Mom has spent all day today, as far as I know, without any sedation. Lois and I have stayed on opposite sides of her bed, and when one of us is talking, we noticed that she seems to turn her head toward the person speaking! That is exciting.
Another encouraging sign, although not pleasant, is that she has been gagging on the breathing tube this afternoon. That indicates her reflexes are improving. The breathing tube cannot be removed, however, until she responds to commands. If she does not cough on command, they are concerned about secretions entering her lungs, possibly causing pneumonia.
Her eyes have remained closed, although they fluttered once when the LNA was swabbing out her mouth. And she does squeeze our hands occasionally, although not always when we ask her to.
The nurses found a CD player and classical music, which Mom loves, to play softly in her room. In addition to creating a peaceful atmosphere, music has also been shown to be effective therapy to rebuild neural pathways in the brain. I can't cite a specific study, but that's what I've heard. We figured it couldn't hurt. :-) I brought some family pictures also, for her to see when she wakes up.
We are still working on getting Dad down here. Aunt Betty, Mom's sister, may be coming down from Maine tomorrow and stopping to pick him up. If that does not work out, either Lois or I(probably me, I'm the restless one) will go get him.
Thanks so much for your prayers for Mom and all the rest of us as we walk through this valley. We are encouraged that God is with us and He remains faithful.
1 comment:
Good news about no sedation today. A little improvement calls for great rejoicing :)
I like the idea of the music in her room. When I was in the hospital for 5 days that is one thing I missed. Does she have any particular CDS from home she would enjoy. Maybe you can have them brought with your dad.
Still praying.
Much love, Cindy
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