Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Looking Better
Movement for 9/30/08:
- We've already had some movement, today, and things look promising. She awoke at 0730 to go to the bathroom soon after I awoke. Although we used the wheelchair, there were no problems with transfers or with standing to have her underwear pulled down and up. She went to bed at 2330 last night, so, considering her half hour bathroom visit this morning (which included conversation, kitty time and a breathing treatment, since we skipped one treatment yesterday), I'm planning on rousing her at noon. More later.
- Mom surprised me today, upon awakening for her "regular" day at 1300. When I asked her how she felt about walking to the bathroom versus being wheeled, assuring her that I'd go with her instincts, she said, "I think I'll walk. I should be walking."
I'm wondering, now, if she not only heard but registered the part of the discussion about her feet swelling that the Hospice RN and I had yesterday in which he said that, in my mother's case, in which she normally doesn't suffer extremity edema and, when she does, rarely suffers it to the "pitted" extent (although pitting did occur the night that I gave her 20 mg of furosemide), the best antidote is movement, specifically walking. We didn't spend much time discussing this, although the RN delivered a story about this regarding one of his clients, a man who typically was on hit feet quite a bit "visiting the ladies" at his facility. He was bedridden for two days and developed foot edema. Once back on his feet, the exercise worked it off in quick order. Perhaps my mother registers, in mysterious, unrecallable ways, much, much more than I think.
Anyway, she walked to the bathroom, to the dinette (commenting on how "nice" it was to have the grab bars along the hall) and, after breakfast, around the table and down the dinette steps. Because she's moving so slowly and carefully I decided against having her walker to the rocker, even though the distance is very short, maybe seven or eight feet. As I told the RN yesterday, walkering is the hardest thing she does. That can wait until she exhibits her usual confident step.
When she decided it was time for a nap, though, her choices were different. I told her that if she'd like, once I wheeled her across the living room and up the foyer steps, if she wanted to walk to the bathroom, that would be fine. Before arriving in the foyer she thought this was a good idea but changed her mind when it was time to rise to her feet. She chose to "try" walking from the bathroom to the her bed. She only made it to the door of the bathroom before she declared she was "ready to sit".
"That's fine," I told her. "Yesterday was the first day you have been on your feet walking for a couple of weeks. You did great today. You walked more than I expected. You should be wheeled to your bed, in style."
I have no idea what to expect after her nap. It's obvious she's still working off both the effects of my over-enthusiastic use of furosemide and she's still a bit hazy from battling pneumonia. As well, this bout of pneumonia may signal that we're turning yet another corner and wheelchair use will be more frequent than it has been. Whatever happens, I'm there, and here. - Oh. Wanted to mention, in regard to her left arm, she extended it for washing and for shirting exactly as she had been doing pre-fall. No wincing, no faltering, no reaching for her left bicep with her right hand. I think we've negotiated that bump. I'm still seeing to it that we're very careful with the slip on shirts, but as the days go by I expect our shirt dressing, for awhile, anyway, to return to normal.
- After Nap: More movement! She walked from her bedroom to the bathroom, then from the bathroom to the banister separating the foyer from the living room and took the steps. Although she elected to be wheeled all the way from the rocker to the bathroom, she insisted on standing to brush her teeth, did so well and steadily using one of our new grab bars that was installed on top of the vanity, then walked to bed. It was obvious she was tired, but she gets mucho extra points for doing it despite her tiredness. She even tried, when my back was turned, to transfer herself from the rocker to the wheelchair on our way to night prep. She got stuck in the middle of the transfer, half up and half down, a little dangerous, really, but I didn't scold her; I congratulated her on making the effort. I pointed out, too, that she may not be ready, yet, to do stuff like this and it might be a good idea if she waited for my help. I made a mental note to myself not to leave the wheelchair in transferring distance unless I plan to be there the whole time.
# posted by Gail Rae @ 11:41 email...
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