SCMARION-L Archives

From:
Subject: Update on Mama
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 11:07:43 EDT

Hey there. Just got the pleasure of actually being home for the last two
mornings since Mama has been moved up to the Rehab floor. Visiting hours are
strict up there from 4pm til 8 pm as opposed to my having stayed with her 24/7
up to this point. She has some residual effects from the 2 strokes and is
having to work at being upright and walking and feeding, clothing, washing
herself. They have noted some other changes in her speech and cognitive
skills...she does pretty well doing things forward, but not backward. Counting
backwards throws her, and so does subtracting. This factor is going to bother
her a lot as she has always been in control of her own finances. But, like I
told her, she can always use a calculator. Being upright on her feet is going
to be a very long slow process, but with determination, the Dr says she
should make about a 95% recovery from the effects of the stroke. The pneumonia
is beginning to resolve and her heart is doing well since the implantation of
the pacemaker for congestive heart patients. This one is not an actual
"shocking" pacemaker, but a gentle squeeze to one side of her heart that had no
"electricity" to remind her heart muscle to contract. So she is "living"
proof that God does answer prayer. She has clinically been dead 5 times since
she was admitted, and to the amazement of the Dr's every time has gently taken
that first breath again. Her cardiologist told he that he has never seen the
likes of her pulling through. He fully expected her demise initially and
every time she went back into cardiac failure, but, the Good Lord has something
in store for her and brought her back. I hope and pray that He gives her
the blueprint of what His plans are for her and that she follows them. She
has rehab every day...speech for 45 min, occupational for 45 minutes (moving
her hands, fingers, and arms) and then physical...which means actually getting
in and out of bed and trying to stay upright for a few minutes. She is
compliant with all of them except physical therapy. She just wants to lay in bed
all day and night without getting up....but, the Dr told her she could "just
lay in bed" in a nursing home....and that spurs her again...because she
wants to come home and I want her at home. She is having to take the being on
her feet slowly, but the Dr said that since she can't physically stand and walk
for more than 5 minutes at a time, that she has to sit upright in a
wheelchair for 60 minutes after each session and that makes her mad. They were
sitting her on the side of the bed, but she would inch her way down to a lying
down position, so now they put her in a wheelchair in the lobby by the nurses
station...and that made her mad... I told her at least they were determined to
keep her following the routine. The Dr told me that she is typical behavior
for a patient that has been in ICU for a long time...they want to be totally
taken care of and have to wean them out of that state. I told him she would
lay down all day here if I didn;t make her get up...so that has been her rout
ine for many years and possilby the reason for a big part of her total leg
muscle demise. She knows that with my spinal surgery and condition of my
back that I can not personally lift her and would have to have help. As soon as
the Dr says she has reached maximum potential, then hopefully she can be
ambulatory. If not, I hope she will qualify for home health at least a portion
of the day so I can keep her home. I do not want her to have to live in a
nursing home.
I appreciate all the prayers and uplifting for us, and encourage all of
you to continue to pray for her recovery and that God touches her heart
spiritually now since He has touched it medically so many times over.

Hope all is well with you.
Take care
Carolyn

This thread:

• Update on Mama by