Weekly Update

September 20, 2008
by Judy

On Saturday Judy, Daniel, and Carl visited Doreen. They discovered that Doreen had a new hairdo. Doreen said that she had her hair cut a couple of weeks ago, but Carl said Saturday was the first time he saw the style. Which one was accurate? Only her hairdresser knows for sure…

Doreen's intestinal challenges continued, but the elevated temperature was gone. She did have several tests on Wednesday. The nurses said that the only thing that was found was a urinary tract infection (UTI). They explained that UTIs in the elderly can have lots of other impacts, many of which Doreen showed. In addition, one nurse explained that the move away from the tube-feeding also could result in some of the intestinal discomfort. So hopefully things will improve as Doreen's body adjusts!

Because some of the therapy sessions were cancelled during the week due to Doreen's exhaustion and discomfort, she had some sessions on Saturday. Some happened before the family arrived Saturday, and the report was that she had worked hard. Later in the afternoon, the family watched as she rode a bike. It is a machine that can measure how much work is being done by each leg. The challenge is for the rider to make the bars on the display even. Doreen rode for 20 minutes. The substitute therapist was surprised that it looked like the left leg was stronger than the right. She thought that Doreen had a stroke that had affected the left side. Judy explained that the event was a brain hemorrhage rather than a stroke, and that Doreen had alternated between the right side and the left side being stronger from one time to another.

Then Doreen sat in her wheelchair, put her hands on her knees, leaned forward, and tried to lift a leg to move the foot in and out a few inches. It was hard work, and she tried to use her hand to help now and then, but there is definite progress occurring!

The discussion with the therapist seemed to lead Doreen to need to talk again about what had happened to her. So she and Judy discussed the brain hemorrhage again. We have all learned a lot about the issues, but this stretches the understanding of all of us!

Saturday's food request was Wendy's, so Daniel and Judy brought in food, and the four ate together in Doreen's room. She ate well, but not much, because she was dealing with some stomach cramps and didn't want to overdo it. At supper, Carl sat with her and helped her eat. The appetite stimulant has been discontinued, though, because the problem doesn't seem to be appetite any more. Unfortunately, some gagging has reoccurred, but hopefully that is just temporary.

(FYI: the Myers-Bowman family will be traveling to N. Manchester for MC Homecoming festivities on October 10-12. We'd love the opportunity to see friends during the day on Saturday. We're hoping to get there in time to hear Daniel and the A Capella Choir on Friday night. We'll also be spending time with mom in Ft. Wayne and trying to visit my new grand niece!- Clay)

Weekly Update

Sept. 17 Update
by Judy

None of us has been to see Dad or Mom in person for a few days, but we have gotten some reports to post here. The reports come from staff at Covington Manor and from Dad by phone.

First, an exciting advancement occurred on Monday. Mom was taken to St. Joseph hospital for a swallow study. That involves sensors and X-rays to make sure things are going where they are supposed to go when she swallows. The study gave her a high grade—she is swallowing fine. So…she no longer needs thickening in everything she drinks! She can have regular thin tea, regular milk, water, and all other sorts of ordinary drinks. Hurray! She has been very patient with nectar-thick liquids, but she was really ready to move on!

A call from Covington Manor this morning indicated that Mom is eating well as long as she gets help. They stopped feeding her through the feeding tube last week, because she had been saying that she wasn’t hungry at mealtime. Apparently, that decision was a good one. She is eating better. One nurse said she fed Mom all weekend and that she ate virtually her entire meals as long as she had assistance with her meals. The Center wants to monitor Mom’s weight for another week and make sure she is stabilized before they remove the tube, but we may be getting close to the time that we can get rid of that thing!

Dad’s report from today was that Mom was weak and had extra problems with tremors and weakness in her arms, so more tests were done to identify the source of the problems. We will pass the results on when we know them.

Dad is doing well at Timbercrest, but he really would rather be in the same place as Mom. He has enjoyed movies and other programs, and he reports that it is a very supportive and family-oriented place. He has help with his medications and his eyedrops and gets lots of attention. If only we could find a place for both Mom and Dad to be under the same roof! Both of them have expressed that they have been lonely. The visits help, but we all want more for them. Thanks for the cards and messages. That all helps!

Weekend Update

Saturday, Sept. 6
By Doreen (as told to Judy)

Doreen asked Judy to contact Clay to update the blog. (Note that she has not seen the blog much, but she knows about it and wants to keep it updated. We are looking forward to the day that she can write her own updates!) Judy asked what she thought should be reported on the blog, and below is what Doreen listed:

She walked about 100 feet using the walker on Friday. She also took about 60 steps through the parallel bars with minimal support. She wanted to tell you all that the therapist said that she was making exercises look easy that other people in her situation find really difficult.

She has used the T-Stim (an electronic stimulation tool to stimulate particular muscles with electrodes) a couple of times to improve her swallowing. She thought it was helping.
She is eating well, but she is getting a little tired of some of the food!

Judy’s report:
Mom is clearly getting stronger. The transfers from bed to wheelchair and back are smoother all the time. She requires only minimal lifting and assistance (depending on how tired she is at the moment). We took some walks in the hall, and she “walked” the wheelchair part of the time, but she does have to work extra-hard to get her left leg to do an equal amount of pushing.

On Saturday, Mom’s eyes were closed much of the time again, and she seemed quite tired. It may be that she needed to catch up from, working hard over the course of the week, or maybe she had not slept well the night before. She did express some frustration with being isolated from everyone, because she doesn’t have a phone. She does have a phone in the room, but she can’t reach it easily and would have difficulty with dialing and holding the receiver to her ear. Judy called some family members on her cell phone and let Doreen talk for a while. It helps for her to feel connected. The cards help with that, too.

Again, thank you for your continuing support. It makes a difference for all of us as we struggle through the uncertainty of the future.

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Weekend Update

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
by Clay

Karen, Cameron, and I returned late last night from a long weekend in Indiana. Our primary activity was to drop Daniel off at Manchester College for the start of his first year. We also spent lots of time with Carl and Doreen. Karen and her sisters are working on getting a much more thorough update, but I thought I'd give you a few observations, for a change.

The photo to the right really tells the whole story. It was taken after a walk outside with Carl and Daniel. Realizing that the sun was very bright, the only sunglasses available were ones that I use for running and biking. Doesn't Doreen look spiffy? At the time I took the photo, she was very tired from the walk: foot rests were forgotten and she needed to either pull herself along or lift her legs. I'm sure her abs and quads were sore the next day. She said that she really enjoyed being outside for a change and appreciated being able to just sit comfortably.

The other highlight (two really) was Doreen's appetite. I'm sure Karen will have a much more detailed account, but on Saturday, we brought in food from Taco Bell and ate with Doreen in a conference room. She exhibited a tremendous zeal in eating her chicken taco salad, chips, and cinnamon crisps. On Sunday, the family ordered Chinese food and ate together in a room adjoining the one from the previous day. The photo here is Daniel helping mom with balancing her food on the spork (a nearly useless utensil when eating a salad).



Talk about zeal!!! Doreen seemed to attack the noodles and other food with abandon (exhibiting little of her former decorum). According to Karen, her sisters, and Carl, they've not seen Doreen eat so much food since the hemorrhage.

Karen and I won't be returning to Indiana until Manchester's homecoming on October 11th. As Doreen continues her progress, your cards and visits will help fill in the gaps and keep Doreen focused and engaged in her recovery. Thanks for all the kind words and thoughts.