Well… If there were any doubts that Ang has checked all of the boxes on stage 4, Ang sealed the deal today. Often times we don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but today we chose to laugh. The occupational therapist asked Ang how she felt and she proceeded to give him the finger! This could actually be our Angela shining through or perhaps it is just more of the stage 4 antics. Either way it was quite funny. We also had some of our church friends visit and Ang proceeded to call our friend something that I won’t mention on the bridge. Have to admit that I got a pretty good laugh out of it.
Ang had a busy day with PT, OT, and ST. She aced all three. Her ability to sit upright has improved exponentially since last week and she is starting to find her balance. The physical therapist working with her today got her to tell us that her left leg is tingling from her knee down to her foot. This is actually good to hear considering that she has not moved her left side much. If her leg was numb it would indicate that the nerve centers where dead, but the tingling sensation indicates otherwise and therefore gives her a really good chance of recovering her movement. Her swallow also continues to improve. She was given a special wheel chair today that reclines and we got her out of the room and her dad and I wheeled her around the SNF. She did extremely well (did not get agitated) considering how many other people were out and about around the facility. I would ask her if she was alright every few seconds and if she wanted to head back to the room and she was a complete trooper. We hope to get her outside for a short period of time very soon. When we got back to the room she indicated that she wanted to go back to bed. It is wonderful to see her begin to articulate preferences and needs. We work with her daily on memory drills, be it questions, or identification of friends and family via pictures. She is still having trouble remembering information such as her birthday, but today we asked her where she went to school and she stated Seattle U, not Seattle University, which is learned information. We always have to work hard to hold it together when these little “awakenings” happen.
She had another restless night last night. The doctor prescribed her Ambien to help her sleep. She had taken this at Harborview one other time with little benefit. They doubled her dose and she slept a total of 3 hours, which is her longest single duration thus far and was then restless the remainder of the night. She continues to move herself around the bed and requires constant repositioning to ensure that she does not fall out, all the while putting up a fight. As Teresa had mentioned before, sometimes we have to give ourselves a time-out because it can become so frustrating.
Ang is now displaying a lot of the stage V and VI behavior as well…
Please see the following information regarding visits and volunteer opportunities:
If you'd like to visit:
- Visi
ting hours (for now) for Angela are Sundays from 8 AM to 8 PM, with breaks for lunch (usually noon to 1) and dinner (usually 5:30 to 6:30). - Emai
l angelavisit at gmail dot com in advance (please include "Visit" in the subject line). Let us know who is coming and when (date and approximate time). No need to wait for approval, but it will be helpful for us to know how many people to expect on any given Sunday so that we can prepare. - Be ready to wait. If Angela is sleeping, if more than three visitors are present, or if any number of unforeseen circumstanc
es arise, you may have to spend some time in the waiting area before you can come back to the room. - Be flexible. The nursing staff and any appointment
s take precedent over visitors, which means we may need to kick everyone out of the room from time to time.
Also, we're now collecting contact info for people who'd like to help on a regular basis (for example, reading to Angela for thirty minutes once a week). If you're interested in volunteering:
- We recommend that you stop by for an informal visit first, if possible, to get a better understandi
ng of where Angela is at in the recovery process. - Email angelavisit at gmail dot com (please include "Volunteer" in the subject line). Include your name, phone number, relationshi
p to Angela, and rough availabilit y times. - Be patient. Angela's schedule is still very unpredictab
le. Once things settle down a bit, we'll begin introducing volunteer shifts into the regimen. This may take some time, which means you may not hear back from us for awhile; we will contact prospective volunteers as needed, and as we're able.
The angelavisit at gmail dot com is a new address that is managed by a handful of Angela's friends who are helping with the schedule. Teresa and I have access to the email as well.
When you do come visit, please know it is best if you: 1. Talk to her as you normally would just a bit slower. 2. Put your hand on her arm, leg, foot (something), and say, "Hi, Ang, this is (your name)." Please do not be upset if she calls you someone else's name or doesn't know you right away. 3. Watch for signs of fatigue and give her space. 4. Anticipate that she might undress, say inappropriate words, whack you or her...this is all part of stage IV! ! ! The books and the doctors all say "this phase will pass" but it can be quite disconcerting and it happens quite quickly. 5. Sit down quickly if you feel faint. 6. Don't bring children along, as we don’t want any of the kiddies to be frightened or put in an uncomfortable situation. If you have any questions, please post a note on the Caring Bridge website or email us back at this address.
Until tomorrow- Josh
