Mom Update

Well....been a loooong time since the last update. I am feeling a bit ragged these days. I work 4, 10 hour days and the other 3 days I am with my Mom for about 8-10 hours a day. My house looks like crap. I get laundry done...mine and Mom's....run the dishwasher, feed the cat and try to sleep. I got a script from the Dr. for Sonata, I was sleeping about 3 hours a night...I am up to 6 now.

Mom is better. She is usually wide awake. But some days she naps alot. Mostly on Fridays when I can get to her and spend time...she sleeps. The beauty salon ladies have never seen her eyes. She sleeps through the wash, trim, blow dryer and curling iron.

She is involved with PT/OT/Speech staff. There is a musical therapist that sees her every afternoon. They have upgraded her from the Geri Chair, to a reclining wheelchair and now she has a standard wheelchair that she can use her feet to move about.

She has not fallen/crawled/slid out of bed in about 4 nights. Before she was on the floor at least once every night. She can be in her room alone now with staff monitoring her from the hall. I think she likes this. Today she was reading a magazine in her recliner.

She walked to and from PT today with a walker. It is about 3 times the distance she has been walking. Then she made 2 other trips up and down the hallway outside of her room. She is getting stronger.

She is still fed via a feeding tube. But after trying to yank it out 3 times and having it replaced once, she now leaves it alone. She will hold it during feedings but no more yanking. She is eating smooth, soft food with the speech therapist. She sings, hums, and taps the beat of the music.

Speech still eludes her. And frustrates the Hell out of her. The more she improves the more frustration she has over this. We get some words easily...."yes, no, why, want, dammit" but she often says "wa wa wa" and we have to remind her to think first and speak more slowly....and that frustrates her even more. She sometimes writes for us. Some is legible, some is gibberish. Some is silly mish-mash of words that do not go together.

Saturday, we were walking the building and found a piano. She reads music and could play the piano. She played cords with her left hand Saturday. Several different ones. She played in the afternoon and again that evening when Tom & Sue visited.

Today, the OT staff called for us to bring her tennis shoes to her. More stability now that she is walking more. A good step.

Think that is the most recent news. A few weeks ago, I was worried that she would never be able to come home. Now I am thinking that in a few months she just might make it home...with supports. My niece is moving into Mom's house on Oct. 10th. She will be there to support Mom when she comes home.

Again, Thanks for all of your support.

T