Week sIX.....

Friday was a good day of rehab “2.0”.  Melissa had a physical therapy session and they got her up on her very weak legs and with assist she moved 24” on her own.  Her legs are strong, her arms need work, especially the right arm.  When I arrived she was in her BIG chair snoozing.

The speech therapist tried to cap her trach and see if she could tolerate it to try and speak.  It was a good attempt the therapist said and will be the focus of their sessions; get her to breathe through that mechanism without the aid of the very  small amount of moist oxygen she gets. The therapist will work on exercising her brain to see what she is processing mentally.  Melissa does not retain much.  Example.  She wanted to know what had happened.  I explained to her Friday and she understood.  Saturday she had no idea what we talked about on Friday.  She asked how many days she has been in the hospital and I told her.  She was counting on her fingers—she comprehended.  Saturday she had no idea how many days in the hospital(s).  Melissa has much work to do and it will take “some” time.  Fasten your seat belts.

Friday in the later point of the afternoon she was trying to get out of bed.  She tried to pull wires off and the I V out.  Pulled her trach collar off twice.  Simply, she went from communicative to restless.  Saturday she continued to be restless and agitated.  Tried to get out of bed and pulled her Vitals cord out of the wall; not knowing she is attached to a Monitor and an I V stand/tree.  Saturday was a struggle, it breaks my heart to see her like this.  It is part of the journey WE are on.

I cannot wait till Monday because for 5 full days she will have speech-physical-breathing therapy.  This will be a very telling 6th week. Then if needed another week. Her next stop after “breathing bootcamp” will be 3 hours of intense therapy every day to get her mobile and communicative.

Don’t be discouraged, keep moving forward in your support.  Pray and think the best possible. 

**taught her how to use the call button—might be dangerous for the Care Team.