I know, I know… it’s been awhile since the last update (someone actually scolded me today, but I’m not mentioning any names).
The day after tomorrow will mark 8 weeks since mom’s stroke. Depending on what you’re doing, 8 weeks can seem like an eternity. Other times, it’s as fast as the blink of an eye. There are times when it feels like both.
Mom has come so far in these last couple of months. There are times when she doesn’t think so, but every now and then she has some realization that hits her and she starts to see it. It’s really hard to see progress when all you think about are the things you USED to be able to do. Taking those baby steps to regain that function is so very frustrating and at times seems impossible. I want to take a moment to think about what she has relearned since the stroke.
I realize that some readers are joining in late and may not have felt compelled to read this from the beginning. I’ll try to summarize so everyone is caught up. 🙂
When mom arrived to Inova Fairfax, she was in a coma. She had a procedure done to remove the clot. The first challenge she had was waking up. We were told that there was a chance that she wouldn’t survive the procedure. To our great relief, she did. However, she was on a ventilator. During this time, not only was she not breathing completely on her own but she also had a hard time keeping her eyes open. Here were her initial challenges:
– not breathing completely on her own
– no speech
– left side paralysis
– impaired vision
After a few days, she was extubated and she was able to breathe on her own with just a nasal cannula for assistance. We were told that she may end up with a trach (thank goodness she dodged that one) and a feeding tube. Because of the type of stroke that she had, the muscles that control swallowing were also affected. That means no eating or drinking by mouth, therefore the g-tube (or PEG tube) was inserted. She still has that today but the hope is that it’s not permanent.
Over time, this is what she’s been able to accomplish (not in any particular order – I’m really just brainstorming)…
– She can see! Not only that – but she’s reading!
– Improved speech – you can actually have a conversation with her! Until she gets really tired, that is. Then she begins to get a little breathless and her words become harder to understand.
– She can sit up in a wheelchair for extended periods at a time. There was a time when she had no control over her neck muscles and couldn’t hold her head up.
– She can sit unassisted at the edge of her bed.
– She is helping herself to get dressed, shower, etc. – Granted, she still needs lots of help but she is figuring out how to use her good hand to get it all done.
– She’s starting to sip water from a cup. – She coughs every time, but she’s allowed to try.
– She ate 4 oz. of applesauce without coughing even one time! This is HUGE!! Sure beats that “water sponge lollipop!”
– She is able to transition from sitting to standing with one person helping. There was a time it took THREE people to help.
– She stood for a few seconds by herself while her therapist helped get her dressed.
– She is moving her left arm inward.
– She can move the fingers on her left hand slightly.
– She moved the big toe of her left foot.
– When laying down, she can raise her left knee slightly.
Here’s my favorite thing that she’s able to do now. She can LAUGH. I think we have gotten her to laugh about something every single day over the last week. You have no idea what this means to me. It means she’s feeling better. She may be sad, but she’s not miserable. She has hope. It may not be every minute of every day, but for a little while, that laughter means she’s HAPPY. I think she’s realizing that she IS still alive. And that she has a lot of life left to live. There are times when she is tired and doesn’t want to push herself (come on, we ALL have those days). On more than one occasion she has looked at me and said “I may not want to do it, but I know I have to do it”.
My mom is a fighter. She’s also pretty selfless. Several people who came to see her told me how much she has done for them (and/or their family). Even with her recovery, she didn’t initially start working to get better for herself. She’s doing this for us. Her kids and her granddaughter. We need her as much as she needs us.
So – I know that she will keep on working hard. I look forward to the progress that she will continue to make and the laughs we will continue to have along the way. We are just coming back from the first set of commercials of her very own “Lifetime” movie. Still a long way to go, but I like where this is headed… Stay tuned! 😉