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I am going to try to keep a blog of happenings. It looks like the year 2012 is going to have a lot to post. It started out rocky and only getting rougher.
The 2nd of January,on a Monday, I got a phone call from my brother in Gideon saying our mother is being taken to Southeast Hospital in Cape. She was having a stroke. I got phone call after phone call from my other brother. Chuck called Angi, my sister in law to confirm what was going on. We left for Cape.
We arrived about 10 minutes before her and my brothers did. A friend of mine and Chuck's was an nurse in the ER. That was comfirting.\
She was had to do a CT scan and other test before we could see her. When we got to see her, only two at a time, she had no expressive and receptive language skills. Everything was being answered with "yes". She could not say her name, her age her birth day. She did to manage to say my name. It hurt so bad to see her and there was no way I could help, but I knew what was going on.
She had to be taken for a chest x-ray. I left and let my older brother, Jim go back. He really has a hard time dealing with this.
I went back again and saw her. The ER doctor told me that she was having receptive and expressive euvatia. There that part of the brain was asleep, or not working. The test done so far showed bleed or hemorage. He was consulting with the neurologist on and it was almost within the three hours. It was up to us to make the decision to give her the "mircle drug". My brother asked him if what his mother, what he would do, and I just said No, not to give it to her. The doctors reply was that he would not give it to her. The drug would work if there was a bleed, but at her age and risk was that it could cause her to bleed out. Not worth it..
I spent the first night with her. Everyone else went home.. Within and hour after getting her to her room, I could see improvement. I love how the brain works! When everyone else left, she turned to me and said "I'm not a baby." I told her "I know, but it is my job to stay." I have been in the hospital so many times and this woman was right there with me every day. She washed my face when I got sick after anesthitic. She would help me walk from the bed to the toilet. I think she even help hold me down to get a shot!
The first night, the nurses where coming in every 30 minutes then every hour. The improvement was being seen.
She wanted me to turn the tv on. I was flipping through channels. I stopped at David Letterman. She turned to me and as clear as anything she told me "I don't like him." So, I turned it. I stopped at the Weather Channel. She feel asleep.
The second day, her language was improving so much, but her memory, not so much. Again, seeing her in this state was painful. There was nothing I could do. I know so much about the brain development and how it works that it does amaze me to see the improvement, but she was a long way away.
During her stay from January 2 to Tuesday January 10, she had boughts of sadness, anger, happiness, all emotions in one week. I told papers to work on while I stayed with her. She wanted me to set by her while I done them. She was scratching her head and said "I had three surgies on my head. No wonder I'm crazy." I had to laugh. She never lost her since of humor or modisty.
The first Tuesday morning she was there, a therapist came to ask her name, but she couldn't tell them. When asked her age, she stammered. The therapist had to step out. Mom asked me for a pen and paper. She wrote her age and told me that was what she was trying to say, 80. She was right. When the therapist walked back in, mom showed her what she wrote. I told her that was her age. She got it! Her therapy sessions where very helpful. I didn't go with her on the first one, my younger brother did, but I went with her on the second one and the day after.
One morning, we worked on her spelling her name. She was getting frustrated that she couldn't say it so I signed the letters while she watched. We done it about three times. She watched my hands and said "You're signing, I can't do that!" I told her to just watch, I am giving you cues. When her breakfast came and she was asked her name, she said "You won't belive me." She then spelled her name without looking. The server did believe her.
At therapy that day, she was able to say and spell her name to the therapist! She was proud.
She had to indure the MRI. The first time, I was by myself with her when she was taken. I told them that she is very afraid of small, tight places. If you have never had a MRI or a CAT scan, imagine putting your head in paper bag in a dark room and your riding underneath a semi truck. Very loud. Well, of course, it happened. She got scared and had to be sedated. She slept the rest of the day.
The nursing staff at the hospital where excellent. I have been in many differnt hospitals and have many procedures done. I will say that this nursing staff was one of the best. However it is also a teaching hospital. There is nothing wrong with that. I think it is very benificial to both patient and student. Mom had this one particular nurse aide. He lives in St. Louis and comes to work at night via medic air. He is also a nurse on medic air. He was so funny and amusing. One night he came in to take her vitals. Well, he did warn her first and she came unglued on him. She was trying to get out of bed. Now, my mother is a large woman and this aide, not so big. I had to help calm her down. He got a lesson. From the next time on, he woke her before getting her vitals. He learned.
The week she was in there, she had gone through every emotion there was. She got very scared when my brother left for a little while. She forgot where he was. I would leave my yarn with her when I left so she knew I would come back.
The 2nd of January,on a Monday, I got a phone call from my brother in Gideon saying our mother is being taken to Southeast Hospital in Cape. She was having a stroke. I got phone call after phone call from my other brother. Chuck called Angi, my sister in law to confirm what was going on. We left for Cape.
We arrived about 10 minutes before her and my brothers did. A friend of mine and Chuck's was an nurse in the ER. That was comfirting.\
She was had to do a CT scan and other test before we could see her. When we got to see her, only two at a time, she had no expressive and receptive language skills. Everything was being answered with "yes". She could not say her name, her age her birth day. She did to manage to say my name. It hurt so bad to see her and there was no way I could help, but I knew what was going on.
She had to be taken for a chest x-ray. I left and let my older brother, Jim go back. He really has a hard time dealing with this.
I went back again and saw her. The ER doctor told me that she was having receptive and expressive euvatia. There that part of the brain was asleep, or not working. The test done so far showed bleed or hemorage. He was consulting with the neurologist on and it was almost within the three hours. It was up to us to make the decision to give her the "mircle drug". My brother asked him if what his mother, what he would do, and I just said No, not to give it to her. The doctors reply was that he would not give it to her. The drug would work if there was a bleed, but at her age and risk was that it could cause her to bleed out. Not worth it..
I spent the first night with her. Everyone else went home.. Within and hour after getting her to her room, I could see improvement. I love how the brain works! When everyone else left, she turned to me and said "I'm not a baby." I told her "I know, but it is my job to stay." I have been in the hospital so many times and this woman was right there with me every day. She washed my face when I got sick after anesthitic. She would help me walk from the bed to the toilet. I think she even help hold me down to get a shot!
The first night, the nurses where coming in every 30 minutes then every hour. The improvement was being seen.
She wanted me to turn the tv on. I was flipping through channels. I stopped at David Letterman. She turned to me and as clear as anything she told me "I don't like him." So, I turned it. I stopped at the Weather Channel. She feel asleep.
The second day, her language was improving so much, but her memory, not so much. Again, seeing her in this state was painful. There was nothing I could do. I know so much about the brain development and how it works that it does amaze me to see the improvement, but she was a long way away.
During her stay from January 2 to Tuesday January 10, she had boughts of sadness, anger, happiness, all emotions in one week. I told papers to work on while I stayed with her. She wanted me to set by her while I done them. She was scratching her head and said "I had three surgies on my head. No wonder I'm crazy." I had to laugh. She never lost her since of humor or modisty.
The first Tuesday morning she was there, a therapist came to ask her name, but she couldn't tell them. When asked her age, she stammered. The therapist had to step out. Mom asked me for a pen and paper. She wrote her age and told me that was what she was trying to say, 80. She was right. When the therapist walked back in, mom showed her what she wrote. I told her that was her age. She got it! Her therapy sessions where very helpful. I didn't go with her on the first one, my younger brother did, but I went with her on the second one and the day after.
One morning, we worked on her spelling her name. She was getting frustrated that she couldn't say it so I signed the letters while she watched. We done it about three times. She watched my hands and said "You're signing, I can't do that!" I told her to just watch, I am giving you cues. When her breakfast came and she was asked her name, she said "You won't belive me." She then spelled her name without looking. The server did believe her.
At therapy that day, she was able to say and spell her name to the therapist! She was proud.
She had to indure the MRI. The first time, I was by myself with her when she was taken. I told them that she is very afraid of small, tight places. If you have never had a MRI or a CAT scan, imagine putting your head in paper bag in a dark room and your riding underneath a semi truck. Very loud. Well, of course, it happened. She got scared and had to be sedated. She slept the rest of the day.
The nursing staff at the hospital where excellent. I have been in many differnt hospitals and have many procedures done. I will say that this nursing staff was one of the best. However it is also a teaching hospital. There is nothing wrong with that. I think it is very benificial to both patient and student. Mom had this one particular nurse aide. He lives in St. Louis and comes to work at night via medic air. He is also a nurse on medic air. He was so funny and amusing. One night he came in to take her vitals. Well, he did warn her first and she came unglued on him. She was trying to get out of bed. Now, my mother is a large woman and this aide, not so big. I had to help calm her down. He got a lesson. From the next time on, he woke her before getting her vitals. He learned.
The week she was in there, she had gone through every emotion there was. She got very scared when my brother left for a little while. She forgot where he was. I would leave my yarn with her when I left so she knew I would come back.
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