Monday & Tuesday Update

Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10
by Karen

Doreen has spent much of the last two days sleeping. It now seems to be a much more restful sleep than it was the first week of her hospitalization; therefore, it is a gratifying thing for us to see. When she is asleep, she is deeply asleep. This means that she is more alert when she is awake. Because of this, she is able to interact and converse in a way that is more satisfying (for her and for us). She has even held a few phone conversations with some of her children and grandchildren in which she could speak for herself (without the need for someone to "ïnterpret" her side of the conversation), as long as the person on the other end is listening very carefully.

She has moved from a diet of pureed foods to a soft, moist diet. This pleases her greatly. She was able to have those mandarin oranges she requested. She also has eaten a few bites of an egg salad sandwich, spaghetti, yogurt, and her favorite - strawberry and chocolate protein shakes! It is wonderful to see her eat again, even though it is a very tiring experience for her and she eats only a few bites at each meal.

Her physical and occupational therapists continue to be pleased with the small, but significant, improvements she makes each day. She sat on the side of the bed this afternoon without support from the therapist. She had to concentrate very hard to keep her balance (sometimes needing prompting and reminders from the therapist), but she could hold herself in a mostly upright position. Also, she is now able to lift her left leg to a horizontal position as she sits on the side of the bed. Regarding her upper body, she can wiggle her left fingers slightly and can bend her arm up at the elbow with only minimal assistance. These improvements are wonderful to see! The therapists predict that she will regain mobility, but the extent of that is to be determined over the next year or so.

The hospital doctor who oversees her medical care (the hospitalist) indicated that Doreen will be able to be released from the hospital into a nursing facility by the end of the week - as long as arrangements can be made with a facility that satisfactorily meets her needs for care and rehabilitation. We are currently working with Timbercrest (in North Manchester) in hopes that she will be able to receive the needed care and services there. This is the place she and Carl had chosen as their intended retirement community, and a large support system awaits to provide them with the needed love and encouragement.

FYI - At this stage of Doreen's recovery, we are planning to provide updates every two days instead of daily. Her condition has become quite stable, in a medical sense, and updates show less change every day. Plus, with just one of us here at a time (Karen is leaving to return to Kansas on Wednesday and Judy is back in Fort Wayne) it's quite a lot of work to manage the caregivers, administrators, future plans, and communications.

Also, Judy's cell phone is the one to contact for the on-site report beginning tomorrow (Wed.) afternoon.