They've figured out how to avoid the pictures

I am sitting here at Elks while my mom is taking a much needed nap before lunch. I did come Tuesday and actually Wednesday for a short stint and am just now getting around to writing it up. I tell ya, time just flies in a weird sort of way.

Tuesday was a pretty crappy day. When I arrived, my mom was smack in the middle of a neuropsych exam. It went from 9am to 11:30am. The thing was soooo long. She had a bathroom break in the middle and told me that she just hated it. I didn't realize how much she hated it and how it affected her until I spent the rest of the day with her. It was just awful. The tester man said that she did really well but my mom was just so down. Eating lunch with her was so depressing. Anything that I tried to do would not lighten her mood. She was extremely pouty. It was kind of funny but not really.

After lunch she had rec therapy. She was supposed to play waffle ball but my mom seriously was not up to it. Instead we played Scrabble which was a lot of fun. Christine has now figured out how to avoid the pictures. Just involve me! I seriously was working so hard at getting a word, I forgot to use my camera. We had a great time and my mom was doing a little better.

After rec therapy, she had PT with Kristi. Kristi just cracks us up. She knew instantly that my mom's mood was because of that testing. She told us that she was so tired of her patients having such crappy days after the tests that she would take it herself. She wanted to find out what it was all about. She told us that it was the worst thing that she has ever taken. She said that she felt incredibly stupid after it too and it really does put you in this depressing mood. My mom felt a little better knowing that. During PT, she went up and down the stairs. Very cool! And of course she had me helping that I didn't take pictures.

Shortly after this, there was a family meeting where my dad and Heidi showed up. This would be our last. The therapists always have nothing but good to share. She was doing a lot of things with minimal to standby assist. She was walking 125' with a straight cane and minimal assistance. She has greatly progressed. She has soooo much to do but she can only move forward. Kristi, the PT, projects that in about 6 weeks my mom will be hardly be using a cane. I am pretty sure that my mom will prove her right too.

Wednesday, Heidi and I needed to head into Elks in the afternoon for a shower training. The funny thing is that all of us have been helping with showers the entire time that she has been there. However we do understand that they need to do their jobs and play along. A big part of it is that they have lists to check off for their records and for insurance purposes. My mom just had a shower before lunch because she went swimming so she really didn't want to take another. Barbara, the OT, just had her practice getting in and out of a tub and shower stall. We were all just trying to figure out the best ways when she gets home. Thursday we would be having another training where Barbara is a fly on the wall watching Heidi and I. She would also give pointers where needed. While I was at Elks on a day that I normally don't go to, Gunnar was having a great time with grandpa shopping. Gunnar just loves being with him. Anyway, by the time they got back from shopping (because I was supposed to take Gunnar home with me from Elks), I was able to go to PT with my mom. I didn't even thing to bring my camera with me this day because I didn't expect to be there that long. Anyway, Kristi had her walking again but she also had her doing some balancing things. She had her put her feet completely together. That requires quite a bit of balancing. She also had her put one foot in from of the other. That really requires a lot of balance. She did well. She also had my mom walking without a cane and Kristi holding on in front. Kristi said that she needed about 50/50 help with this. It was pretty scary for my mom. When my mom was walking her normal route, she started doing a more advanced gait. Kristi was so excited it was funny. My mom was supposed to walk cane...right foot...left foot...cane...right foot. You get the picture. Instead she started going cane right foot...left foot...cane right foot...left foot. She was doing a 2-point gait instead of the 3-point gate and doing it all on her own. It was pretty exciting.