More laughs
Hi Friends,
This post will be brief as it has taken me about two hours to figure out why the internet wasn't working at home and try to fix it...I reinstalled stuff and restarted stuff to no avail, only to discover that simply by banging the cable modem in frustration will actually fix it sometimes! :) But it is later than I wanted to go to bed (when is it not?) and so I will try to sum up the day more quickly.
Lilly, Betty and I were all present for her OT and PT today, and so she had lots of encouragement while she took off and replaced caps on various containers, named pictures and sorted cards. She needed it...her attention span is still so short, and she gets very frustrated very easily, but she's doing the best she can. Then it was time for a little rest before PT, but she just stayed up in the chair while waiting. PT was again frustrating for her because she just has so much trouble focusing on the task at hand and because it is physically demanding and also that fear is still there. But she seems to do better if it is me she stands up with, because then I tell her she can give me a much better hug...it worked a couple of times, at least. :)
She got a bit more of a rest after PT before speech therapy, during which she did some more swallowing practice with tiny drops of cranberry juice, and once again her problems paying attention were present. She did really well with the "finish the phrase" game though...the therapist would say "Salt and..." and she'd fill in "pepper," or "Night and...." and she'd fill in "day." Most of them she didn't hesitate a bit, so she was doing really well. Then the therapist said "How are..." to which she was supposed to reply "you," but since it didn't really follow the same pattern as the other ones, she got this look on her face that clearly meant "What the f*#$ are you talking about?" It was so hysterical Lilly and I busted out laughing and literally couldn't stop for minutes...we tried, but it was one of those tension-releasing howls that just wouldn't quit...but it felt good.
Mom's friend from work Kathy stopped by for a brief visit, and unfortunately mom was in one of her agitated/confused moods so she didn't really show off her social skills very much. I know Kathy was just happy to have laid eyes on her at all, and I suspect that as her rehab continues she'll be more consistently able to enjoy visitors, but in the meantime please don't be offended if you visit and she doesn't seem to care either way. She goes in and out, even for me.
Later on, as Lilly was leaving, mom was saying something about not wanting to be there, and Lilly asked her "If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you choose?" Mom promptly replied "Up my ass...." Of course, that sent Lilly and I into fresh peals of laughter and we once again couldn't stop for several minutes...mom meanwhile was looking at us as though she had no idea what we were laughing about...not mad, just like maybe we were crazy. It was a joke she made, but she probably sort of meant it too. :) And I don't think any of us blame her.
The rest of the evening I just spent sitting by mom and reading...she was actually able to rest quietly for a good portion of the time I was there, without as much of the restlessness, which made me happy. I attended a "Circle of Caring" meeting for families of brain injury patients, the topic of which was "Community Resources for People with Traumatic Brain Injury." It's part of an 8-part series of 1 hour free classes offered once a week, and to which I plan to go. Every other week there is also a support group for families/caregivers of people with brain injury, and I plan to check that one out too. When I got back from that class, mom was still resting pretty quietly and comfortably, and I stayed another hour and a half or so, and then said goodnight. She was very appropriate and not at all confused, and it felt so much better to leave knowing she wasn't agitated. She even flashed me the "I love you" sign through the window on my way out.
I hope and pray that she is beginning to slowly emerge from that stage of agitation and confusion which is normal in brain injury patients but the length of which is different for everyone and unpredictable. Please hope and pray with me. Thanks Meg Mark and NrsNat5 for the great dinner. Love you all.
This post will be brief as it has taken me about two hours to figure out why the internet wasn't working at home and try to fix it...I reinstalled stuff and restarted stuff to no avail, only to discover that simply by banging the cable modem in frustration will actually fix it sometimes! :) But it is later than I wanted to go to bed (when is it not?) and so I will try to sum up the day more quickly.
Lilly, Betty and I were all present for her OT and PT today, and so she had lots of encouragement while she took off and replaced caps on various containers, named pictures and sorted cards. She needed it...her attention span is still so short, and she gets very frustrated very easily, but she's doing the best she can. Then it was time for a little rest before PT, but she just stayed up in the chair while waiting. PT was again frustrating for her because she just has so much trouble focusing on the task at hand and because it is physically demanding and also that fear is still there. But she seems to do better if it is me she stands up with, because then I tell her she can give me a much better hug...it worked a couple of times, at least. :)
She got a bit more of a rest after PT before speech therapy, during which she did some more swallowing practice with tiny drops of cranberry juice, and once again her problems paying attention were present. She did really well with the "finish the phrase" game though...the therapist would say "Salt and..." and she'd fill in "pepper," or "Night and...." and she'd fill in "day." Most of them she didn't hesitate a bit, so she was doing really well. Then the therapist said "How are..." to which she was supposed to reply "you," but since it didn't really follow the same pattern as the other ones, she got this look on her face that clearly meant "What the f*#$ are you talking about?" It was so hysterical Lilly and I busted out laughing and literally couldn't stop for minutes...we tried, but it was one of those tension-releasing howls that just wouldn't quit...but it felt good.
Mom's friend from work Kathy stopped by for a brief visit, and unfortunately mom was in one of her agitated/confused moods so she didn't really show off her social skills very much. I know Kathy was just happy to have laid eyes on her at all, and I suspect that as her rehab continues she'll be more consistently able to enjoy visitors, but in the meantime please don't be offended if you visit and she doesn't seem to care either way. She goes in and out, even for me.
Later on, as Lilly was leaving, mom was saying something about not wanting to be there, and Lilly asked her "If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you choose?" Mom promptly replied "Up my ass...." Of course, that sent Lilly and I into fresh peals of laughter and we once again couldn't stop for several minutes...mom meanwhile was looking at us as though she had no idea what we were laughing about...not mad, just like maybe we were crazy. It was a joke she made, but she probably sort of meant it too. :) And I don't think any of us blame her.
The rest of the evening I just spent sitting by mom and reading...she was actually able to rest quietly for a good portion of the time I was there, without as much of the restlessness, which made me happy. I attended a "Circle of Caring" meeting for families of brain injury patients, the topic of which was "Community Resources for People with Traumatic Brain Injury." It's part of an 8-part series of 1 hour free classes offered once a week, and to which I plan to go. Every other week there is also a support group for families/caregivers of people with brain injury, and I plan to check that one out too. When I got back from that class, mom was still resting pretty quietly and comfortably, and I stayed another hour and a half or so, and then said goodnight. She was very appropriate and not at all confused, and it felt so much better to leave knowing she wasn't agitated. She even flashed me the "I love you" sign through the window on my way out.
I hope and pray that she is beginning to slowly emerge from that stage of agitation and confusion which is normal in brain injury patients but the length of which is different for everyone and unpredictable. Please hope and pray with me. Thanks Meg Mark and NrsNat5 for the great dinner. Love you all.
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xoxoxo!