(Granddaddy...5.11.08)
With all that has been going on...I wasn't even aware that this is Memorial Day weekend! A 3-day weekend (!)...what a nice shouldn't-be-a-surprise surprise :).
The days and details since my last Grandmama-related-post blend & blur...so you'll be spared the play-by-play this week. In terms of an update... Grandmama is still in the Neuro-ICU and things are a little different day-to-day. The early part of this week (a) was similar to last week...yesterday afternoon (b) was a great day with open eyes and talking...and today (c) was somewhere in between. She wasn't awake and wasn't speaking (today), but also wasn't distressed and restless (which she certainly had been). When she was talking yesterday...there were off-the-wall stories and visible moments of confusion - which we could tell were upsetting for her. There were also moments of smiling and laughter...which were purely heartwarming. Brenda and I agreed at the time...that we'd rather have no idea what she's talking about (though she seemed to know...and many of her statements provided a little comic relief for us)...than have her as she had been during the days prior - which were heartbreaking. She was quite the pistol at times Thursday...and I don't think I've ever been so happy to see someone's eyes [open]!
They began feeding her through her NG tube (which is in her nose) earlier in the week - rather than intravenously. This way - her stomach is doing some of the work, as opposed to being bypassed completely. Yesterday - when she was awake and the most talkative she's been in about two weeks - she pulled her NG tube out altogether. (The soft-restraint was temporarily off at the time, and is now back on). They took the liveliness and tube-pulling-out as a possible sign...and following another swallowing assessment, decided to try some soft foods by mouth. She did well with applesauce and ate about half of her mechanical-soft dinner last night - woo-hoo! Today - they've not been able to get her to eat anything.
Yesterday's CT scan showed the bleed in her brain still active - but smaller. She had an EEG today - which we'll know more about tomorrow. Her blood is still too thin to begin aspirin and she's obviously at a very high risk for continued bleeding and/or another stroke. That being said, she has not had any blood or plasma in the last few days. She is still receiving Bumex and/or Lasix (depending on the day ), and insulin as needed. Incidentally...the little speech we have heard from her...certainly sounds like that of someone who has suffered a stroke (or in this case - a bleed - which behaves like stroke). Again...it's a wait-and-see/day-to-day kind of thing...and an conscious attempt on our part to take the good and bad days in stride...and not get overly upset - or overly excited. We continue to be thankful for the fantastic nurses in the Neuro-ICU and appreciate the 30 minutes pieces of time we get to spend with Grandmama when they roll around. It's such a neat things to witness... Though she's been ill - her sweet spirit still shines though. The nurses on the 5th floor have gone out of their way to ask about her...and have even come to visit. Likewise...we've stopped in to see them. What a gift to know, love, and be loved...by someone with such an authentic, kind, sweet, and gentle spirit.
Mike drove Granddaddy to his ophthalmology appointment today...where they learned Macular Degeneration is the cause of his vision trouble. He'll be undergoing a series of injections and taking anti-biotics, vitamins, and supplements. Thankfully he went before it was too late to treat (which would have resulted in complete loss of vision in his left eye)...and they can do much more for this condition than they could just a few years ago. Complete restoration is not expected, but improvement is probable!
Thanks so much for the concern, thoughts, prayers, and gestures of support for my Grandmother and my family...
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