Bouncing and ice chips

Caroline Grace is Mom's speech therapist.  She is a bouncy 20 something that visited Mom this afternoon to assess if Mom was swallowing correctly.  She had to give Mom different things to swallow and then feel the neck muscles to make sure they were working correctly. Mom got to have water, ice chips, and apple sauce.  One bite of each was all it took to conclude that Mom needed more time healing.  Mom was allowed to have a SMALL cup of ice chips, but that is all.  For now, she is still fed with a tube in her nose.  I am sure once that is out she will feel better.  Caroline will come back tomorrow morning around 9 to try again.  If Mom doesn't pass her test, then more extensive evaluations will be done.  

Mom seemed sad today.  Daddy thinks it is because emotionally, she is just now waking up and catching up with us.  We have had two weeks to process the tumor and all that followed.  Tears still leak out of my eyes at the least expected moments - like at Luke's well baby visit to the doctor today.  Ethan says that emotionally, she may have some ups and downs.  

I did get Mom to smile at the nurse today - just once. The nurse today was named Whitney.  This was her third shift.  She was paired with someone else, but I don't remember her name.  They double teamed Mom today.  I loved it!  Whitney was an energetic, happy person.  She bounced as much as the speech therapist.  She asked many questions and for the first day since we have been there - I felt like I knew just about everything.  I was listening to questions about what tubes did what, explanations of numbers and goals for those numbers, and I even got to look at a photograph of Mom's surgery (tumor included).  We thought it was best not to show Mom that picture yet.  After the speech therapist left, Mom was allowed a tiny cup of ice.  Mom loves to eat ice.  She ate the whole cup in just a few minutes.  After a bit, I asked Whitney for more ice for Mom.  Whitney wasn't sure she could go get some, but she did anyway without asking.  I encouraged Mom to give Whitney a smile to show her thanks.  Mom did.  It was brief, but it was a smile.  Ethan reminded me when I told him about this at dinner that Mom is not a bouncy person.  She never really has been.  If the speech therapist, nurse, and I were all around her bedside today cheering and bouncing, Mom could be just irritated.  We will know more when she chooses to talk.  

The nurse in charge of Whitney for today told me that Mom's head looked better.  The liquid was draining and the swelling was going down.  I didn't ask them to remove the bandage so I could look.  I just trusted what she said.  Yesterday, Mom had a gauze bandage over her head.  Today she had a gauze bandage and an ace bandage for added pressure.  This should help the skin stick to the skull.  Her ICP numbers were in the normal range today.   The shunt drained extra fluid off of her brain today.  Tomorrow they will try again to turn it off of draining to see how Mom does.  If it goes well, maybe she will have that out by the end of the week.  The shunt has to be out one or two days before Mom moves to another place in the hospital.

I was glad I was with Mom today at the hospital.  I was able to "snuggle" with her for awhile.  Whitney, the new nurse didn't seem to know the rule for "no chairs for visitors."  Whitney often left her chair right next to Mom's bed unattended.  Tonight, my feet do not hurt thanks to Whitney.  So, with my chair, I was able to lay my head down on the railing of Mom's bed.  Mom was not restrained today either.  I was happy to have her unrestrained.  Her hands held my hand and snuggled with my arm.  Some days all you need is a snuggle to feel better.  I am hoping mine helped Mom.  

I cannot get to the hospital until noon tomorrow.  I have a doctor's appointment at 11 in Mansfield.  I will spend the afternoon with Mom and then Daddy will come up in the evening.