February 27, 2010

Today was another good day. Mom and I played several games of memory (as suggested by the speech therapist) and a few games of go-fish (she beat me 2 out of the 3 games :).
We walked the hallway twice and she did a great job...almost there mom. I left her with the nurses next to the nurses station at 3:00 today since Johnny was coming at 3:30...should have waited the extra 30 minutes bc she fell 5 minutes after I left. ARGH. I thought they could handle that half hour..but...anyways, she fell on her bottom and did not hurt herself but still. sigh.
This evening she did great for Johnny too as he is so good with her. They talked about why she is there and what she and they need to do to get her better to come home. They walked the hallway and did the side stepping dance thing again. It was a good evening.
Still wanting questions to ask Dr. Nanda on Friday and takers for this up coming weekend.

February 26, 2010

It's ladies night, oh what a night!
What a great time we had this evening together! I brought Amelia with me and we all colored together and talked until Brent got there to pick her up. Mom and I then played cards before heading off the the main dining area to eat dinner. She didn't eat a great dinner...but a good bit of it. She was a little anxious with always needing to do something, "oh, I gotta leave Jim a note...Oh, we need to head out of here so I can go feed the dogs....I need to call the girls to tell them what to work on....oh no...where did that lady go...she was just here a minute ago". These type of things. It is exhausting when she is like but luckily it didn't last too long. We walked the long hallway twice and I was barely holding on to her...she is able to walk by herself but her balance needs to be corrected every once in awhile. She and I went back to her room for manicure and pedicures. I painted her fingernails and soaked her feet and painted her toenails. Very pretty :)
By this time it was 7 and she was super tired so she brushed her teeth before getting into bed. She is doing great and I am sooo proud of her as I know you all too.
Oh, before I forget....her Dr. Nanda appt is next Friday so if any of you have questions you would like me to ask...please send me a comment. I have started a list of questions but would like to make sure i don't miss any questions.
Also, I will be going out town next weekend and so it would be a great time for anyone who has been thinking about coming to come on in so to rest Johnny up. Just let me know or put it in the comment area. Thanks. love yall.

February 25, 2010

When I first got to Pierremont at 8 and she was still in the bed, clothes not changed, and had not eaten breakfast I was irritated and worried we not make her appt at 9. But, I was able to get her to the bathroom and diaper changed while the aid went to get her breakfast. While she was eating her breakfast I was able to wash and brush her hair to save time. We were out of there at 8:40 at at the Dr.'s office at 9:04 whew! We even got her teeth brushed in that short time too. The waiting room was RIDICULOUSLY over packed and Mom's knee started bouncing as her eyes were darting all over the room. Until, I had her REALLY pay attention to this flashcard game I had downloaded on my phone for Amelia in which you call say what the object is. Not only did she completely focus on that game without letting the waiting room get to her one bit, she was getting all the answers right. :) And, before we knew it....they were calling us back. I was soooo proud of her. I mentioned to them that she gets ill from being anxious from waiting and sure enough they came in within a few minutes to ck her out. She did embarrassingly tell the cute Dr that was asking about her bite that she "likes to though....you know....bite people...when I am sleeping I like to go around to the rooms and bite people". WTH? Lol. He told us everything is perfect with her bite but to keep her from eating hard food for a little while longer. We were in and out of the Dr's office in 40mins! Then we went to McDonald's t get her a diet coke before surprising Johnny by going up to his work to say hello to him (we stayed in the car). The evening was a good one for her and him as well. They did the side step dance thing and walked the long hallway 3 times! She did great!
Keep it up Mom!!!! Whoooo hoooo. We love you!

February 24, 2010

Hey everyone! Mom had a fantastic day today! She was in silver spoons when I got there to eat with her and she ate a really good lunch. We had good conversation and she was less anxious and seemed to remember things from the previous day!!!!! It was really neat. From there we went to her room to play cards....in which she kept beating me ;) and then to physical therapy. The occupational therapist said she did GREAT for her....she was less impulsive and worked hard. As she is telling me this, Mom spouts out, "wow, that sounds good to me, okay so if you will just let sherlock holmes know too". :)
This evening she was chatting with the ladies at the nurses station when Johnny got there and she and him chatted for awhile themselves in the room. She remembered "why she was there and that the goal is to get her brain and balance better to go home". Amazing and Bravo Mom! They had dinner, walked and did the balance thing side to side (like dancing) and did well. She has her oral maxillary appt tomorrow again so I will be picking her up around 8ish....AND I will remember to bring her dentures for them to ck her bite bc of that jaw being fractured. Will post again tomorrow to let ya know how it goes.

February 23, 2010

The morning and lunch time were higher anxiety for whatever reason. The whole lunch time her knee was bouncing, she was constantly looking around for a baby she was supposed to be watching. (I am assuming these are memories coming out of taking care of Amelia)? She didn't eat as much of her meal because of this and bc a backache and could not be persuaded into eating more. I spoke to the therapist and they said she had been doing that in the morning too and gave me some tips on how to redirect it. You don't say "there are no babies here" you have her answer and repeat "where are you, why are you here and what is the goal" or you say things like, "Oh, I took care of that". Type thing. She and I played some card games after lunch and strolled around a bit before she went off to her therapy session. This evening, Johnny was able to get into her head about her knee bouncing anxiety and she was responsive, concentrated and "made her brain" stop it. The physical therapist came in and had Mom side step back and forth while keeping her balance, throw and catch the ball and bean bag tossing all while keeping her balance. She did GREAT. He had her doing the same later in the evening as well as walking around the room several times....she is getting stronger and sturdier. We really think it will not be long before she is walking no problem.

Keep it up Mom, we are all cheering you on.

February 22, 2010

Mom had a pretty good weekend everyone. Since their staff isn't as great on the weekends, on Saturday I was there from 12-3:30 and Johnny was there from 3:30-7ish when she went to bed. On Sunday Johnny was there almost ALL day from 11-7ish with only a little break when Amelia, Brent and I stopped by to see her and drop her clothes off. On Saturday she did a lot of physical therapy and did some walking with me and Johnny both....a good longer distance. YAY MOM! She has gained some of her weight back too...as she was really thin there for awhile and she is now weighing 113! YAY MOM! It seems as long as you keep her busy she doesn't complain as much about her headaches. She said something clear as a bell yesterday when I mentioned how she and Mike and Toni and Rod used to play cards. She said, "yeah, when we would play poker...you would bug us so much that Toni would let you help her with her poker hands". LOL. It made me laugh.
So today provided some good news and bad news. Good news being that a friend of a friend was able to move her Dr. Nanda appt up to March 5th! YAY! I will have a million questions for Dr. Nanda when I take her that day....like...why was she denied for a 2nd time at Willis Knighton? Yeah, that's the bad news we found out today...they came and evaluated her on Friday and denied her today. They claim she is unable to perform the 3 hour therapy they provide at their rehab....even though she does it now at Pierremont...and the therapist have let them know. Sigh. It sounds like a generic excuse they give when someone is considered high risk for falling or high maintenance to keep busy. In any event, I will be asking him March 5th.
Meanwhile, I met with all three of her therapist today and they all said said she is doing great! In physical therapy they worked on throwing and catching the ball and balance. If there is a lot of noise or people in the room Mom becomes WAY too distracted and doesn't do well. But, when they take her back to her room and work on it where it is quiet...she does pretty good. Occupational therapy said that she is doing great but is still considered a rancho level IV because of her impulsivity, anxiousness and poor memory but that her conversation has improved a lot. Speech said the same thing....that her memory is what is lacking but that her concentration is getting better and longer. Speaking of concentration, Johnny walked her a LONG distance tonight and as long as she was concentrating...she did really well with her balance! YAY! They had a great evening together.
P.S Today after we ate our lunch we played several games of memory (using 6 cards total) and go-fish...she kept beating me at go-fish over and over and even joked with me about how I kept losing ;). She is getting back on track everyone....keep up the good work Mom...we love you!

February 19, 2010

Today she and I ate in the silver spoons dining area and she ate a GREAT lunch. Then we went and played some card games before she went on the Speech Therapy. Occupational therapy went really really well today they said. :) She has still been complaining a ton about her headaches but it seems a little better. I called Dr. Nanda's office at LSU and his office on Greenwood road through Willis Knighton. Left 2 messages and spoke to his nurse. She said she would move Mom's appt up but that she needed to obtain the CT scans from the ER visit to show him and would call me back. I also told her that we would like him to sign off on Mom being moved to the Willis Knighton facility as he had said in the past. I didn't hear back from her today but hope to on Monday.....if not...I will call them again.
She was doing well this evening too with Johnny, they ate dinner in the main dining area and worked on the puzzle while watching some tv and talking. She has def gone backwards a little but seems to be trying to get back where she was....we all know you can Mom. We love you.

February 18, 2010

Oh my goodness today was a mess. I had to take Amelia to a Dr. appt and so I couldn't take Mom to her Dr. appt....which was fine because the aid was there to take her with the van. Then I would take Amelia to her Dr. appt, daycare and then go up to Mom's appt to relieve the aid. whew. Well, the oral surgery appt was to check her bite using her top dentures because of the jaw fractures. Johnny reminded the nurses last night and I called at 7am this morning. See where I am going with this? Yeah, the dentures were left and the appointment was pointless. She basically spent from 9am-12 something up there for nothing and was in tremendous pain and was hungry. So, by the time I got her to the car in the parking lot and back to the place....she got sick. She started throwing up all over and we had to get her clothes off and cleaned up. Bless her heart....not sure if it were the head pain or being hungry or both. She was cleaned up and put in bed for a nice long needed nap. sigh.
This evening she was feeling better and her and Johnny worked on a new puzzle he brought for her. They ate in the dining room area...and she ate a great dinner. Johnny and I have a lot of questions for Dr. Nanda (who I called today and will call again tomorrow) because we truly feel she has gone backwards just a tad. Hoping she gets back to where she was quickly.

Something funny did come out of this crazy day....the Oral Dr. was from India and while he was writing she pointed at him (without him seeing) and said, "I don't like Gene....he is that Eskimo and a whole different Enchilada than us". WTH? LOL!

February 17, 2010

Mom was having a better day today. Whew and Yay! They started giving her Darvocet instead of tylenol which seems to touch her pain a little better and allow her to think and function better. She didn't complain much about them today....so that is a great plus. She doesn't mind wearing her helmet when people are not sitting with her to watch her. Another plus. :) She and I ate lunch together today in the silver spoons area before going to the vending machine to get some chocolate to share. Then we went back to her room and played cards before it was time for her to go off to physical therapy. Her and Johnny ate in the main dining area this evening and wheeled all over the facility including getting some coffee :). She wanted to and did call her brother Tony last night and Terri her cousin tonight. They went and visited the directors dog which comes up there sometimes....Mom LOVED petting on the dog. Her and Johnny played around with the puzzle in her room for awhile and talked before her bedtime. She had a better day today guys....:)

February 16, 2010

Although today started out rough because of headaches, it turned out to be a better day. When I got there around lunch she was sooo in pain that she wasn't answering her own name correctly and was talking a lot of random things. She said her name was Ronald McDonald and was very serious when she said it. She talked about 2 dogs named Tipsy and Topsy and was calling out to Joanne. We ate lunch together and she ate a terrific lunch even with her headache. She laid down after and took a nap. This afternoon she seemed in a little less pain and more herself. She smiled BIG when she saw Amelia as always :) and Amelia sat in her lap for a little while. Mom ate that up. Johnny, Mom, Amelia and I all had a sit down meeting with several (like 10-15) staff members such as administration, therapy people, etc to consult with what to do about her falls so that everyone is happy. They will provide a sitter in the morning time, do therapy after the sitter time....I will come for a 2 hour lunch (and stay at work an hour later) she will take her afternoon nap, go to more therapy and by that time Johnny will be there when he gets off. Long and short....she will have her days occupied with people being with her almost all the time so that she has less of a chance to fall. Also, they changed her wheelchair and have given her a helmet.....yes, you read that right....a helmet. But, it a soft padded boxing type not a football type...although, the football type is what the initially brought and we said.....ummmm no. Also, Johnny and I have contacted several facilities and support groups to find out where she needs to be and what steps we need to do to ger her there. Willis Knighton North (which once denied her) specializes more in brain injury and they are more of a rehab rather than nursing home/rehab so we have requested her to be evaluated again. Now, this may present a problem since she is all bruised and stitched up but we will see. Mark my words though....if they do deny her again....I will call Dr. Nanda, whom said she would be able to go there after LSU, every day until he signs off on it. We will keep you posted on what happens.

This evening she ate a good dinner, played cards with Johnny and brushed her teeth. She was still in a good bit of pain but was being rational and doing well. She at first refused her helmet until Johnny told her she was gonna get him in trouble by her not wearing it. Her response was, "Okay, give it to me....tighten it up for me". :)
We are still checking into options and have messages and emails out. You better believe we are doing whatever it takes to get Mom better and back home. We love you very much Mom!

February 15, 2010

Mom was complaining of a major headache again today and I took pictures of her sutured up chin, bruised cheek, goose egged brow bone and black eye. No harm in documenting I suppose. They gave her some tylenol and we tried to take her mind off of it by going to get some coffee and playing go-fish. She went to speech therapy, came back and laid down for awhile until lunch came. Johnny got there shortly after lunch was served and was there all day long....and it was a long one. We decided to have Mom taken to the ER again today because her headaches were just so bad they were causing dizziness and nauseousness (if that is a word). Plus, just to get her checked out again since she had another fall after her stitches fall. Turns out, she has 2 small fractures bottom of her chin and her left jawbone. We were trying to get her back into Promise until she got her balance more but bc of insurance she can't go back. We called several places today and all of them are restraint free. We are checking into some places that specialize in brain injury but they are all out of town or state. We will know more tomorrow.

February 14, 2010

Okay everyone, Johnny and I are at a loss on what to do... So after Mom's fall Thursday the solution was to put an alarm on her and to watch her better right? Well, since then they have left the alarm connected to her yet not attached to anything else?! Why even use it if it isn't going to be attached appropriately to actually work. She fell again by the way and has a black eye! Unbelievable! Also, they called Johnny at work yesterday and asked him to leave work to come and take care of Mom bc she was a handful. Then today, they called him at 7 am to ask him when he was going to be there and when he said noon they asked him, "you can't be here sooner than that"? WHAT THE HECK? Last I checked, medicare was paying their facility to do their job....not for Johnny to do their job. Unacceptable. She likes the place it seems and all 3 therapies are fantastic and working but, how can this place have ZERO responsibility for these falls? It seems like if a person in their care fell several times...one resulting in an all day ER room visit with 6 stitches....they would....do whatever to ensure it didn't happen again. Yet instead they leave alarms unconnected, let her fall again and call family to do work for them. UGH. She was throwing up a few days, sleepy and has seemed to go backwards a little bit...talking to people not there and being confused. I will be up there all day until Johnny relieves me at 3:30 to make sure no falls happen tomorrow. Johnny and I will both be putting our all into checking into other options. Will keep you all posted.

February 11, 2010

Today was not a good day....not a good day at all. Mom fell yet again and this time she did hurt herself. sigh. She split her chin open today and was rushed to the LSU ER to get 6 stitches and scans of her head, jaw and neck....which were all fine. She was there in the ER from 7am to 4pm. Radiology took her back to get the scan while Johnny went to eat a quick 30 minute bite. They brought her back without letting ER staff know and dropped her off. We came back in the nick of time to find that she had climbed over the railing of the bed, pulled her neck brace off, and pulled her monitors and bandages off. She was standing there almost naked...taking off her her gown. SOOOO glad we got there when we did. We have spoken to the nursing home about her falls and the options we have. Apparently there are none bc they do not do restraints....and we can't afford a sitter. We are trying to figure out what to do. We really like the staff and so does Mom and LOVE how well she is progressing from the the physical, occupational and speech therapy. However...she keeps falling!!! ARGH! They are putting a body alarm on her that has a pin connected her and to either the bed or wheelchair when she tries to get up the pin will pull and the alarm will sound. So, that is something....we will see...but are still checking other options.

Anyways, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and there will be no more falls.

February 10, 2010

Mom had another fall today but she is okay. She constantly forgets that she just can't get out of the wheelchair without help. That has got to be frustrating for her. She did great in physical and occupational therapy. In physical therapy they started off throwing the ball and catching....but that was short lived bc she can't think quickly enough to respond yet and she doesn't know when she is falling backwards...her balance isn't quite there yet. So they switched to side stepping and front and back stepping. She did really well! I mean, of course they will continue with the ball catching to quicken her reaction time...but a little a day i suppose. The occupational therapist said she was extremely cognitive today and very eager to work with them and do well. :)

Amelia and I came by there in the afternoon and she was BEAMING when she saw Amelia and wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss her. :) We walked her around for awhile and she is barely needing help at all....just balance really. Her and Johnny had a good evening working on the puzzle, going to get coffee (twice bc Mom gulped down the first cup buy the time they got back to the room lol), talking, then it was teeth brushing and bedtime. She seems to really enjoy the staff up there and so do we. Keep up the good work Mom.

February 9, 2010

Mom was just finishing ALL of her lunch in the dining area today with other people when I got there See, there is a thing called 'silver spoons' in which people that sorta need help eating or staying focused eating all gather together and nurses sit with them. She seemed to enjoy the company of the others and was very anxious to get back to them when we left to go to the room to work on flashcards. It was almost like she couldn't focus because she 'needed to be be somewhere'....but i think all it was just her wanting to be around a group. They are going to continue with silver spoons bc it will be good for her...we think so too. She did well with her flash cards except arguing with me a few times saying pictures of her were not pictures of her. She was extremely anxious and wanting to stand up and get out of her chair (over and over and over) but honestly, now that i have had a chance to look back on it....I think she was just anxious to get back to the people because she felt like she needed to be doing something with them or around them

When Brent, Amelia and I showed up this evening Johnny had already washed her hair and she had eaten a really good dinner. They were working on a puzzle that he brought up there for her. She REALLY enjoyed hugging and kissing on Amelia, who sat in her lap for a good bit. :) She is doing really well...really well! It has changed from her talking to people in the room to her having memories of people being in the room like, "where did Norma go" as she points to an empty chair or something instead of her 'speaking to Norma'. I think that is progress and it is gonna get better and better. The speech therapist told Johnny that Mom is doing fantastic! She is staying focused and really wanting to do well. :)

I am so proud of you Mom...we all are

February 8, 2010

Today was a cloudier day for Mom. She was working well with the occupational therapist when I got there and was just finishing up her lunch (which she ate a good bit of). Usually she is cloudy in the aspect of saying she is still in Amarillo but for some reason she was saying Florida! Weird huh? She worked hard in her sessions today and was extremely tired for her and Johnny's time together this afternoon/evening. She was cloudy, irritable and repeatedly asking to go home....bless her heart. But, Johnny met with about 6 people at the facility (administrators, therapist, etc) to access her progress and they think she is coming right along. :)

February 7, 2010

She was super excited to see Amelia, Brent and I yesterday and walked with me from her room into a common area and back again just great. She was smiling at Amelia and Amelia was smiling right back...it was soooo sweet. We got her an eye patch to put over her right eye to make her use that left one more (the make shift gauze one we had wasn't working so well anymore) lol. We hung out awhile and then Johnny showed up and her smile got even bigger :).

February 6, 2010

She had a great day! When Chelsea and I got there at lunch time....she opened her eyes wide and said, "CHELSEA"! We all hung out and talked while she ate a fantastic lunch. She was making good sense with only occasionally talking random stuff. While we were there, the administrator came by for a good long time chatting with her and us and she thought Mom was doing great too. :) We walked her around and Johnny walked her around when he got there too. He wheeled her around the place a few times and they ate some of the snacks he brought up there. They had a great date night evening together! :)

Keep up the good work Mom!

February 5, 2010

She had a not so great day but a VERY great night. During the day she had a terrible headache but that night was another girls night of walking around, hair washing, teeth brushing, lotioning up, wheeling around the facility, going through flash cards (which she did great), playing cards and eating snacks (reese's peanut butter cups). She is walking with only needing a little help. It amazes me....she amazes me. Although hazy with period of time and still saying some random stuff...she is doing better and better. She mentioned a Robert and Wendy and said she met them the day she had Michael Jay? We sat there and played go-fish while eating our peanut butter cups. We had so much fun and she did sooooooo well with her game playing skills!
We are all so proud of you Mom!

February 4, 2010

She is adjusting to her new 'for now' home really well. She was sitting in her wheelchair, chatting with a nurse out in the common area. The nurses are really nice, and even painted her nails! :) She had a really bad headache again today and therefore she didn't want to eat as much. I massaged her head as I washed her hair to help but it didn't quite work. I know this is a common name, but she mentioned Larry Smith a few times. Ring any bells....? After her lunch, she took a nap. This afternoon in the speech therapy room, Johnny and I witnessed her speech therapy in progress...it was really neat and she did really well from the little bit I saw (Amelia and I didn't stick around...a bit distracting room trying too). After speech, Johnny wheeled her around the facility before dinner. Then after that they took the night easy and watched tv while holding hands. Although she is still rambling quite a bit and calling out she is making progress....keep it up Mom....love you!

February 3, 2010

Mom had speech therapy right before I got there around noon. They had a sitter with her all night and all day to ensure she didn't hurt herself by getting out of the bed. She ate every single bite of her lunch and half of an ensure. She walked pretty well with me to the bathroom and sat on the side of her bed (that takes balance ya know) while she ate. She went through a few flash cards with me but wasn't doing too well bc she was easily distracted so we stopped for a bit and I just talked to her (sneakily quizzing)lol.
Johnny spoke to the therapist this evening and she informed him that everything Mom is going through is completely normal including the seeing people not there. Over time these things will get less as the brain heals. She evaluated her to be at a ranchos brain injury level IV. Google it if you get a chance. Johnny wheeled her around the place a few times and let her wheel herself too. The even stopped off to get Mom some sweets from the vending machine. :) He said she was kinda making sense and kinda not and she called out to Terri a few times. They played cards for awhile and just talked. Instead of a continuing with a sitter again this evening, they moved her mattress to the floor....the one she was snooozed out in when he left. I think she is settling in to her new TEMPORARY :) place just fine. Keep up the good work Mom!

February 2, 2010

Today was a very busy day for Mom. She had physical and occupational therapy, then lunch at 11:15, then moved to the new place at 12. Johnny and I were backwards today. He was the one who had lunch with her, we both went with her when she moved to the new place, then he spent the afternoon with her until I got there this evening.
As soon as she got to the new place...she was super tired and had a headache so she went straight to sleep for 2 hours. Restraints are not allowed at this new place so Mom has already fallen from a chair and bumped her head....she is okay though. They have her bed close to the ground and a sitter in there with her until tomorrow when they can get a bed with an alarm (they were unaware she was restrained at Promise). Despite her crazy day and headache, Mom was doing really great this evening. She was making sense, able to have a conversation and was able to walk well with assistance. Seriously though, she is getting stronger and stronger and it will not be long before she is walking unassisted. She was sooo sweet and herself and it was fantastic to spend the evening with HER her.
I love you Mom....you are doing great!

February 1, 2010

Mom did well with her physical therapy today, walked another time and pushed herself in the wheelchair. She really enjoyed having her brother Tony, Michael, Zack, Cord and Victoria visiting again today. Tony gave her a manicure and played card games such as go-fish and crazy 8's with her. She stayed awake as long as she could and then she finally gave in to her nap. Though it didn't last long. She is such a busy body and can not sit still (sounds like the normal Gaye huh? lol). She ate a great lunch and dinner and was excited to hug and hold Amelia. Bless her heart...she seems to get her feelings hurt when Amelia doesn't want to stay in her lap :(

She was still a quite a bit hazy but hopefully this move tomorrow might be the something different she needs? She will be going to Pierremont Healthcare at the corner of Line and Pierremont tomorrow at 12, (since lunch is 11:15)

Pierremont Healthcare Center
725 Mitchell Lane Shreveport, LA 71106.
Phone: 318-868-2789