Yipee

Today was a red letter day. It was the first time I saw a positive path forward in two monthes! When I arrived, Alison was awake and talkative. She was no longer speaking in mumbles or with confused speech. Mary Pat showed up. Allison was given a sponge bath and dressed in Julie’s hand me down clothes. She ate food. Pat and I talked with the doctor, speech therapist (Rachael Gordon ), occupational therapist and PT staff (Laxshmi). We gave them Alison’s medical history: from bad back and neck, to aneurysm, to her heart attack and progress and setbacks since then.

When we first arrived, Alison was depressed and negative. She said she wanted to die. We talked to her about all the progress she could now make and during our visit we showed her in all the ways she was moving forward. She continues to tell us that she is scared and ask for help. We remind her that she needs to work now on getting better. While it will take work, she should not be scared. I hope it sinks in.

We gave the speech therapist the history of Alison swallowing problems, starting when Alison was on the antipsychotic meds. Rachael is going to have a repeat barium test done since the one at Anne Arundel was about a month ago. She wants to see if Alison can progress from just honey thick foods. Allison will first need to strengthen her swallowing muscles.

I took Alison some butternut squash soup with sour cream which she adored. She then ate some of her lunch and drank for drinks. She really missed plain water! We ask the dietitian to provide Alison was salt and pepper and butter with each meal. They are also going to add special protein-enriched drinks / ice cream. They will weigh her weekly to see if she is able to eat enough to maintain her weight. She is currently 151 pounds. When you go to visit, take tasty food that is pureed and thickened so we can encourage her to eat more. I think she would really like a smooth liver pate!

They have Allison in a normal wheelchair. They say she can sit up in it and they want her to regain her core muscles so they want to avoid moving her into a geriatric wheelchair. Today they moved her from the bed to the wheelchair using a sliding board. Alison was not really able to help yet, but it was the first time I have seen her do the move to a chair without being in a sling. Excellent!

I went with Alison when she was taken out of her room to the OT/PT room and given electric stimulation in her left arm. They also had her sit up on the edge of a sitting table for five minutes, with some support. I kept reminding Allison that it was important that she sit up straight and keep her head up (she said good posture) so that she could get stronger.

Earlier this week, Allison was calling out a lot and very loudly. Yesterday, she was seen by the psychologist who changed her meds again. I could not find out what they were changed to. Staff said today Alison was not calling out as loudly and frequently.

From today’s visit, I would say that the staff really is trying to work with Allison to help her improve! I told Alison about Reenie’s upcoming visit and encouraged Alison to do as much as she could in the next week, to show Reenie her progress. I will next go out Tuesday 1/14.

Keep news coming, both good and bad!