Yes, I know I could put witty stuff in the title, but ...I'm too freaking tired :P
Today I went to the hospital about 1:30, and Larry was having some therapy in his room. Working on getting that left leg strong! He's doing pretty good.
Then he told me that stroke rehab thinks he'd be a good candidate, but the person who saw him needed to speak to her superior. WOOHOO!
He's taking steps in physiotherapy, and is doing great in the sitting on the edge of the bed, etc.
He told me he woke up sitting on the side of his bed today...he must have had to use the washroom and wasn't quite awake when he sat up...but that's AWESOME! He's doing so good.
Best part - he's getting some muscle control in his upper left arm... he can resist when people move his arm. I'm so happy!
Larry had supper in the day room today, and he played some solitaire. He's getting better at remembering to scan all the way to the left.
All in all - a good day.
On the apartment front - ugh. Not much out there that's any good, and part of it is the bed I have. Looks like I may have to get a queen....*sigh*
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Tuesday February 11, 2014
What a day!
I had my own testing today, to see if my surgery in September did what we wanted it to do. I don't get results until March, so cross your fingers for me :D
Now, for rest of the day. I went to look at an apartment today...and while it was ...okay, the master bedroom was 9x12, with electric heat. Which means there was one usable wall. It was tooooo small. *sigh* Back to the drawing board...I know I'll find the perfect spot.
I made it to the hospital about 4pm, and Larry was pretty alert. All smooshed in the bed, but alert. We straightened him out, and then we hit on the bright idea to sit on the edge of the bed. It worked great - he sat for about 10 minutes, and really tried to remember to sit upright.
Around 7 pm we got him ready for bed - which meant changing from sweat pants to "jammies" (okay, hospital gown...but jammies sounds better!) He sat on the edge of the bed, and then we thought...why not stand up to remove the sweat pants? Well - it worked! he was able to stand for the minute that it took to remove them :D he's making great progress.
The best part...
*screams from the rooftops*
LARRY MOVED HIS LEFT ARM TONIGHT!!!
Not much, but he consciously moved it. :D
I had my own testing today, to see if my surgery in September did what we wanted it to do. I don't get results until March, so cross your fingers for me :D
Now, for rest of the day. I went to look at an apartment today...and while it was ...okay, the master bedroom was 9x12, with electric heat. Which means there was one usable wall. It was tooooo small. *sigh* Back to the drawing board...I know I'll find the perfect spot.
I made it to the hospital about 4pm, and Larry was pretty alert. All smooshed in the bed, but alert. We straightened him out, and then we hit on the bright idea to sit on the edge of the bed. It worked great - he sat for about 10 minutes, and really tried to remember to sit upright.
Around 7 pm we got him ready for bed - which meant changing from sweat pants to "jammies" (okay, hospital gown...but jammies sounds better!) He sat on the edge of the bed, and then we thought...why not stand up to remove the sweat pants? Well - it worked! he was able to stand for the minute that it took to remove them :D he's making great progress.
The best part...
*screams from the rooftops*
LARRY MOVED HIS LEFT ARM TONIGHT!!!
Not much, but he consciously moved it. :D
Monday, February 10, 2014
Monday February 10, 2014
Today was a busy day :)
I went to the hospital about 12:30 today because I had to leave early for a massage in the evening. I did my usual watch the ground in case it moves walking in, and went to the elevators. I saw Dr. Li and he asked how Larry was doing, and then I looked behind him...and there were Larry and his dad!
I guess they had been downstairs getting some sun, and I missed them. :P we went back to the spot in the sun for a while, and chatted. I started working on Larry keeping his head up, because it's hard on the neck to be slumped over.
We went back up to the room about 1ish, and Larry needed to use the facilities, so the nurses took him to the "big washroom". Basically, it's got lots of bars and room for a wheelchair in it. While he was doing that, his physiotherapist Karen came up. We chatted a bit, and she let me know that Larry's strength is better this week than last week. YAY!
She then grabbed a set of pedals (think stationary bike) for Larry to try out. Once he got his feet onto the pedals, he did great! You could see he was using his left leg to propel them around...which is awesome! he did a few minutes of that, and then we just sat in the hall for a bit, because the Occupational Therapist was coming up.
She came by about 1:45ish, and we went to the physiotherapy room. She had Larry work with his left hand - starting with taking his right and feeling from the shoulder down to his hand. She then did "polishing" exercises. He put his left hand down, covered it with his right and then "polished" the table going around the outside of it. He also did exercises for moving things to his left, using his right hand. Finally, she worked on "core" exercises to help strengthen him for getting dressed, etc. She mentioned that he's got a bit of muscle movement in his left hand, which is encouraging. I'm hoping he gets at least partial use of it back. Okay, I'm hoping for full use...but partial will be okay too!
It was now after 3pm, and Larry was getting tired. We trundled back to his room, with only one wrong turn :) He did 99% of the navigating. Then he wanted to have a rest, so back to bed he went.
They actually had him sitting on the side of the bed! Woohoo Larry! You're getting there :D His progress has been pretty great, considering that Friday's seizure could have been a major setback.
I went to the hospital about 12:30 today because I had to leave early for a massage in the evening. I did my usual watch the ground in case it moves walking in, and went to the elevators. I saw Dr. Li and he asked how Larry was doing, and then I looked behind him...and there were Larry and his dad!
I guess they had been downstairs getting some sun, and I missed them. :P we went back to the spot in the sun for a while, and chatted. I started working on Larry keeping his head up, because it's hard on the neck to be slumped over.
We went back up to the room about 1ish, and Larry needed to use the facilities, so the nurses took him to the "big washroom". Basically, it's got lots of bars and room for a wheelchair in it. While he was doing that, his physiotherapist Karen came up. We chatted a bit, and she let me know that Larry's strength is better this week than last week. YAY!
She then grabbed a set of pedals (think stationary bike) for Larry to try out. Once he got his feet onto the pedals, he did great! You could see he was using his left leg to propel them around...which is awesome! he did a few minutes of that, and then we just sat in the hall for a bit, because the Occupational Therapist was coming up.
She came by about 1:45ish, and we went to the physiotherapy room. She had Larry work with his left hand - starting with taking his right and feeling from the shoulder down to his hand. She then did "polishing" exercises. He put his left hand down, covered it with his right and then "polished" the table going around the outside of it. He also did exercises for moving things to his left, using his right hand. Finally, she worked on "core" exercises to help strengthen him for getting dressed, etc. She mentioned that he's got a bit of muscle movement in his left hand, which is encouraging. I'm hoping he gets at least partial use of it back. Okay, I'm hoping for full use...but partial will be okay too!
It was now after 3pm, and Larry was getting tired. We trundled back to his room, with only one wrong turn :) He did 99% of the navigating. Then he wanted to have a rest, so back to bed he went.
They actually had him sitting on the side of the bed! Woohoo Larry! You're getting there :D His progress has been pretty great, considering that Friday's seizure could have been a major setback.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Sunday February 9, 2014
Until Larry is well enough to start either blogging or dictating posts to me, this is all from my perspective.
--------------------------------
I went to the hospital later today, and Larry was sound asleep. So, I sat outside in a chair for a bit. :) Larry's neighbour kept calling the nurses, but didn't wake Larry up so I was okay with that.
Mike came by, and Larry was still so sound asleep that neither of us could bear to wake him up. So Mike and I visited for a bit and he mentioned that Larry got a turkey sandwich today for lunch. Larry was pretty happy about that! LOL
The doctor came down the hall, and let us know that Larry is back on track - the seizure didn't set him back far at all. He also mentioned that Larry would be in rehab for about a month to 6 weeks. I'm okay with this - gives me time to find a place, pack and move! With help, of course....
After a bit of chatting about Mike's work, he had to go. He did get to say a few words to Larry, but Larry was so tired he fell right back to sleep.
I finally woke Larry up around 4:30, mainly because supper was going to be coming soon and it takes him time to wake up these days.
Supper was nice today - he got something with some flavour. Chicken teriyaki :D
We just watched curling, and chatted a bit. Larry may have been tired, but he looked pretty good. He's moving a bit better, and he said that he doesn't feel as "hopeless" today. I told him it's okay to feel hopeless, and to feel like giving up - but you can't. He nodded, and I feel hope for all of us!
I also sat for a while in the chapel today. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm more spiritual than religious, but it was so peaceful there. I just sat and meditated for a while. I did ask for help for Larry (because if I ask for me, you'll hear the laughter around the world!). we'll see what happens :)
--------------------------------
I went to the hospital later today, and Larry was sound asleep. So, I sat outside in a chair for a bit. :) Larry's neighbour kept calling the nurses, but didn't wake Larry up so I was okay with that.
Mike came by, and Larry was still so sound asleep that neither of us could bear to wake him up. So Mike and I visited for a bit and he mentioned that Larry got a turkey sandwich today for lunch. Larry was pretty happy about that! LOL
The doctor came down the hall, and let us know that Larry is back on track - the seizure didn't set him back far at all. He also mentioned that Larry would be in rehab for about a month to 6 weeks. I'm okay with this - gives me time to find a place, pack and move! With help, of course....
After a bit of chatting about Mike's work, he had to go. He did get to say a few words to Larry, but Larry was so tired he fell right back to sleep.
I finally woke Larry up around 4:30, mainly because supper was going to be coming soon and it takes him time to wake up these days.
Supper was nice today - he got something with some flavour. Chicken teriyaki :D
We just watched curling, and chatted a bit. Larry may have been tired, but he looked pretty good. He's moving a bit better, and he said that he doesn't feel as "hopeless" today. I told him it's okay to feel hopeless, and to feel like giving up - but you can't. He nodded, and I feel hope for all of us!
I also sat for a while in the chapel today. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm more spiritual than religious, but it was so peaceful there. I just sat and meditated for a while. I did ask for help for Larry (because if I ask for me, you'll hear the laughter around the world!). we'll see what happens :)
Saturday February 8, 2014
Until Larry is well enough to start either blogging or dictating posts to me, this is all from my perspective.
---------------------------------
Not much going on today. I watched the Jets game at 1pm, and it was a pretty good game. They managed to get it to overtime, and lost in a shoot out. What a boring way to end games. ah, well.
Mike let me know that Larry was afraid of having another seizure, and that he didn't realize he was on medication to prevent them. Mike made sure Larry was aware of it.
I went to the hospital at 4, and ran into L. Larry was using the washroom, so we had a chat in the hall. I let him know that I'm looking at an apartment on Tuesday, and might need some help with the damage deposit/pet deposit. He nodded, and I'm going to take it that he's able to help.
Larry and I just chilled out until it was time to go home for me. We chatted a bit, and he looked pretty good.
Larry's new neighbour is a jerk and loud. He pays his taxes and dammit, needs to be in the hospital cause he's sick. blech. He also keeps using the phone and talking to everyone and their uncle. Luckily - he doesn't talk to us much. I'd probably tell him to shut up. *sigh*
---------------------------------
Not much going on today. I watched the Jets game at 1pm, and it was a pretty good game. They managed to get it to overtime, and lost in a shoot out. What a boring way to end games. ah, well.
Mike let me know that Larry was afraid of having another seizure, and that he didn't realize he was on medication to prevent them. Mike made sure Larry was aware of it.
I went to the hospital at 4, and ran into L. Larry was using the washroom, so we had a chat in the hall. I let him know that I'm looking at an apartment on Tuesday, and might need some help with the damage deposit/pet deposit. He nodded, and I'm going to take it that he's able to help.
Larry and I just chilled out until it was time to go home for me. We chatted a bit, and he looked pretty good.
Larry's new neighbour is a jerk and loud. He pays his taxes and dammit, needs to be in the hospital cause he's sick. blech. He also keeps using the phone and talking to everyone and their uncle. Luckily - he doesn't talk to us much. I'd probably tell him to shut up. *sigh*
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Friday February 7, 2014 ...or the second scariest day of my life!
Until Larry is well enough to start either blogging or dictating posts to me, this is all from my perspective.
---------------------------------
Today started out pretty good - I took the cat to the vet for her shots, and came home. After that, I went to the hospital to see Larry, as always.
He was a bit tired, but was telling me about his morning. He had a bit of physiotherapy in the room, working on a pivot transfer from bed to wheelchair. He even got to go to the bathroom today!
He was trundling around in his wheelchair using his feet, and his dad was helping him when he got stuck. :)
We also found out that Larry's room-mate had just been diagnosed with MRSA and was going to be going to an isolation room.
Mike came by about 3:30 or so, and visited until about 4:20ish. Larry and I were just chilling in his room, watching a bit of TV before supper when one of the scariest things I have ever seen started happening.
Warning: this is a bit scary, but Larry is fine!
I noticed Larry's left hand twitching a bit, and thought it may have been a muscle spasm from when they took blood. Then it started twitching a bit more, as well as his left leg.
I called the nurse, and she took a look. She said she was going to take his vitals and let the doctor know. She had not been gone 10 seconds when Larry started really twitching, and having a bit of trouble breathing. I rang the call bell, and caught someone as they were going past the room. She took one look and called the nurses in.
By this time, Larry's whole left side was jerking back and forth, and I realized he was having a seizure! He was getting scared, and I told him to look at me, and breathe with me. It was going okay, and the nurse came in. This was about 30 seconds or so after I had called someone.
Then Larry's right arm started to spasm, and the whole left side of his face pulled to the right (it was like someone had tape on it and was pulling) and his whole body was jerking back and forth. I realized he couldn't breathe, and the nurse went running out of the room. I went to his side and told him "You're having a seizure, breathe in..breathe out"
Then the room went a little nuts, tables flying around and them trying to get me out of the room.
I left the room just as the seizure ended, and Larry collapsed into the bed. His face was grey, and I heard someone say "code blue" and "start CPR".
By this time, I was in the hallway and could only listen. They made me sit down - I guess my face was grey too! They offered me a drink, and I said "only if it's fortified". I was listening to the room.. I heard "bag him" and then the ICU people came out of the elevator and into the room.
The doctor came out and asked me what happened, and I told him. He asked how long the seizure was, and I said "I think 1-2 minutes".
A nurse quickly came out and said "he's breathing, and we've got his blood pressure back".
Then Mike and Lorie came out of the elevator. I was so glad to see them! Poor Mike...I keep calling him with "OMG, Bro, I need you!".
Once they were with me, I had a bit of a freak out...which I know I'm entitled to, but ...*sigh* I remember blubbering "If the end of all this is losing Larry, just do it now. Don't destroy me in the process". Ghoulish, but it's how I feel.
After a bit, the doctor came out and explained what had happened. Basically, when there's a large area of stroke damage like Larry has, it can cause a "short circuit" in the brain. Best case - it's just a seizure. Worst case, another stroke.
They FINALLY let us in (maybe 10 minutes) to see Larry. He was absolutely exhausted, and was having trouble speaking - which they warned us about. They said it could take up to 24 hours to recover from the seizure. He couldn't really move his left leg either. I didn't let it worry me - just was going to be there for him.
The nurse put up a bag of meds on his IV, called "dylantin", which is a seizure prevention medication. They also let us know that Larry would be getting a CT as soon as possible.
After about an hour, which Larry rested and recovered a bit, the doctor came in again. Asked Larry some questions, and had Larry move his legs, etc. We noticed that he could move his left leg a bit, and was starting to understand what we were saying.
Lorie convinced me to go find something to eat, and we went down to the little place on the main floor of the hospital. She bought me dinner (THANK YOU!). Once Larry is better, I'm going to have to buy them dinner :D
While we were doing that, they came and took Larry for his CT scan. And Mike gave me such a look of gratitude - Larry had to pee and needed help, and we came back in the nick of time. LMAO.
Mike and Lorie went home not long after that, and I just tried to stay out of the way of the nurses and the cleaning crew. They had to wipe down everything in the room, and I sanitized Larry's hands, just in case.
I wandered down the hall towards the day room, noticed that the curling score was pretty close, and then wandered back to the nurses station. I asked them to keep a close eye on him for me, and they said they would.
After the room was cleaned up, the doctor came in. With good news! His CT from today looked the same as the CT from Feb 3! NO new damage! So - it was just the short circuit. They had him on meds to prevent another one, and I could relax a bit.
Larry had his nightly meds and some more dylantin, and was finally settling down to sleep.
It was time for me to go home.
I haven't had the meltdown from this event yet... that will be later or tomorrow.
---------------------------------
Today started out pretty good - I took the cat to the vet for her shots, and came home. After that, I went to the hospital to see Larry, as always.
He was a bit tired, but was telling me about his morning. He had a bit of physiotherapy in the room, working on a pivot transfer from bed to wheelchair. He even got to go to the bathroom today!
He was trundling around in his wheelchair using his feet, and his dad was helping him when he got stuck. :)
We also found out that Larry's room-mate had just been diagnosed with MRSA and was going to be going to an isolation room.
Mike came by about 3:30 or so, and visited until about 4:20ish. Larry and I were just chilling in his room, watching a bit of TV before supper when one of the scariest things I have ever seen started happening.
Warning: this is a bit scary, but Larry is fine!
I noticed Larry's left hand twitching a bit, and thought it may have been a muscle spasm from when they took blood. Then it started twitching a bit more, as well as his left leg.
I called the nurse, and she took a look. She said she was going to take his vitals and let the doctor know. She had not been gone 10 seconds when Larry started really twitching, and having a bit of trouble breathing. I rang the call bell, and caught someone as they were going past the room. She took one look and called the nurses in.
By this time, Larry's whole left side was jerking back and forth, and I realized he was having a seizure! He was getting scared, and I told him to look at me, and breathe with me. It was going okay, and the nurse came in. This was about 30 seconds or so after I had called someone.
Then Larry's right arm started to spasm, and the whole left side of his face pulled to the right (it was like someone had tape on it and was pulling) and his whole body was jerking back and forth. I realized he couldn't breathe, and the nurse went running out of the room. I went to his side and told him "You're having a seizure, breathe in..breathe out"
Then the room went a little nuts, tables flying around and them trying to get me out of the room.
I left the room just as the seizure ended, and Larry collapsed into the bed. His face was grey, and I heard someone say "code blue" and "start CPR".
By this time, I was in the hallway and could only listen. They made me sit down - I guess my face was grey too! They offered me a drink, and I said "only if it's fortified". I was listening to the room.. I heard "bag him" and then the ICU people came out of the elevator and into the room.
The doctor came out and asked me what happened, and I told him. He asked how long the seizure was, and I said "I think 1-2 minutes".
A nurse quickly came out and said "he's breathing, and we've got his blood pressure back".
Then Mike and Lorie came out of the elevator. I was so glad to see them! Poor Mike...I keep calling him with "OMG, Bro, I need you!".
Once they were with me, I had a bit of a freak out...which I know I'm entitled to, but ...*sigh* I remember blubbering "If the end of all this is losing Larry, just do it now. Don't destroy me in the process". Ghoulish, but it's how I feel.
After a bit, the doctor came out and explained what had happened. Basically, when there's a large area of stroke damage like Larry has, it can cause a "short circuit" in the brain. Best case - it's just a seizure. Worst case, another stroke.
They FINALLY let us in (maybe 10 minutes) to see Larry. He was absolutely exhausted, and was having trouble speaking - which they warned us about. They said it could take up to 24 hours to recover from the seizure. He couldn't really move his left leg either. I didn't let it worry me - just was going to be there for him.
The nurse put up a bag of meds on his IV, called "dylantin", which is a seizure prevention medication. They also let us know that Larry would be getting a CT as soon as possible.
After about an hour, which Larry rested and recovered a bit, the doctor came in again. Asked Larry some questions, and had Larry move his legs, etc. We noticed that he could move his left leg a bit, and was starting to understand what we were saying.
Lorie convinced me to go find something to eat, and we went down to the little place on the main floor of the hospital. She bought me dinner (THANK YOU!). Once Larry is better, I'm going to have to buy them dinner :D
While we were doing that, they came and took Larry for his CT scan. And Mike gave me such a look of gratitude - Larry had to pee and needed help, and we came back in the nick of time. LMAO.
Mike and Lorie went home not long after that, and I just tried to stay out of the way of the nurses and the cleaning crew. They had to wipe down everything in the room, and I sanitized Larry's hands, just in case.
I wandered down the hall towards the day room, noticed that the curling score was pretty close, and then wandered back to the nurses station. I asked them to keep a close eye on him for me, and they said they would.
After the room was cleaned up, the doctor came in. With good news! His CT from today looked the same as the CT from Feb 3! NO new damage! So - it was just the short circuit. They had him on meds to prevent another one, and I could relax a bit.
Larry had his nightly meds and some more dylantin, and was finally settling down to sleep.
It was time for me to go home.
I haven't had the meltdown from this event yet... that will be later or tomorrow.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Thursday February 6, 2014
Until Larry is well enough to start either blogging or dictating posts to me, this is all from my perspective.
---------------------------------
I really need to start sleeping at night - this insomnia is getting old! Once I have a plan of action, I'll do better.
I checked the Standard Life claim page, and they've already got the claim set up. Not much happening in it yet, but ..it's started. *whew*
Today was a bit of a rest day for me - I didn't go to the hospital until about 4:30. K had a few things that needed to be done, and I needed the down time.
When I got there, Larry was very glad to see me. He said the best part of the day is when I get there. :) He'd been having a down day, which is perfectly OK! I told him it's okay to be mad, sad, angry, frustrated...whatever. All of his feelings are valid! I really need to find out about counseling - we're going to need it.
Larry is working on getting from the bed to a chair/wheelchair. Once he gets that going, the hospital will contact the rehab assessment people.
He told me that last night something happened with his left arm. He's not sure if it was stuck, or had a muscle spasm, but it hurt a lot. I will ask tomorrow if it was charted or not.
It was a very quiet day today...nothing major happening. Well, other than being moved!
The charge nurse? came in and said that she's got good news and bad news for us. The good news is that Larry is no longer an acute patient. Larry immediately said "what, I'm ugly now?" LOL
The bad news - they needed the "bed" he was in for someone in emergency that was acute. So - off to the 5th floor we went. The room is set up opposite to where he was, and that makes it very difficult. All of the space is on the left - which isn't working for him. I mentioned to the nurses about that, and they're going to see what they can do. I hope they can just move him from "bed 1" to "bed 2" in the room - that would work great!
---------------------------------
I really need to start sleeping at night - this insomnia is getting old! Once I have a plan of action, I'll do better.
I checked the Standard Life claim page, and they've already got the claim set up. Not much happening in it yet, but ..it's started. *whew*
Today was a bit of a rest day for me - I didn't go to the hospital until about 4:30. K had a few things that needed to be done, and I needed the down time.
When I got there, Larry was very glad to see me. He said the best part of the day is when I get there. :) He'd been having a down day, which is perfectly OK! I told him it's okay to be mad, sad, angry, frustrated...whatever. All of his feelings are valid! I really need to find out about counseling - we're going to need it.
Larry is working on getting from the bed to a chair/wheelchair. Once he gets that going, the hospital will contact the rehab assessment people.
He told me that last night something happened with his left arm. He's not sure if it was stuck, or had a muscle spasm, but it hurt a lot. I will ask tomorrow if it was charted or not.
It was a very quiet day today...nothing major happening. Well, other than being moved!
The charge nurse? came in and said that she's got good news and bad news for us. The good news is that Larry is no longer an acute patient. Larry immediately said "what, I'm ugly now?" LOL
The bad news - they needed the "bed" he was in for someone in emergency that was acute. So - off to the 5th floor we went. The room is set up opposite to where he was, and that makes it very difficult. All of the space is on the left - which isn't working for him. I mentioned to the nurses about that, and they're going to see what they can do. I hope they can just move him from "bed 1" to "bed 2" in the room - that would work great!
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