A little lonely
Hi Friends,
Well, today was mix of good and bad...bad only because Betty left. :( This morning was difficult...we got up and checked the weather and flight info, checked her in online, and then got ready and headed to the hospital so Betty could say goodbye to mom. We found mom in the therapy room already, chatting up one of the other patients...she has already made friends with everyone, of course, Miss Social Butterfly. :) Saying goodbye was difficult for all three of us...tears were shed by all, and we tried to make it as quick as possible so as not to draw it out, and so mom could begin her therapies for the day. I had to take a moment to compose myself before I went back in, but I was able to get ahold of myself.
The day of therapies was excellent....mom did awesome at everything today...worked very hard, stayed focused and was in good spirits the whole time. She has made progress even from yesterday in P T and aced several of her exercises in OT...speech is and always will be the toughest therapy for her, but she tried very hard and demonstrated great comprehension. Olivia, the Speech Therapist, said she is fairly confident that most of mom's aphasia is expressive only, meaning the understanding is there but it is difficult to speak what she wants to say with the right words. In between therapies, Betty called to say her flight was cancelled...can you believe that?! So she was on standby for a flight this evening which she didn't end up getting on either, and is now booked for one leaving at 7:30am tomorrow...she decided to stay at a hotel near the airport rather than come all the way back to the city only to have to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning to get back to the airport...I really hope that flight goes without a hitch!!!
Pam was able to come by today, and was there for mom's second PT session. Afterward, we hung out in mom's room for a bit, and then mom wanted to take a little nap. While she did that, Pam and I left and went to a couple of stores and hung out. I got back to the hospital around 6:30pm...mom was up in her chair in her room watching TV, having already had dinner. According to the nurse, she didn't eat a ton, which I was afraid of. We sat and chatted for quite awhile, and had great conversations. We talked more about the accident itself and the time following...while we were talking, she demonstrated more understanding than ever, and said "Now, be honest...did you think I was going to die?" Wow, what a question. I was honest, and told her that at first, I really didn't know if she'd ever wake up or if she'd ever talk to us again...none of us did. We both cried, but she was the first to say "But I did wake up, and here I am now, so try not to think about that anymore." She also wanted to know why she can't come home yet, because she says she really wants to...I explained that it wasn't safe yet because of her memory and thinking problems, and she asked "What is it that I have to do for them to say it's okay to go home?" Another great question, and one which I didn't quite know how to answer...I told her they'd probably do periodic assessments on her, and the doctors and therapists were the ones who would be able to determine the timing of this. I wish I knew.
This evening, we had a good time together...we spent some time in the dining/activity room...mom played some piano, and we chatted awhile with one of the patients (he was telling us how he doesn't have any family here in Chicago...I think he's lonely, and has decided to adopt us as his friends) before mom finally said she had to go to the bathroom so we could get him to stop talking. ;) We stopped off briefly in her room before she requested (of her OWN accord) that we go for a walk...OUT of her chair, actual walking!!!! She has NEVER wanted to do that, and usually always had to be convinced it was a good idea to get up and moving. We walked all around the halls, and then headed back to the activity room where she had a snack of a quarter of a chicken salad sandwich, some appesauce, grapes and juice. I was so glad she ate a little more. After that, we headed back to her room and sat watching TV for a bit, and then around 9pm got her ready for bed.
I'm home now and a little lonely...I've had Betty here for a week and had started getting used to some company...makes me wish I had a roommate. :( I know I'll get used to it again, but I am a little sad tonight. Looking SO forward to having more family here this weekend, though...I only hope their flights are not delayed or cancelled!!! That would be so terrible! Mom is also looking forward to their visit...she even was able to recall who I told her was coming tonight when I asked her! :) Must work tomorrow, so I hope mom has another good day...her first there at this place without someone with her all day...I'm sure she'll do fine. Thanks all for your continued love and support...I so appreciate it. Peace.
Well, today was mix of good and bad...bad only because Betty left. :( This morning was difficult...we got up and checked the weather and flight info, checked her in online, and then got ready and headed to the hospital so Betty could say goodbye to mom. We found mom in the therapy room already, chatting up one of the other patients...she has already made friends with everyone, of course, Miss Social Butterfly. :) Saying goodbye was difficult for all three of us...tears were shed by all, and we tried to make it as quick as possible so as not to draw it out, and so mom could begin her therapies for the day. I had to take a moment to compose myself before I went back in, but I was able to get ahold of myself.
The day of therapies was excellent....mom did awesome at everything today...worked very hard, stayed focused and was in good spirits the whole time. She has made progress even from yesterday in P T and aced several of her exercises in OT...speech is and always will be the toughest therapy for her, but she tried very hard and demonstrated great comprehension. Olivia, the Speech Therapist, said she is fairly confident that most of mom's aphasia is expressive only, meaning the understanding is there but it is difficult to speak what she wants to say with the right words. In between therapies, Betty called to say her flight was cancelled...can you believe that?! So she was on standby for a flight this evening which she didn't end up getting on either, and is now booked for one leaving at 7:30am tomorrow...she decided to stay at a hotel near the airport rather than come all the way back to the city only to have to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning to get back to the airport...I really hope that flight goes without a hitch!!!
Pam was able to come by today, and was there for mom's second PT session. Afterward, we hung out in mom's room for a bit, and then mom wanted to take a little nap. While she did that, Pam and I left and went to a couple of stores and hung out. I got back to the hospital around 6:30pm...mom was up in her chair in her room watching TV, having already had dinner. According to the nurse, she didn't eat a ton, which I was afraid of. We sat and chatted for quite awhile, and had great conversations. We talked more about the accident itself and the time following...while we were talking, she demonstrated more understanding than ever, and said "Now, be honest...did you think I was going to die?" Wow, what a question. I was honest, and told her that at first, I really didn't know if she'd ever wake up or if she'd ever talk to us again...none of us did. We both cried, but she was the first to say "But I did wake up, and here I am now, so try not to think about that anymore." She also wanted to know why she can't come home yet, because she says she really wants to...I explained that it wasn't safe yet because of her memory and thinking problems, and she asked "What is it that I have to do for them to say it's okay to go home?" Another great question, and one which I didn't quite know how to answer...I told her they'd probably do periodic assessments on her, and the doctors and therapists were the ones who would be able to determine the timing of this. I wish I knew.
This evening, we had a good time together...we spent some time in the dining/activity room...mom played some piano, and we chatted awhile with one of the patients (he was telling us how he doesn't have any family here in Chicago...I think he's lonely, and has decided to adopt us as his friends) before mom finally said she had to go to the bathroom so we could get him to stop talking. ;) We stopped off briefly in her room before she requested (of her OWN accord) that we go for a walk...OUT of her chair, actual walking!!!! She has NEVER wanted to do that, and usually always had to be convinced it was a good idea to get up and moving. We walked all around the halls, and then headed back to the activity room where she had a snack of a quarter of a chicken salad sandwich, some appesauce, grapes and juice. I was so glad she ate a little more. After that, we headed back to her room and sat watching TV for a bit, and then around 9pm got her ready for bed.
I'm home now and a little lonely...I've had Betty here for a week and had started getting used to some company...makes me wish I had a roommate. :( I know I'll get used to it again, but I am a little sad tonight. Looking SO forward to having more family here this weekend, though...I only hope their flights are not delayed or cancelled!!! That would be so terrible! Mom is also looking forward to their visit...she even was able to recall who I told her was coming tonight when I asked her! :) Must work tomorrow, so I hope mom has another good day...her first there at this place without someone with her all day...I'm sure she'll do fine. Thanks all for your continued love and support...I so appreciate it. Peace.
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xoxo!
love-stef