Tuesday Update at 8:45 pm CT
It has been a good day! They started the antibiotic yesterday for the UTI, so hopefully in a day or so, Heather will begin to feel better as far as her stomach pain and appetite is concerned. She was only able to eat some crackers with sprite earlier, but was able to eat some dumplings, 1/2 biscuit and 1/2 blueberry Dunkin donut, (her favorite). Her blood work came back and there are a few things that need addressing, but nothing real major. Her iron is low, making her anemic and her Vitamin D is extremely low.
She was able to participate in all of her therapies, including a recreational therapy where she painted a ceiling tile. The patients have painted ceiling tiles for others to enjoy, and they are on display in the ceilings of the different gyms . When Heather was told she would get to paint one, she was excited. She has looked forward to that therapy all day, and she did a great job of painting. The patients can design the tiles any way they want. Heather wants her's to say, "God Makes No Mistakes." She and I were also able to sit at a table as she signed her name to a few thank you cards and she also put stickers and stamps on them.
Folks keep commenting about how cheerful and "homey" her room is with all of the cards, and nice gifts she has received. We keep Christian music playing most of the day and night and it makes for a somewhat pleasant atmosphere. In the morning, we have a conference with the doctor as well as the therapy team to discuss a possible discharge date from Stallworth, and where to go from here.
Heather is beginning to offer a little assistance with a slide board transfer from the bed to the wheelchair, but not much. Because of her stomach pain, it has affected her ability to do some of the more extensive therapy. She is getting a little, and I stress little more movement in her right arm and leg, but nothing significant. The sensitivity has gotten better, but is still very bothersome. The brain is sending the wrong signal when you gently touch her on the right side. Because the area that controls that feeling is missing, the right side is trying to respond, but its signal for touch is a signal of pain. We have to rub her arms and legs with wash cloths, and rub lotion on her to get the brain to realize that it is ok for the arm and leg to be touched. It should start sending the right signal soon. Of course, the Doctors don't really understand everything about the brain, and what all may be affected when half of it is no longer functioning. So, they can't really tell you what all may be affected because they really don't know. Until Heather's brain retrains itself and makes new pathways, things will continue to take time to balance out. Overall, what we have seen that has been affected from her surgery has been her vocal chord, which she is sounding a little better, but you can still tell that it takes great effort to talk; the rapid heart rate and blood pressure that took a little while to get regulated; the extreme sensitivity; the paralysis on the right side; her breathing; her sleeping pattern is messed up; she has chills; and then sweats at night, now we have a UTI, but these things are going to improve. The main thing is that her seizures are GONE! PRAISE THE LORD, they are GONE!!!!
"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10
Painting a ceiling tile in Recreational Therapy, once it is finished it will say
"GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES"
