Momma May Walks

Mom’s rehabilitation struggle has been slow for the most part but, we're happy to report that there has been some recent improvement. Maribeth and I went to a health staff meeting last week concerning Mom’s care. We were very surprised to find out from the physical therapist that Mom was walking better.

The physical therapist had just about given up on Mom and walking, but she has changed her mind and is working patiently with her now toward improvement, and eventually, physical strength and mobility independence. In the parallel bars Mom is walking with very little assistance. She tires easily though and requires encouragement to continue each PT session to its maximum benefit. She walked about 40 feet yesterday. That’s progress!

She is also using the walker some too, but still with great apprehension of falling. There is improvement though. Mom is also now able to move herself in her wheelchair (though she would rather be pushed) around the rehabilitation center. She goes to the cafeteria some on her "bicycle", as she calls her wheelchair.

I was with Mom yesterday when her physician, Dr. Bosquet, visited. She was the most oriented she had ever been with him. The Dr. and I were surprised and pleased. Her thinking is clearly improving. We think she is presently on a good balance of medications to optimize her cognitive abilities.

She has a cell phone now and is little by little learning to use it, sorting out what the buttons do and which ones she should “mash” to get who she wants to talk to. All those buttons make me scratch my head as well. I am working with her to do the plain & simple stuff like turning the phone on and off, answering it when it rings and charging it up when the battery gets weak.

Voice mail is my next task to tackle with Mom. So far she has been good with her phone. She hasn’t called us up in the middle of the night because she thinks there is a spider in her bed or anything. We think that’s just fine.

For friends and family who would like to call her, the number is 972-825-7871. She is still hard of hearing, so you will need to speak loudly and enunciate clearly, please.

In a couple of weeks we plan to take her to a physician specialist in the area of medical and rehabilitative medicine. We have the appointment, but if she continues to improve at her present rate, we may not even need to see this rehabilitation guru doctor. We’ll see how she progresses.

Mom still wants to return to Virginia, but she will have a few hoops to jump through before we can realistically make all that happen. Certainly we will, if and when she gains enough independence to fend for herself back on the farm. Dreams and goals, what challenge would life be if we didn’t have them? They motivate us and give us a reason to get up and go each day. Mom still has them.

She appreciates all the letters, cards, and phone conversations with all her friends and family. She wants everyone to know that.

Philip

Mom’s Hospital Stay

Last Saturday morning Mom was unresponsive. Appropriately, her nurse called 911 and an ambulance took Mom to Baylor Medical Center in Waxahachie, where I work (Phil is a nurse anesthetist there). It was a 10-minute ride. Maribeth and I met the ambulance as it arrived at the emergency room.

Indeed, Mom was unresponsive at that time. Her vital signs were fine but her state of consciousness was not.She had a CT scan of her head and they discovered nothing new: no midline shift, no blood masses, and no tumors.

A short time after her arrival, she began to respond a little. She would open her eyes on command, but could not speak. She could grip with her hands when we requested her to. That was the beginning of her improvement.

They admitted her to a private room on the 3^rd floor. I stayed with her. About two hours later, she spontaneously opened her eyes and said “Phil”. In a short time she began to speak but was a little lethargic with her responses. She slept most of the day while we attended.

After an EEG, Carotid Artery Doppler Study, and an MRI, the higher cerebral heavy-weights (doctors) were not 100% sure of the correct diagnosis. Some, including me, thought this was a TIA (transient ischemic attack) from a little plaque slough off from her carotid artery, which blocked some small vessels temporarily in her brain. Yet others thought her experience was from a special kind of seizure activity. The point now is moot.......Mom improved.

She stayed at the hospital for 4 nights for evaluation and further observation. Even the physical therapy department of the medical center came and worked with her. Things went well.

She was discharged back to Pleasant Manor Health and Rehabilitation center after 4 nights. She is well loved by staff and residents of that facility. They called and asked about her while she was at Baylor Medical Center and they were happy to have her back.

Mom is not only back to the Rehab Center, but she is back in her PT routine to gain strength for walking. They have this device kind of like a walker, called a “merry-walker”. It is an enclosed walker device such that, if Mom gets fearful of falling, she simply sits down, since the seat is underneath her at all times. We discovered that her Achilles tendons have contracted which hinders her ability to stand up straight. We will be working on stretching those little hummers out a bit over the upcoming days and weeks.

Today Mom’s spirits were good. Even in her darkest moments, she still maintains that comedian-like sense of humor. Yep, she’s still a comic. Maybe that’s why all of us and so many other people love her so!

(Posted by Phil, Fran's baby boy.)

A Trip to the Hospital

Phil got a call from Pleasant Manor at 6:40 on Saturday morning that Mother was non-responsive and they had called 911 for her. He and Maribeth went straight to the Emergency Room and arrived at the same time she did. She was still not responsive. The first theory was that she might have had a small stroke. However, as the day progressed, tests did not show a stroke.

Pil called me (Mary) about noon on Saturday. They had admitted her for further testing and he was in the room with her. She was able to squeeze his hand if he asked her a question. While we were talking, she groaned, which Phil said is a good sign. Then, she called his name! He hung up immediately and called back later.

She slept most of the afternoon and had hot tea and crackers for supper. They wanted to take an EEG but that couldn't be done till Monday afternoon. I am assuming that "no news is good news." I'm sure Phil will call when they know anything else. It appears that it might have been a mini-stroke, also referred to as a TIA.

To be continued........

Out to Outback

On Friday, Mother and Maribeth took Phil out for his late birthday celebration (His "real" birthday was March 27th) at the Outback restaurant. She surprised everyone ......here she was, a white-haired lady in a wheelchair and as the waiter finished taking their orders, she said, "Wait a minute. I'd like a Fuzzy Naval." Maribeth said she and Phil were amazed that she had even thought of a drink - it did appear to be watered down orange juice and not strong. Mother also had a steak, a loaded baked potato, and a few petals of Phil's bloomin' onion. Then, she helped eat his birthday ice cream.

As they were finishing up, she said she wanted to take a steak dinner to Mark. Mark is a CNA who is very caring and kind to everyone. It almost appears that Mother has a little crush on him and had invited him to come with them, but he had to work. Maribeth tried to suggest that they take him a dessert but - no - it had to be a steak dinner!

On their way back to Pleasant Manor, she wanted to stop for some sugar-free cookies. They were passing a Kroger so they pulled in. They found the cookies, then she wanted candy (not sugar-free). Mother may be aging in various ways, but her sweet tooth is still intact!