January 31, 2010

Today was a great day, this evening was a different story. Today she really really enjoyed her brother Tony, Michael, Zack, Cord and Victoria being in town to visit. She LOVED it! She knew who they were and was cuttin up being funny. They brought a digital picture frame (brillant idea btw) so that she can constantly see pictures and you can quiz her as the pictures come up. She did great with the quizzing too. Johnny and Tony got her up walking and had her right eye covered again to make her use the left one. She ate all....every bite of her lunch and ate a great dinner. She was being so sweet too. Johnny and I took a backseat this afternoon to let her spend time with them...as we left, she was grinning ear to ear and loving the company :)
This evening....not as great as the afternoon just because she was so tried. Brent, Amelia and I were only there for a very short time so it was Johnny who had a heck of a time. She was so super tired that she was rambling nonsense A LOT, seeing things not there, fiddling with her blankets (like constantly looking for something) and just repeatedly trying to get out of bed and do this and do that. It really does seem that the more tired she is the more she tends to be like this. Hopefully she will get a good nights rest tonight.

We love you Mom!

January 30, 2010

Mom was really tired when I got there around lunch time today but as soon as Amelia and I walked in she said the sweetest thing ever....she said, "AMELIA, I was needing you". She ate ALL of her lunch except for the bite of bread she so sweetly gave Amelia. :) She went to sleep almost as soon as she finished her lunch.

This evening she was soooo excited to see Johnny and said, "HI HONEY" as soon as he walked in. Then she proceeded to tell him how much she missed him while hugging his neck. :) He put a patch over her right eye again to get her to use and strengthen her left eye that tends to want to stay closed. He got her to walk around 2 different time....both of which she did really well with it. Oh, and she asked for some coffee and really enjoyed sipping on that too.

She is doing better and better everyone!

January 29, 2010

Today Mom was ready to go home and she didn't mind telling you over and over and over while bouncing her knee, complaining of being tired, having a headache and having a backache. She was outdone, anxious and agitated and had been all day the nurses said. Once she got some lunch in her and was calmly explained to over and over that she needs to relax and concentrate on getting better, she started to calm down a bit. Oh, she mentioned something about, "bad news about Cody, Beverly's son". Does this ring any bells with anyone? She also made me laugh by saying, "Do you know John? He works for a painting company but he talks like one of those people from Louisiana". lol. She ate a great lunch and did fantastic with her physical therapy. She is able to do her physical therapy in the gym now, whereas before she got too distacted so they kept it either in her room or walking down the hallway.
This evening was our girl night, Amelia was there with us at first before Daddy picked her up a little after 5. Her and Amelia were sooooo cute with each other this evening!!! Mom kept talking to her and Amelia kept grinning and saying "MiMi". There was one delicious cookie left of the cookies that Jessica and Mark brought her, and she was sooo herself by making sure to either try to feed it to me, the nurses that walked in, or to Amelia.....and Amelia was a taker on the offer. :) Amelia actually sat in MiMi's lap while she was in the wheelchair sharing a cookie with her. Oh my goodness, if only I had had a camera. :) After Amelia said her goodbyes with hugs and blowing kisses..... we then proceeded with girl night. :) I washed her hair and lotioned her up, she brushed her own teeth, settled into bed and talked. She was much more calm, sweet and super tired (she did not take a nap this afternoon at all). For those of you who know my mother very well, this will make you laugh. I had got her into bed and I was putting her clean clothes up, gathering her dirty ones, straightening up etc.....Mom was totally tired yet still trying to get out of bed while saying, "Ok, I'm ready, what do you need me to do...just tell me and i will do it". lol. We started watching tv and it didn't take long before she was zonked out.

January 28, 2010

Mom was just finishing up downstairs at the gym when I got there. Apparently she walked a whole lap with her walker and is getting stronger and stronger. YAY MOM! Her anxiety and agitation were less but unfortunately she is still talking to people not there.....calling out to Terri and Co mostly. After you tell her there is no one else in the room and have her look about the room to see if she sees anyone.....she then says they are under the bed and continues to call out to them loudly. This is what Johnny had to deal with much of the evening. She was doing it more than any other day with me also. Sigh, patience patience patience.....she will get there! She did eat a GREAT lunch and a GREAT dinner and knows she has to become healthy in order to come home. She lit up when I brought Amelia by this afternoon (even though she was calling her Josh lol). Also, and she did great with color recognition and brushing her teeth with the occupational therapist. Oh, and when I was wheeling her to her room for lunch she said, "are you going to eat too honey"? When I told her no, my Mom was very much her by responding, "Well, you need to eat baby, I don't want you having an empty tummy so comeon now...let's eat something". :) Her sweet little personality shows through more and more.
I miss you so much Mom and I know all of these people do too....we are all your cheerleaders.

January 27, 2010

Today was kinda ehhhhh. Her anxiety level was up and so was her agitation. When I arrived she had just finished folding wash cloths (a task they give her almost every day bc she hates to sit still and she enjoys it). As soon as I walked up, all in a huff she said, "are you about ready or what"? We wheeled around the facility to keep her mind off of her lunch that had not been brought to her room quite yet. She was grumpy as we all tend to get when we are hungry. She ate ALL of her lunch...and informed me that "although it was a good lunch, I DID NOT care for those peaches"! She was more confused in the afternoon and in the evening. She was calling out for Co and Terri both. When looking at old pictures Toni and Rod sent (thank you guys) :) she said Mark Cross was "randy williams"? She also mentioned "travis glass"? Ring any bells? Oh, and when quizzing her about those pictures she got the picture of Debbie and Dennis right. One minute she knew who I was and then the next she called me Renee and wanted me to take the cookies over to Norma and remind her of the NB's. When I asked her what the NB's were she informed me they were nudie pictures with birds in them. Yeah. For some reason she said a lof of things like this today....just not making much sense. Perhaps not enough sleep?? Not sure. She LIT UP when Jessica and Mark brought her some yummy cookies (you all know what a sweet tooth she has...so thanks Jess;) she also was happy to see them. She was sure giving Johnny a hard time this evening too.....although she smiled a huge smile when he said, "hey good lookin". She smiled at Amelia this evening too....very real and genuine. I love that smile. Tomorrow is another day for her to shine. Hang in there Mom, we all have our cloudy days. Love you!

January 26, 2010

Mom is doing great! She ate her breakfast and an ensure. Then at 10, she drank another ensure....before eating ALL of her lunch. We told her she needed to eat to get healthy and strong....so I guess she is certainly listening. Go Mom! The physical therapist said she walked the entire 1-way length of the hall today with the walker! He said today was her best day yet. I love to hear that and hope to hear it every day. :) She is still confused but she is getting better about the random talk and past talk. She is still her sweet self and her actions are soooo her....it makes us so happy.

This evening she ate ALL of her dinner and Johnny had her wheeling herself around a little with her own strength! He also taped some gauze over her right eye to make her use her left eye....and she did! She read the poster with her left eye and didn't even want to take it off before bed. Does this amazing lady want to get better or what? She is doing so well and we are so proud. Keep it up!

January 25, 2010

After looking at 10 nursing homes.....I am soooo done. Johnny went with me today to look at the last 3. Whew. Oh, I forgot to tell you all that a really good friend of mine had bad things to say about the care at Pilgram Manor (as in catching a nurse yelling at her friend) so we started looking at places again. I think we found a place....we will keep you posted.

Mom was doing great today and she was smiling ear to ear. The physical therapist said it was her best day yet. She went through her flash cards with no problem! She ate a great lunch and a great dinner and she was opening her left eye more today too. Johnny got her to brush her own teeth and she was ready to go to bed after that.

She is doing great guys....keep the prayers coming.

January 24, 2010

Wilma, Amelia and I walked in this morning after she had just finished her coffee (the nurse said she would take a sip and say mmmmmmmmm, over and over) and was sitting there in her wheel chair. Again, I asked her, "you ready to do some walking"? she answered sure and away we went. She tied her own shoe lace and she and I walked halfway down the hall and back again. She is unsteady but did held almost all her weight on her own. She went through the deck of cards separating them by suit then she went through and counted each suit. She did great. She read the sign for me and when I quizzed her she did pretty well this time. We also went through the flashcards of pictures and got most of them right. She thinks she is in jail for some strange reason and then later thought she was she was sleeping in Great Grandma's room (who has been deceased for a long time....like 20 years I think). She is always worried about someone (we think Amelia) bc she is always asking if she is okay, if she is eating too, if she is warm enough or too warm). Very interesting stuff. She ate a great lunch for Johnny and did well with the recognition with him too. She was all lit up while he was there and even patted his face :) awwwww. This afternoon she told me she wanted to "talk" and so we did. She would not believe I was married and I blew her mind when showed her pictures from my wedding and pictures of her at my wedding. Johnny said she really wanted a coke and was wired afterwards lol. She didn't want to sleep and was too tired to walk too much for him. She did not want to be in bed though so he wheeled her all over that place. Oh and she is steady working on her seek and find and finding hard words in harder puzzles. She is doing soooooo well. Keep it up Mom. We love you!

January 23, 2010

Mom had another great day! She knew exactly who me, Brent and Amelia were when we walked in to see her and when I said, we are gonna get you out of that chair and walking around....she replied "I think I can handle that, let's do it"! She tied her own tennis shoes and Brent and I walked her from her room up and down the hall. She was putting most of the weight on herself rather than on us....it was exciting. She read her poster board but when I stood in front of her and quizzed her she got a little confused. She also got confused when looking at the picture flashcards and when I asked her brother's name she said "Brent Barnet"? Ring any bells? No worries though bc when I asked her again she said, "Tony Michael". :) She also answers who is your favorite cousin as "Terri" with a smile. She ate a good lunch and circled a lot of words correctly in the word search. After lunch she passed out for a few hours.

This evening, she ate ALL of her dinner for Johnny and some powdered donuts too (she had been telling him she wanted something sweet). She read the poster a few times and tied her shoes for him too. He had her sort the playing cards again and she whipped through them. She even brushed her own teeth. They had good conversation. :) She is trucking right along isn't she? Thank you all for all the sweet encouraging words for us and for Mom. We love you all too and keep the prayers coming. GOOOOOOOOO GGGGAAAAAAYYYYYEEEE!!!!!!!

January 22, 2010

Man, what a GREAT day Mom had!!!! She was up and walking with the Physical Therapist today....about the same distance as yesterday which is down the hallway. After that, the Occupational therapist was working with her. So exciting. When she saw me come into the room while they were working with her she said, "hey baby" like she knew EXACTLY who I was. Then I said, "you guys keep going, I am gonna go talk to the nurse and be right back". When I came back they were finishing up and she looked at me and said, "we are done now". It was so clear like she was 100% again. When then started looking through the flashcards she would try to not answer by just answering "a nice looking couple" or "that one guy". But, if you don't let her get away with that and have her focus and look again she would get a lot of them right. She is still talking to invisible people and talking about random things....like putting words together that do not make sense which I think is normal....but would to check into it to make sure. She ate a great lunch and was exhausted from her activities so took a nap almost as soon as she finished lunch. This evening Johnny got her to sort a deck of cards by suite (one of the tips from the speech therapist to get her mind working). At first she had a hard time, but after she got going....oh man....she was going to town going faster and faster. Johnny was amazed and so was I when he told us. She also read the poster board 3 times. This woman was so worn out from working so hard today that she was PASSED out when Brent, Amelia and I went this evening to see her and Johnny. We were all talking and laughing and she didn't even budge. Keep it up Mom! We are sooooooo proud of you!

January 21, 2010

Mom walking down the hall with her physical therapist is what I saw when I got there today! She was doing so good. Much better than the past few days. She ate a great lunch with me and knew who I was. She was able to have somewhat of a conversation with minimal random talk. The nurse said she had her out of the bed in her wheelchair folding wash cloths and she seemed to enjoy being given this task. I kept her in her chair as well and when I left I had her doing a word search......in which she had already found 2 words (one was backwards)! This afternoon and evening went really well. I showed her pictures and she did great with recognition and she is reading just fine by the way (a lot of people who survive have to relearn that). She ate well for Johnny as well as read the poster board (twice) we made for her. (Thanks Tony for the great idea). It says: my name is....my birthday is...I was born in..... but now I am living here in....my husband is.....my daughter is.....etc. She was calm and they had a conversation with minimal nonsense talk. She was worn out but I think she enjoyed her day and we certainly enjoyed seeing her more like herself.

January 20, 2010

I am happy to say that not only is she having a good day, but we found out why she was having the bad days. She is supposed to be on anti-anxiety medication prescribed 1x per day and instead it was prescribed 3x per day. I know what you are thinking.....what the hell is going on with this place she is at. Here is the deal....the Dr that was assigned to her doesn't seem to give a hoot....she is another patient he needs to hurry and see before leaving for the day. The nurses on the other hand are fantastic....and they are the ones that take care of her all day. unfortunately they have to follow the Dr.'s instructions which is give what he prescribes. This was definitely the cause of her sleepiness and possibly the cause of her altered mood/personality. We want to reiterate that she IS in good hands....just as long as the Dr. doesn't get his script pad out. ugh. But, that situation is taken care of and her meds are what they are supposed to be so hopefully no more of those cranky days lol. She ate a good lunch and at first didn't know who I was but it didn't take her long. This afternoon was a a totally different story. She knew who me and Johnny both were. She was more like herself....more gentle and calm and then became sweet. She was eating a really good dinner and then she stopped and took Johnny's hand and rubbed it and said, "I want to thank you for everything you did for me tonight and I love you". Johnny tried not to cry and said, "well, I don't do it because I have to, I do it bc I love you! Angie loves you too and she is doing a lot too". she replied, I know she is and i love her too". She also said she wants to get better and go home. :) Oh we so do love you too and want you to get better to come home too. :)
Before I forget, I am putting together some flash cards of pictures of family and friends. If you don't mind, could you find a few and send them this way? Thanks. :)

January 19, 2010

So, if you only want to hear about good days of Mom's...do not read any further bc today was another doozy. Although she was talkative today, she was barely opening her mouth to speak....almost like mumbling. The things she said were negative and almost down right hateful. She would shrug her shoulders like "whatever", roll her eyes, and even said she didn't want me there. Not sure if the lorotab is still kinda in her system from yesterday or what. She did eat a good lunch for me and a good dinner for Johnny.

Johnny got her out of bed and pushed her around in the wheelchair. She wasn't understanding simple commands like she usually does like, "put your arms around my neck to help me get you out of bed" type things. She was also talking more to people not in the room esp Tracy. She would call out to her over and over "Traccy"? She also argued with Johnny that he wasn't her husband...the man over there was pointing at no one. It sucks when she has a bad day and she is almost like a stranger...its tough to take. But, when she is having a good day....you can see the Mom and Gaye we all know and love....so we are hoping for one of those tomorrow.

January 18, 2010

Today Mom had a terrible day but it had nothing to do with her. Somehow the nurse gave her loratab early this morning and so she was OUT OF IT. When Johnny inquired about it they told him that either the nurse gave it to her for a headache or by mistake. Ummmmmm. yeah. So Johnny, me and Amelia were there to see her at lunch to spend time with her and to make sure she ate..well was just sleeping....just so out of it. She only woke up enough to eat 4 bites and that is it. Even later in the afternoon when we came back, she was still really out there and not understanding simple things...as I am sure the medication was wearing off still. This is so disappointing after coming off of a few great days. But, she is going to have her good and bad days I suppose. Anyways she was awake enough for the time the speech therapist was there and Johnny learned a few things on what she did with Mom. That way, we can do the same in addition. Mom did pat my arm and tell me that I was a sweet daughter and that she loved me very much. This made my day. She also told Johnny after he corrected her that her name was no longer Pamela Burrows..it was Pamela Rosado "Oh really....(BIG SMILE)....I like being married to you and being Mrs. Rosado" (BIG SMILE again). This made his day. :)

Out of the 4 nursing home/rehabilitation facilities I went and toured today, one stood out and it is called Pilgram Manor. It is super super nice with a big glass enclosed gym to be able to see all the physical therapy being administered to the residents. Physical therapy, occupational and speech therapy is all provided there (up to 3 hours per day depending on what she can do). It is super nice and they say they have 1 opening. So hopefully they will come and evaluate Mom tomorrow and on January 27th it will be a smooth transition.

http://www.pilgrimmanor.com/index.php

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for her :)

January 17, 2010

Today is not much different than yesterday. She is doing great with remembering who we are, who family is and other "past memories" when you ask about them and enjoyed answering. She seems to be talking more random nonsense these past few days and to people that are not really there. She also mentioned a few names: Rodney and Betty, Janet and Straus?

We wanted to inform you that Mom will not be at Promise much longer. Medicare will not pay for her to be at Promise past January 27th. They will pay for a rehab/nursing home type place 100% for awhile...then the percentage goes down...this is where Medicaid will step in. Johnny will be trying to get her on medicaid tomorrow and I will visit more places tomorrow as well. I toured 1 on Saturday but I have 5 more to tour. We will only be considering the ones that provide complete rehab (physical, occupational and speech) and will be fine with us being very proactive in her recovery as in being filled in on daily progress etc. We will keep you all informed on our findings.
Anyway, back to Mom. She ate great for all three meals! She brushed her own teeth for Johnny and got a complete lotion slathering from me.

Just so you all know, we when we do the daily/several x daily family/friend quiz with her, we make sure to let her know how much each one of you loves her and are rooting for her. This makes her smile. :)

January 16, 2010

So I am pleased to inform you all that she had a GREAT day today. She ate almost every bite of her lunch and was very calm and conversational with minimal random talk. She knew who I was as well as Johnny and all family members. When I did my family member quiz I said "I spoke to Toni and Rod do you know who they are"? She gave me this look like it was the most ridiculous question ever and replied, "Do I know who they are??????? Why would you ask me a question like that???? Of course I do"! LOL This is a good sign since that would be a normal reaction to people/family she has known since before I was even born. lol She said she was 38 (she wishes lol). She spoke of Mrs. Sandberg in the sanitation department? She acted more like herself today and it was so refreshing. When Randa and I left she said bye baby, love you girls and ya'll behave. Which is exactly something she would have said. She was also excited about her date with her husband Johnny this evening. :) They had dinner together in which she ate ALL her food by herself for Johnny and it was a big meal. She knew the name of the movie that was on tv and smiled when he asked her if she remembered when they used to watch it all the time. She was calm, conversational, sweet and happy. :) She kept grinning at him and actually fell asleep smiling.

January 15, 2010

Mom was already eating lunch when I arrived today....dessert first :) She ate really well! The nurse said she had been a little more agitated today than most. She was able to have somewhat of a conversation with me but still adding a lot of 'in the past talk' and a lot of random nonsense. She spoke of paper dolls and Jerry Lewis. :)

She knew who I was and got closer to my age today which was great....she said I was 28 (I wish! lol). Oh, and she was keeping her left eye open more and more today whereas before it stayed closed unless we were trying to get her to exercise it.

This afternoon, Amelia and I got there not even 10 minutes before Johnny so Amelia was able to see both MiMI and Grandpa. :) After a few minutes of crankiness Mom seemed to perk up after Johnny got her in her wheelchair and she saw/heard Amelia saying "MiMi". She even did a little dance in her seat like she used to. She plain as day said, "she reminds me so much of you when you were younger". This shocked me bc it came out of the blue and on the heels of random talk. It was so clear. and when I was leaving she said, "thank you baby, I love you". It made my day.

Johnny said the evening went really well and she had NO complaining of having to pee/catheter talk (which is usually a constant thing). She kept her eye open more than closed during his visit and was able to have a decent conversation with her. After her dinner....she was calm, tired and then out.

Although she has her crankiness and ramblings....she is doing better. As we said before, it will take time and that is okay. We are all rooting for you Pamela Gaye! We love you!

January 14, 2010

Today was a little better than yesterday. She didn't quite know who I was at first but she got there. They had just finished Physical Therapy and into the room we went for her to eat lunch. She was still pretty grouchy and talking about random stuff but she was able to have a conversation better than yesterday. To give you an example when I asked her who Randa was.....her response was, "she is that lady who stores my cigars" She also spoke about how she was in jail for "the ghost thing" and how her friend Connie who is chief of police will help and she doesn't like being accused of being a kleptomaniac.

Johnny was able to meet and talk to the her Dr up there. He informed him about her medication names, dose amounts and frequency. We also spoke to the nurse about getting her evaluated by the psych Dr. up there as well.....that is set up for tomorrow morning.
Amelia was able to come see her MiMi after I picked her up from daycare and I think Mom enjoyed that. :) We didn't stay long so that her and Johnny could have their time but while we were there....Mom was smiling. She ate all of her dinner for him and was able to carry on a decent conversation with only minimal random rambling.

Today is better than yesterday and hopefully tomorrow will be even better than today. Keep it up Mom....we all love you!!!

January 13, 2010

I know you all would like to hear only good things but the reality of it is she is going to have good and bad days and today was definitely a bad. They again had just finished physical therapy when I went to see her and so they had her sitting in her wheelchair in a common area. She did not know me when I walked up and when she could tell she should know me she said I was Norma. She also was very put out with me wheeling her around and kept sighing heavily. She would make hateful comments with anything I would say....some made sense and some didn't. She also would roll her eyes at the nurses and at one point said, "what is her deal"? I told her they are trying to help you and she said, "I don't think they are". Then said to another nurse, "so are you the one who was so adamantly trying to get Johnny to come over"? I reassured her that she wasn't. We ate our lunch and she did eat a GREAT lunch.
Then after I got her back into the bed she looks at me and says, "So I noticed you have not been coughing lately and I told Grandma that". I asked her who she thought I was and she very confidently said, "Terri". Later she was talking and and when I asked her what she said she tells me, "I wasn't talking to YOU....just to Grandma".

So she seems to be a bit confused/paranoid and doing this with Johnny this evening too. She also didn't want to eat much of a dinner. sigh. We are just chalking this up to a bad day but are gonna go ahead and speak to her Dr and the psych Dr up there tomorrow to relay this and make them aware.

January 12, 2010

When I got there today they had her out of the bed and had just finished physical therapy. She knew my name when I walked up and smiled big at me. I took her around in a wheelchair to different areas and to the breeze way to look out the windows. We ate in her room and she ate almost all of her food with zero help and zero bribing :) She and I went back and forth about that darn catheter though. She REFUSED to believe me or the 2 nurses I pulled in there to also explain that she can just go pee pee and the cath would catch it all. Instead she says okay like she will go, repeats again that she really really needs to pee like you never explained anything and continues to hold it to where she is hurting herself. This happens over and over. sigh.
She talked a lot on nonsense today including something about James Darnell? That name ring any bells? The physical therapist said she is doing GREAT and I guess they wore her out again bc for dinner she was complaining of being hungry and how they need to hurry on with the food. This is pretty funny coming from someone who tries to get out of eating usually lol. She said, "Well, I wish Tony and Michael would hurry up and get the food on the table so we can eat". She ate her dinner really well for Johnny and even flirted with him. He told her the bread buns were soft today (bc they were hard as rocks the other day) and she said she knew where else there were soft buns and winked lol. She seems to like this new place and the nurses there. Every nurse I have spoken to has been extremely helpful and friendly as can be. They all seem to like Mom.....how can you not :)

January 11, 2010

Mom is doing really well! I made cookies and brought a thank you card with the blog address in it up to the Neuro ICU this morning and they were asking how she was doing and saying they would love to have her come back and visit WHEN she gets better. She has definitely made Promise her new home (for now)....as she seems to really like it. Especially since she is out of those oh so elegant hospital gowns and into her comfy pajama pants and t-shirt along with something to workout in and tennis shoes. She had physical therapy today and it wore her little self out. Johnny and I were able to meet one of her Drs this afternoon in which she evaluated her. Mom will be doing therapy everyday Monday-Friday and increase her duration of all three types of therapy the stronger and better she gets. She was rambling a lot of nonsense stuff today and this evening but I think that is only because she was so tried from them wearing her out. She keeps wanting to go home and will say, "well, you about ready to go"? or "Ok, I'm ready to go whenever you are". She will do exercises for us with her arms and her left eye (after the last surgery....it stays closed I guess bc the eyelid is still weak). Johnny has spent so much time up there helping her and it really shows. She is smiling at us with that cute little grin of hers and stays in good spirits which is great :) I had a horrible day and needed my Mom.....so I went up there this evening. Let me tell you Mom...even though you were sleeping...you were there for me and I miss you terribly. I know you are improving by leaps and bounds and it is only a matter of time before you amaze them and us even more and are ready to head home. Love you.

January 10, 2010

Mom decided to get out of bed by herself to go pee pee this morning and fell but thankfully did not hurt herself. Amelia and I got there right after it happened and I tried instill it in her not to do it again but she forgets. Therefore she is on bed arrest by being restrained to the bed again. She did know exactly who Amelia and I were. While pointing at Amelia I asked her, "Do you know who this is"? and her reply with a furrowed eyebrow was, "well of course...that is Amelia my grand baby and your daughter". lol DUH. Amelia gave her 2 hugs and it made her smile. She is doing sooooo much better at recognition and remembering (now if we can only make her remember she has a catheter lol).

She ate a really good lunch and dinner for Johnny and had good conversations and exercising. She even found a few words in her seek and find word search book! She told him in front of the nurse "I am gonna get better so I can get out of here and go home". :) We know you will Mom and we are soooo proud of you!

January 10, 2010

Mom was really alert when Brent, Amelia and I came by to see her. I asked her if she slept well last night and she replied, "Yes I did....I slept my ass off"! LOL. When she first saw Amelia she said, "Is that one of ours or one of theirs"? lol Then after I said it was Amelia I think something clicked bc she said, "Amelia, what are you doing baby girl". Which is exactly what she would have said to her on any given day. She even reached out for her. I asked her how old Amelia was and she said 2 (which 20 months is close enough). Mom keeps trying to get out of eating....but we are consistent with her on insisting and staying on her since she has lost weight (and she was tiny to begin with). Her sister Co came in for the day to hang and visit with her :) which I am sure helped Mom tremendously to see and talk to familiar faces during this brain healing process and I am sure it helped Co to see Mom doing better than last time she came down and to see the facility. She said Mom is still not making sense with some things she says but is getting better.
Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy all start next week....it is Monday-Friday.

January 8, 2010

So, today has been sort of a whirlwind. Mom ate a good breakfast and lunch and yes, she did eat her dessert first for those of you who know her well. She was having a regular conversation with me this morning knowing who she and everyone was.....funny thing about it is....she thought it was 1993 and I was 13 (even though in 1993 I would have really been 16 but who's counting). What makes that funny you ask.... I started talking about my daughter Amelia and husband Brent since we are supposed to talk names a lot with her. She said, "You are NOT married bc you are way too young".
She also responded to me telling her that her sister Coletta has come to visit her a lot and loves her very much by saying, "No....not Co....she is WAY too into that hiphop Johnson dance stuff to worry about me". lol

Just before she left to go over to Promise, a lot of nurses and 1 resident Dr. came by to tell her bye and say they would miss her. :)

The Promise facility is super super nice and I think it will make a great TEMPORARY home until she can go home home.

***Remember...below is the Promise Hospital's information***

January 8, 2010

She got accepted to Promise! They are coming to get her at 3pm today. YAY!!!!!! Below is the facility information and website so you all will have it. I will update later but this was too exciting to not post right away. :)

Promise Hospital of Shreveport
1800 Irving Place
Shreveport, LA 71101-4608
(318) 425-4096

http://www.promisehealthcare.com/index.php?src=directory&view=locations&srctype=detail&refno=15&category=Owned%20Long-Term%20Acute%20Care%20Hospitals

January 7, 2010

Mom kinda walked today! The physical therapist helped her shuffle in a little circle. Isn't that crazy? Goooo Mom!!!! She ate a good breakfast, lunch and dinner with only a little bribing lol. She is certainly a stubborn one.
At one point today she was pretty adamant that her name was Pamela Waldrop and Pamela Whatley. Either of those names sound familiar to any of you? Oh, and she said my name was Terri Waldrop at one point too. Let me know if that rings any bells. After a while she was saying her name and mine with no problem whenever I would pop quiz her. :) She also got the spa treatment by me complete with hair washing (a rinse free shampoo that works GREAT) and slathered lotion after the nurses gave her a bath. She loved it at first and then comedically said, "you bout done or what"? lol
On to the bad news.....Willis Knighton did NOT accept her....they denied her. Sigh. Therefore, we put in for another place called Promise in which we have heard good thinks about. So now, they have 24 hours to come and evaluate her and then 24 hours after evaluation to make a decision with their board. Double Sigh. Now, I know what you are thinking...why not put in for a few places all at the same time to save time. As of January 1 medicare will only allow you to put in for one at a time. Meanwhile she isn't getting what she needs and we wait. So, hopefully Promise will accept her or let us know promptly so we can find a place that will. ugh.
Johnny really got into her mind this evening...with helping with her short term memory by asking over and over who she, he and ALL family members were over and over. He also worked with her exercising her arms and legs. We are trying to do something while she is missing out on rehab. Can't hurt.

January 6, 2010

The nurse said she was wide awake at 5am this morning but the rest of the day was a different story. I am not sure if she didn't sleep at all the night before or what. She says she didn't....but she also said I was "Mike's sister" and that she wasn't at the hospital she was "in my yard". In any event, she was very sleepy today. She ate half her breakfast. The only reason she ate that much was because I bribed her...if she ate a little more than I would scratch her back with a towel (she really likes that) and rub her down with lotion. It worked, but she made sure to keep sighing while she ate like I was putting her out. lol. They took her staples out from her shunt this morning too.
She was so tired at lunch time that she kept her eyes closed while barely taking bites. Sigh.
Willis Knighton rehabilitation place accepted her and are just waiting for a bed to open up. So within the next day or two I suppose? YAY!!!!!

Also, Johnny spoke to the night nurse and she said Mom slept all night last night. Hmmm, I guess her brain was just needing the extra sleep today. She ate ALL of her dinner this evening for him....but only after he bribed her too with a promise of rubbing her legs. lol. She excitedly ate...then after she ate when he started rubbing them she asked him what he was doing. When he told her..."well, that is what you wanted right"? She said no it isn't. lol. But, she has been having issues with that...like knowing who we all are and then 10minutes later not knowing. etc. He did great with keeping her stimulated with conversation as well as getting her to raise and lower her arms for physical stimulation too.

Hoping they move her to WK North (willis knighton) tomorrow so the full rehabilitation can beginnnnnn. :)

January 5, 2010

This morning when I arrived, she was eating her toast that she had buttered herself and had already eaten all of her cereal. She ate some eggs and yogurt too. The occupational therapist came by to see her and said she is doing well and in her rehabilitation facility they will be working with her on physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy when she gets in to one. We have Willis Knighton North as our first choice of places so we are crossing our fingers. The paperwork was sent over to them and they came and evaluated her. So, we will know something tomorrow.

For lunchtime she didn't want to eat much for me....in fact, only 3 bites in she tried to say she was full. I only got her to eat about half her food but, she did eat a good breakfast. She knew who I was and gave me a hug and knew who Johnny, Amelia and Brent were. She doesn't remember who she sees the day before or even the hour before a lot of times but she is getting better and better about knowing who people are. Baby steps. :)

When I came by this afternoon, she was making more sense and told me "I've had just the right amount of that" when I was giving her water lol. The physical therapist came by for her to sit off the side of the bed (which takes balance and she did well) lift each arm 10 times and kick each leg 10 times. She did each time and counted with them. She also stood up not only once but twice! Keep in mind she has been in a bed for almost 2 months. Way to go Mom! We told her how proud we were and she humbly said, "why"? and when we told her she said, "oh...that's nothing". :)

This evening for Johnny she ate a really good dinner using her left hand a little and when he mentioned that "you always eat with you right hand bc you are right handed" she put down her fork and ate with her right hand while patting/stroking his arm.

She is doing great!

January 4, 2010

Today is another quiet day. This morning she ate her breakfast well for me but kept trying to fall asleep while eating. She knew who she was and said, "hi baby" when she saw me but when I asked her what my name was she said, "you don't have one yet because we haven't come up with one yet". She was just super sleepy and cold (despite having 3 blankets on her) but heck, she has always been cold natured. This afternoon, she ate her lunch well for Johnny but still was trying to fall asleep while eating. They said she didn't sleep well last night.....as I think she has her days and nights mixed up which is very common. They told us she could possibly be going to the rehabilitation facility as soon as she has been out of restraints for 24 hours. The nurse was going to speak to the neurologist to see if she could come out of the restraints since she hasn't tried to get out of bed. She only speaks of it....saying, "well, I'm ready to go if your ready" or "okay...well....I think I am gonna go take my shower now". She will fidget with the blanket for a second and that's about as far as it goes.

Dr. Nanda, who did her 2nd surgery...who happens to be beyond Mr. big shot in these parts with over 1,000 aneurysm surgeries under his belt(google him)

http://universityneurosurgery.com/index.php?src=directory&view=staff_q&srctype=detail&back=staff_q&refno=2&submenu=PhysiciansStaff&category=Physicians+and+Faculty&pos=0,15,7

came by to visit her today. He walked in and said, "How is my miracle lady doing this evening"? He said she is doing so fantastic that he anticipates her to be 100% in 6 months to a year! Now, he is also a pretty optimistic guy and I'd rather not get my hopes up expecting a shortened time frame. Nonetheless, that is great to hear from a person who deals with this every day. What great news huh? Will let you know tomorrow on when she will be getting into the rehabilitation facility.

January 3, 2010

Things were kinda quiet today and tonight with Mom as I am sure she is worn out from being a regular stand up comedian yesterday cutting up with family and friends. She just slept a lot while we were there and we certainly let her since she needs that rest to heal the brain. She didn't eat a great breakfast...we didn't get there until 9:30 this morning so her breakfast had already arrived...and so I am not sure the nurses really worked with her too too much. So we made sure to feed her lunch and dinner which she ate really well for both. She did great with recognition but didn't remember the visits the day before. However, just so you all know....when I mentioned different family members she went on about how much she loved them. I made sure to tell her how much you all love her as well. :)
Her rash is almost all gone yet her skin is VERY itchy and scaly and so lotion has been slathered on by all of us, Tony, Johnny, Toni Ross, myself and even the nurses. So far....knock on wood...the nurses she has had have been very tentative to her needs (with the exception of her breakfast). They were in and out throughout the day while we were there. Johnny and I are staggering our visits to make sure one of us is there most of the time. That will be hard to do during the work week with our jobs...but I work at the same hospital so it will be easy for me to go over at any time to keep the nurses on their toes as they never know what time I might be there lol. She has been much more compliant so she isn't trying to get out of the bed....at this point at least. Hopefully they will get her into the rehabilitation facility really soon.

January 2, 2010

After almost 2 months (with the exception of a few days before her 3rd bleed) Mom is finally out of the Neuro ICU and in a regular hospital room! YAY!

She had a lot of familiar faces visiting her today which I think helps her tremendously. Her brother Tony, Michael, Zack, Cord and Victoria were there along with Toni and Rod Ross and of course Johnny and myself. Also, she kept talking about seeing her cousin Terri yesterday, so I think she thoroughly enjoyed the visit. She was a regular comedian this evening and at one point while Johnny was trying to get her to not do something....she swirled her finger around her temple indicating he was crazy lol. She is rambling less, her rash is almost dried up, and she is fidgeting much less as well. At one point she WROTE HER NAME! She has come a long way even in a few days. Where she is at right now is where we expected her to be in weeks and weeks. She is amazing all of us with her progress.

January 1, 2010

Today was much like yesterday. They had her sitting up in her chair for awhile at the nurses station for her to say hello to everyone and eat. She did well with it though quickly got tired and wanted back in her bed for some rest. The nurses said she slept a full nights rest last night...which is what she is really needing to heal that brain. She knew herself, Johnny and myself but was iffy on who Amelia was. She had lots of vistors today including her cousin Terri, whom she was VERY excited to see.

This evening she was doing really well with recognition with Johnny,her brother Tony and Michael. She was MUCH less fidgety and more calm. She ate well, she was alert and seemed more like herself. She is surprising all those nurses with her progress and may be moved out of ICU and into a regular hospital room very very soon! YAY MOM!