Angela's Blog

Hi All-

Tough night for Ang last night.  She slept from about 8 to 11 and was up for the remainder of the night.  It seemed as though she was asleep off and on, but she was very restless.  I am hoping that the big day that she had today will facilitate her ability to get some much needed rest tonight.

The morning started off slow and then Ang had her acupuncture session.  She took it like a champ for the most part.  The OT commented on how “soft” her arm was today and I would like to attribute it to the additional therapy that she is getting outside of the general regimen.

It was a gorgeous day in West Seattle today so Teresa and I decided to sign Ang out of the SNF for the first time and went for a nice walk with her.  She wore her sunglasses and was wearing her trademark tank-top for the landmark excursion (Everything she had on today from head to tow was from her closet so we hope it helps her feel more like herself).  We headed South down California Ave. towards the Admiral Theatre, one of the places that we frequent quite often in the hood.  She was in good spirits and we even stopped so she could pet a little grey pitbull dog along the way.  She was ready for a nap when we got back.  It takes a lot out of her to process all of the things going on outside but she continues to amaze me.  With TBI much of the reference material available indicates that a quiet calm environment is needed to promote healing. Conversely, much of the material available on neuroplacticity indicates that it is good to stimulate the brain as much as tolerable to mitigate brain atrophy and promote the “re-wiring” process.  I think that if Ang had to sit in a room and not do anything for months she would go crazy!

As Teresa mentioned, Ang continues to improve her ability to focus on specific activities for longer periods of time.  She recalls more information than she could just days before on a regular basis.  We will continue to work with her on her cognitive exercises as much as time allows, considering the resident ST is primarily focused on her ability to swallow.  It is frustrating because it appears that her ability to progress is contingent upon the resident ST’s schedule.  We were approved by one of the subs to give her water under certain conditions and she does just fine.  So- as far as we are concerned she is past the thickened liquids stage and the resident ST can write whatever he wants in his report.  We aren’t going to hinder her progress simply to accommodate someone’s schedule.

PT went well.  Ang had more E-therapy on her leg.  She can now straighten her left leg on her own without any stimulation.  This is a blessing and a bit scary. The gained mobility means that she is more able to move herself around in her bed and we have to keep a close eye on her during the night to ensure that she doesn’t push herself onto the floor accidentally.  She also did 7.5 minutes on the seated cross-trainer.  She said that she will shoot for 8.5 on Monday! 

OT went well also.  A bit less intense today.  They like to give the patients a little slack on the weekend.  Ang stays more calm when I am working with her so the OT has involved me more and more in her therapy.  Today I worked with her on her range of motion exercises and massaging her tendons.  In general these activities really agitate her, but today she was much more calm.  The OT is great at promoting family involvement and he trains Teresa and I so that we can work with Ang on our own.

Auntie Marian is filling in for Teresa and I again tonight.  Praying that things go smoothly and that she gets some rest.  Tomorrow should be low-key and we are looking forward to visits from friends and family.

Josh