GOOD NEWS!!!!!
It 8am, and I just spoke to Mike on
the phone. His speech was clearer, and
conversation with him was much easier.
When I asked him how he was, he said, “Good!!!” Good, can you imagine? Good!!! I am over the moon with
excitement.
He said he
wasn’t in any pain. I asked him when he
last had Tylenol. He said last night. He
got a dose Just before I left yesterday at 2:30pm. When I asked him if he had
another dose. He said yes last night.
We both agree that Dave’s visit was
a breakthrough moment. He said someone
else visited him this morning for an hour and a half, and it was really
nice. He said the name was John from
the ranch. He may have gotten the name
wrong. Not to worry. Names are the first thing to go in the old
brain. We both have trouble even when in
perfect health and fully rested. I can’t
wait to see him this morning. Planning on talking more and laughter.
It
was Dave Kane’s visit yesterday that made me think about how to give Mike more stimulation.
When I asked for folks to just sit with him and say the rosary, he was in the
ICU, and it was all he could tolerate. I
have been vaguely aware that he needs more and worried about how little
stimulation he is getting. It was Dave’s visit that made me realize he needs
visitors to do more: tell stories, jokes, engage him. He may not look like he is responding, but I
have noticed that he hears all the conversations going on with his roommate and
will sometimes chime in and try to participate. He looks like he is out of it,
and sometimes he can’t find the words to express what he wants to say clearly,
but his mind is in there and undamaged.
I think we will all have to make judgments about how much stimulation he
can tolerate. He still has been flat on his back and hasn’t had any food in his
mouth for over two weeks. The nutrition
he’s getting is just to keep him alive.
I’ve been worrying about how his
thinking skills will be as slack as his muscles as a result of all the
inactivity. I have already thought about how to work on both once he’s in
shape. However, I have asked him if he wants to listen to lectures; he says
no. I hope it’s not because he fears he
can’t fully comprehend then as he could before.
If he holds on to the standard, we will have a problem. He is going to have to accept baby steps in
walking and in thinking in order to make it back to his old self, or anything
close to it.
I asked him if he was worried about
me. He worries a lot about me. He said, “No!” That would be great. Then I
can share some of the ups and funny downs about my life here in Honolulu. He
can even help me problem solve.
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