Another update

For the first time, I am encouraged. Today Mom had a swallow test and had improved enough to get off that pureed food and move to a soft modified diet. Her eyes have also readjusted to prestroke levels so her glasses actually are working now. She looked at a magazine tonight and looked at all her cards. She also walked 12 feet today with lots of help. They are helping her move her right leg, but that is re-training her brain connections.Still no talking, but she is trying to move her right arm with limited success.

Update

I took Echinacea with Goldenseal and it knocked my cold almost completely out! My brother has it worse now, but he is taking it as well. I made Mom some real mashed potatoes and gravy with real butter and cream. She ate it with a smile on her face. She is sick to death of their pureed no taste stuff. She still has some swallowing issues, but she seemed to swallow better when it was something she liked! :) Tomorrow the other two patients on the rehab floor are moving to the next level, so unless they get new patients, she will be the only one, and she will have her own personal R.N. I keep hearing stories of people who came back from strokes and it gives me hope. Keep those stories coming.

Progress!

I did not see Mom today because I am sick with a cold, but my brother was pretty excited to see her very alert and he even saw her move her right arm. He said she talked up a storm, but, he didn't know what she was talking about. I hope that will come back. They say that stroke victims heal from the bottom up, so speech would be among the last thing to return if it is going to. I'm going tomorrow. I won't get close to her, but I have to see her.

Discouraged!

Today was a total set back. Mom wouldn't or couldn't eat any lunch for me. The speech therapist was there and she told me Mom was holding food in her mouth and not swallowing. Her brain is not getting the message to her throat to swallow. Without much to eat (such as it is...pureed, no salt diet) they put her back to bed to rest. This evening when we went back, I took her part of a smoothie that I had made for her. She drank it right down, but when we tried to get some dinner in her, it came back up. The nurse got something for nausea and once again they put her to bed. She is very pale and lethargic. So...tonight, I am once again afraid for my mom. I just want her back!

Encouraged!

I am feeling slightly encouraged this evening. Several people have told me stories of their own parents who had strokes just like this (all the same parts affected) and they came back...not ever completely, but functional and talking. Also, at lunch today and dinner tonight, Mom was able to use her left hand and get the food to her mouth after we put the food in the spoon. Still no use of the right  arm and hand, but the doc said she does have good reflexes in the arm..also, I was told that when the brain is healing itself, the body is very sleepy, which explains why she is so sleepy. I will take whatever I can get in the way of encouragement! Also, learned that after a stroke, healing takes place from the bottom up, which explains why she can move her right leg now.

More Mom

Mom  was moved to rehab from ICU on Friday and we can see a few basic improvements. We just hope for more. More than anything, I would love to see her be able to talk again so I would know what she needs. The droopiness is gone from her face and her smile is back. I just wish she had something to smile about. That doesn't stop her; she smiles anyway. What an awesome woman and mother she is.

More Mom

Mom  was moved to rehab from ICU on Friday and we can see a few basic improvements. We just hope for more. More than anything, I would love to see her be able to talk again so I would know what she needs. The droopiness is gone from her face and her smile is back. I just wish she had something to smile about. That doesn't stop her; she smiles anyway. What an awesome woman and mother she is.

Mom

My mother had a stroke with heart failure sometime during the night on Friday night. She is now in ICU and is unable to talk or use her right side. It is so painful to us to see her not be able to smile and see her beautiful face drawn on one side. This happened one year exactly after Dad passed away.

"Me" day!

After cramming too much into yesterday, I took today off just for me. Slept in, then cooked homemade chicken strips, steamed cabbage, squash, mashed potatoes (real ones), jalapeno cornbread and cool, refreshing iced tea. Ate too much, so that required a nap. Now tonight I have to attend yet another meeting, but that is my only sacrifice for today.

Perfection!

Holy Moly!

Had a meeting at 10 A.M. just because I am on a committee, not because I had anything to contribute! Had to to get some groceries while I was still dressed for public, but after a change into work clothes I went to work at Mom's. Got there in time for the plumber to come install her new handicap toilet.....picked up limbs out of the yard (a truck load), bought pansies for Mom's containers, picked up pecans, planted turnip greens and mustard greens...then took 35 pounds of pecans to Shreveport to get them cracked. Ate my first meal of the day in the car on the way home from Shreveport at 6 P.M. No wonder I am tired....By the way, I was supposed to be at the krewe den at 5 to work on the float. Ooooops...thought about that on the way home from Shreveport while munching on my 1/4 muffaletta from Monjuni's! I may take tomorrow off because I CAN!

Tiz the season, I guess!

I purposely have avoided committees, meetings, and all other things that I hated when I was working. The last week I have had too many meetings doing things I do NOT want to do. How did this happen? Deeply involved in the tediousness that is the krewe cookbook project, now totally involved in procuring funds for a memorial at the site of my now defunct high school, and working on the Mardi Gras float. We are trying to get finished with the cookbook before all the holiday festivities begin. Getting funds for anything is just a pain in the ass, but my brother is all gung ho about this memorial project, so I can't tell him no. Three days last week I didn't even make it to my mom's and I still have projects going on at her house....PLUS, the pecans are falling big time! Mom can pick up pecans because she has those gizmos to use without bending over, but my brother and I try to help her as much as we can. Then I take the pecans and get them cracked for her. She picks out every last one of them.

Fall garden!

This is it! I am way behind, but there is no need to plant anything unless we get rain. I have one more raised bed that I can water, but other than that, there will be no fall garden! Radishes and collards!

Whirlwind week!

Not sure where this week went, but it is gone!

• Finally bought groceries
• Finished my mildew project in Mom's living room
• Started on the dining room...same problem
• Cleaned out storage room and moved treadmill from dining room to there
• Worked on krewe cookbook
• Worked on krewe float
• Bought groceries for Mom
  
• Did little at my own home....OH....EXCEPT
• REFINANCED at 4.3%  WOOHOO!
  

Dinner!

Way to go, Mustangs!

I am proud to have been associated with West Orange Stark High School in Orange , Texas. Many years were spent there and they were the best of my teaching career. Although I don't live there anymore, I keep up with many of my former students on Facebook. Found out tonight that the young man who died on the sidelines a month ago was elected posthumously as the homecoming king. His father wore the crown and escorted the queen. What an awesome thing to do! This makes my heart smile!

Dang..I'm tired~

Busy, busy day! I'm not complaining though. It was OK. Still trying to de-mildew Mom's walls in her living room. I'm almost done and almost have the clean curtains re-hung.

I thought today might be a good day to mow the yard since we had a little rain a couple of days ago, but,alas, it was not. I was covered in dirt because every thing is still so very, very, dry.

Tonight I had a business dinner with our contact out of Nashville, TN in regards to the cookbook we are doing as a fundraiser for our krewe. I was so tired, but it was a nice meeting with the two of us from the krewe who are heading up 
this operation. Right now I am going to BED!

What a project!

I am involved in a project at Mom's that just keeps getting bigger. Due to their having a big house with central heat that they chose NOT to use in the winter, there is now mildew or mold on curtains and walls in the never used or heated living room. Dad was very frugal and couldn't understand why the whole house needed to be heated when he had space heaters in the rooms in which they lived. We have checked the heating system and it works fine. He had it completely
 disconnected, but we have had it reconnected and will be using it this winter. Now there is mold/mildew which would not be there if they had kept the heat on. My project is to take down the curtains, move all the furniture and clean the mildew/mold off the white walls. It comes off fairly easily, but the windows are wood and the paint chips off when I try to clean them. The hardwood floors even have mold/mildew on them around the walls and under the furniture....so I have my work cut out for me. I am doing it in small sections and one window at a time, so it is OK. Mom will be so glad to have it all clean again.

Oh, and thank you, sweet baby Jesus, for the ever so gentle rain today. We are appreciative of every drop. Now we need about 14 more inches!

Why? Why? Why?

The entire state of Louisiana is under a burn ban. My brother is a volunteer fire fighter and captain of his local fire department. I have not seen him in two weeks because he has been on duty at Lake Bistineau where the dried up lake bed is burning and will continue to burn until the lake fills back up. There is no way to put it out, but depending on the wind, some houses could be in jeopardy. Today I finally saw him as we were preparing for a
reunion tomorrow and he got a fire call while we were doing it. Found out that someone blamed their dog for turning over a can. First of all, it is against the law to have any fire outside and second, there was no can to be found. Straight up liar! The perp was ticketed, but he should have spent a night in jail for endangering everything and everyone! I guess common sense just isn't very common!

It's time!

Preparation has begun for the Mardi Gras season. Royalty has been crowned, fundraisers have begun and the transformation of the floats is on track. We will be working every Monday and Wednesday nights on the floats. Last night we were painting the inside of the children's float. As is usual, the same 4 of us showed up to work. This is really the only time I get involved because I enjoy working on the float and riding in a couple of parades. Last year I only rode in our local parade and it was so cold that I vowed to never do it again if it is supposed to be cold. The Gemini parade is just too long. It kills me to throw beads and dance on the float for at least 4 hours, so I won't be doing it again. Also, it is very expensive. Beads must be purchased from the Gemini krewe and the minimum is over $300 per person. Ummm, NO! I might as well throw cash! I will ride in the Highland parade if it is not too cold. Last year, I didn't because it was too cold. Our krewe is 10 years old this year, so our theme is Reflections of a Decade. There will be lots of mirrors on the big float sporting pictures of the last 10 years.