current report on Mom, as the week progressed

Mom is in the Montrose Hospital ARU-Acute Rehabilitation Unit-Room 135 and needs your continued visits and prayers. Keep it UP!~ It’s WORKING!!!

In the past week, our hearts have dipped into despair and soared with hope and love as our wings. I am exhausted, really and a little numb. This morning I fixed breakfast for my family for the first time in a week and when the timer went off to let me know it was baked, I realized that I hadn’t put it into the OVEN!!!  Sometimes I wonder exactly WHO had the STROKE!!??  Mom thinks that’s funny.  :o)

It’s been a week since the stroke and she is doing remarkably well, considering the size of the stroke. Ilene and Bill came to help and to visit for several days and that was such a blessing. It’s been hard at times to keep having faith. Even Craig, after looking at the CT scan mentioned that it was hard to have hope after seeing the size of the insult.

But, I reminded him………and myself………. of a firm belief and value that became part of me along the way…….something that I live by………and something that I think that family members in difficult times need to hold onto,”What GOOD ever came from having LOW HOPES??!!!” NOT a THING comes from having low hopes. Sure you may not be surprised with the self-fulfilling end of everything, if you have low hopes……..you can say that you always knew it wouldn’t be better than it is………you can live with no wondrous expectation or anticipation of “over the rainbow”………….but, HOW DULL and average it THAT?! As Dad would say,”Look at what the average person does and thinks………NOW, decide if you think that YOU are average and if you are…….then go with THAT…….if you’re NOT……………then…….”and MY mind has finished what he started…………..then WHO are you?……..WHAT are you?………are you SPECIAL?…………Did God give you strengths beyond average and mediocre?…………..Do you believe that miracles DO happen?…………….and I have to say, “YES, I DO”…………Thanks to my parents and the positive way that they have thus far lived their lives and taught me to look at things. Thanks to God for giving me the strength to pull it off. And PRAYERS to God that I can keep it UP!!!

I was told that during the first 3 to 4 hours, Mom couldn’t even keep her tongue in her mouth. She bit it terribly and her tongue was swollen and bruised. Thank God that she regained control of this before I saw her. Maybe God was sparing me of this when the cellphone didn’t get good enough reception for it to ring when the hospital first called. When I first saw her, last Tuesday morning, she had paralysis on the left side, was unable to open the left eye and barely able to open the right. She was unable to swallow and at first couldn’t respond at all and then later could respond a little with uttered “yes” and very rigid and jerky head shakes. There was that feeling of sadness and compassion from the hospital workers. But, I didn’t see a great deal of hope in their eyes…….until they saw how desperately hopeful that I was……..and then, I have to say that nearly everyone that worked with us was praying and hopeful for Mom.

A week later she is opening both eyes wide and can have some good eye contact when she isn’t too tired. She has definitely lost some vision on the left side. She is swallowing most of the time without coaching. The left side of her face and so the left side of her throat and mouth are numb. So, if the food gets on the left side, she doesn’t know that it’s there and has a hard time not ultimately choking. But, she does pretty well when she’s not too tired, to remember to use her tongue to sweep her mouth and to turn her head to the left, contracting those muscles on the left side, as she swallows.

Since Sunday, she’s been able to pull her own legs into the bed and also since then I haven’t had to lift her to get her from the bed to the wheelchair or to the bathroom. MY back is improving! :o) She can stand up and slowly move herself to the chair……….and as we joke about it…..her “eye BUTT coordination” is improving greatly!!! You can’t imagine how I’ve thanked God for THAT one!!! :o)

Her left arm and leg are coming back pretty well, really. She feels pain in them, but not much sensitive touch, unfortunately. Hopefully that will come. She has walked between the parallel bars several feet and I’m placing her chair a little further from the bed each time she has to get into bed. I’m not supporting her any more and make her stand up on her own.

Nikaila and Stephanie have spent many hours at the hospital with me. They have read with Grandma, having her read one page and they read the next. Stefi has especially had fun playing therapist with Grandma. She’s even gotten her to pat her head and rub her tummy!!! I wouldn’t even have ASKED for THAT one!!! They have cheered her on and played silly games and have such child-like faith. They see each and every little improvement and mention it. They have enjoyed being part of “loving her back to health.”

She has said many times how precious and sometimes unappreciated small things in life are.  She has commented many times about how many people have come to visit.  She and I have cheered and clapped when she could hug me with both arms………Actually, there’s been a LOT of cheering going on…….@#$%^&*YAH<YEAH……………………………just like when your new baby takes it’s first steps and can roll over in bed by itself. My gut feeling about Mom’s rehab is that stimulation is the key. In those lost deficit ways, she IS like a baby. Her brain is looking for a new route for her to accomplish the things that she once could do………and I think there’s enough unused portion of her brain to pull it off…………………If there is a hope for her to return to some positive version of herself, we have a window to connect the nerves. Just like a baby who is left to lie and become stagnate, she will do the same without love and urging to be more……..the BE the unusual and remarkable woman that she is………..to continue gracing the lives of those around her. We have to be there for her during this window of opportunity and be sure that her development isn’t delayed, if possible. She has most of her memories, but some are a little confused. Her short-term memory is the one that I’m the most worried about at this point and we would appreciate continued prayers concerning this. She can’t remember that she had the stroke and so can’t remember that she has any restrictions. Of course, getting out of bed or out of her wheelchair isn’t a safe thing for her to do. So, being around her when you’re not actively engaged in some activity or conversation often leads to her trying to get up without a mention of it to anyone. The girls are afraid to stay in the room with her alone because she stood up with them when I was down the hall and they were so frightened that she would hurt herself.

She has her sense of humor. She’s told the nurses that they can’t take her vital signs because SHE needs them. She read a page of jokes brought to her by Vivian Moore and laughed at each one………and she’s mentioned more than ONCE that Nancy Pielosi would NOT be happy with the way I was treating her!  Jeannie and John and Elouise and Mary Green came by, today and she laughed and had a good time with them.  We all sang songs and told jokes.

She’s a fighter and needs a team of warriors on her side. Continue praying, please……..and come to see her…………be loud and jovial and stimulating…………be happy and positive for her………….be encouraging……….It doesn’t take very long. You wouldn’t believe the difference in Mom’s frame of mind for several hours after someone comes to see her. Her spirits are lifted. That’s the best time for me to get her to sing. We sing her favorite old songs and she claps after each one, now…….sometimes I have to wake her up to clap **chuckle*** but, she always claps. Annie’s Song by John Denver, Grandfather’s Clock, You’re the Only Star in My Blue Heaven and of course, Somewhere Over the Rainbow………….I’ll record THAT one on my new CD for her…….if I ever get around to doing it. :o)

She has NOT lost her OWN compassion for others and asks about others in the hospital and makes me go visit them and give her reports. Last night as I tucked her into bed, she put her arms around me and said how much she loved me. She looked straight into my eyes and said that she didn’t know what she’d do if I didn’t love her and want to be there helping her. She said that everyone has been so good and caring and I pray that she keeps her good feelings about that and doesn’t become angry in her grieving process as time goes by.

Thank you for caring for Mom and keep praying. Visit when you can. It means SO much to her. Mom and I are still aiming for somewhere over the rainbow.

She loves each and every one of you………..

Mom’s address at the hospital is:

Montrose, CO 81401