too! Dad came to see mom very late in the day in the early evening. He had a fun day of golf with friends. Anthony and I left at that point. Claudia came shortly after dad. She will be with mom until Ava and Anthony Michael arrive. I will let you know how all that goes in tomorrow's blog.
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
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