Wednesday Update

July 9
By Karen

Today was a big day! Doreen is now in the Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Wayne. She was moved from the neurological unit at the main hospital to the rehab hospital around 11:30 this morning. She was transferred in a wheelchair by accessible van. This was the first time she had been in a wheelchair. The only times she had sat up since May 29 had been in a chair in her room (maybe 5 times). We were surprised that they did not use a gurney, but it was encouraging to see that she could handle it.

Because she arrived at the rehab hospital before noon, the facility was required to try to get in the minimum 3 hours of therapy for the day. During these initial sessions they began to assess Doreen’s abilities so that the staff can create goals and care plans for her. The first therapist to see her was the physical therapist. She worked with her for a little over half an hour. She evaluated the strength, range of motion and control of Doreen’s legs. These are quite good, but are better in her right leg. She also helped her sit in a wheelchair to see how well she could propel herself down the hall by “walking” with her feet. Dad and I were pleased to see that she could do this – very slowly and with much effort, but she was able to move herself forward. They had her “walk” her wheelchair to the occupational therapy room for her second appointment. (I don’t want to give the impression that Mom was zooming down the hall on her own. She continued to “walk” with her feet, but the therapist provided most of the force as she traveled. Mom also had her eyes closed during the trip, because she said she was dizzy, which would have made it impossible for her to get anywhere by herself.)

The occupational therapist began by asking Mom to describe the kinds of activities and hobbies she enjoys. She then assessed Mom’s strength and ability in her arms. Her left arm can do very little. Her right arm shows less strength than before the hemorrhage, but is becoming more functional. Next, the therapist asked Mom to read a line of text on a card. She stared at the card for quite awhile. She finally said that she could identify the word “family,” but she indicated that she could not make out anything else. This was very difficult for Dad and me to watch. Mom has always been such an avid reader and a lover of word puzzles. I asked her to describe what she saw when she opened her eyes to look at the words. She said it was hard to describe, but things seem to swim in front of her. The therapist chose to investigate her visual and spatial ability further by having her recreate a pattern on a card with blocks. The pattern included a red square, a green square, and another red square that were side by side and created a horizontal line. Mom was then presented with a box of blocks from which to choose (of several colors and shapes). She gathered 4 or 5 red squares and 2 green squares and was trying to find more blocks when the therapist told her she didn’t need any more blocks. Mom kept trying to reach into the box, so the therapist moved it out of her reach and told her she already had too many blocks to make the pattern. She repeated the instructions to Mom to match the pattern on the card with the blocks. Mom said, “I would if I could have enough blocks. I need more.” I asked her to describe the pattern she saw on the card. She said she needed 9 blocks because she saw a 3x3 square with 3 red blocks on the left and right sides with 3 green blocks down the middle. This is a very important breakthrough regarding an explanation of why she keeps her eyes closed so much. She is seeing multiple images! It also helps us understand why she is so nauseous and has difficulty with her balance. So many of the issues Mom is struggling with are interrelated – vision, balance, appetite/nausea, strength, endurance, etc. The information about her vision will be shared with the team of rehab professionals as they decide how to proceed.

After the session with OT, Mom was exhausted. Therefore, when the speech therapist came in for her evaluation, Mom was sleeping. So, the ST decided to wait until tomorrow morning to work with Mom for her initial evaluation.

Mom did not eat more than a few bites again today, and that continues to be a major concern. We feel confident that the medical staff here at the rehab hospital will help to solve this problem. Mom needs to have sufficient nutritional intake to be able to fully participate in therapy and to make progress toward recovery.

Mom would like me to give you the address of the new facility:

Doreen Myers
c/o Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Wayne
7970 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46804

She also wants to invite anyone who is interested or available to visit. Because her therapy schedule includes sessions throughout the day and varies from day to day, the staff recommends that visitors come after 6:00 in the evening. This also suits Doreen well, because she is more awake and talkative in the afternoon and evening than in the morning.

For those who are interested in (or willing to read/hear) intimate details –
Mom wanted me to share that one of the major accomplishments of her day from her perspective was that she has begun to use a real toilet, rather than a bedpan. In order to do so, she must have the assistance of at least one staff member to transfer to a wheelchair, then transfer to the toilet. This really helps her feel more “normal.” However, all of this activity seems to induce the dizziness and nausea, and Mom has had bouts of vomiting during many of these trips. She is feeling frustrated with this pattern and hopes that we can figure something out very soon. (This pattern is also very difficult for Dad to witness. He is distressed about Mom’s inability to take in much nourishment and keep it down.)