stroke rehab

When Things Happen…

/ Shirleyjdietz / 2 Comments

…they happen fast.

Mom went with me to the rehab hospital yesterday. We were watching the speech therapist spoon feed applesauce to the husband when the social worker appeared at the door and beckoned me out.

After weeks of searching for a bed for Dennis, something closer to home and less aggressive in therapy, there was an opening at St. Mary’s Hospital in Superior. It was only a few minutes closer to home but it was across the state line in Wisconsin, and that was an advantage for future placement. There was medical oversight, since it was a hospital, and they had the therapies that were needed. It was called a “swing bed” and most hospitals have a room or two of that category for patients transitioning to a different level of care.

I don’t know if I had a choice – it didn’t really feel like it. I had not seen the place nor had I heard anything about it. But, that didn’t last long because several staff members started telling me they had worked there and it would be an excellent move for Dennis. I was uncertain, but it seemed wrong to refuse to have him go. I must have agreed, yeah, I must have. Otherwise how could it have happened that fast?

Two hours later he was on his way over to his new room. Those two hours were pretty unusual though, and Mom and I were so glad we were there to witness them. Every one of Dennis’s therapists, nurses and aides that were on duty that day came by his room and spent time saying goodbye to him. With each one, he would tear up, then they would tear up and all of us watching would start to cry too. Two hours of emotional mess. Exhausting.

They all had stories to recount of Dennis’s jokes, and his cooperative spirit, and his progress. They were a hugging bunch. It couldn’t have been a better send off for a man who often felt like he was failing and being a burden.

I’m going to say, and believe, that it must have been time. God knew we were completely ignorant about the new facility. He knew I would be uncertain. He knew we would trust him and go, and that he could be present with Dennis in that place just as he had been for the last 50 days at Miller Dwan. We pronounced it a happy thing and prayed with Dennis before leaving to have dinner with some friends.

We checked in on him on our way home and after he had been settled in bed for the night. I’m not going to say that everything looked ideal, but it did seem adequate and I felt he would be well attended.

Has he made progress since the last update? Yes, he did some good work the last week at Miller Dwan. He is getting more control of his hands and arms, more fine motor coordination and wider range of movement. He became better at sitting upright and centered. He was able to raise to a standing position with the help of a steadying machine. Yesterday, his last day of therapy, a therapy dog came to the gym for the first time since Covid restrictions. He had such a good time tossing the ball for “Gunner” to retrieve. I just hope he can maintain these advances in the new place, and that will be my prayer.

Krystal, our amazing speech therapist, using the E-stim device to strengthen those swallow muscles.

Progress Report: Week 4 in Rehab

/ Shirleyjdietz / Leave a comment

Last Thursday marked the end of the fourth week in rehab at Miller Dwan, one month of Medicare’s allowed time. My schedule was the same, going up to be with the husband four of the days and at home for the other three. Here’s what happened (in my experience, which is probably much different from the husband’s).

– Shell Lake Health Care Center declined to take Dennis. They felt they didn’t have the needed equipment and the ability to give speech therapy often enough. Back to searching for another facility.

– Gave him a much needed haircut, but there was the part of his head that was hard to move off the headrest of the wheelchair. Tricky and not the best job I’ve ever done.

– He would try to wake up for his therapies but I had a feeling something was “off”. He was looking more like a nursing home patient than a rehab patient. A lot of vacant staring at nothing. Worrisome.

– He kept his ability to sit by himself and correct his leaning. OT and PT did a lot of reaching and grasping exercises. Worked on the steps to roll over in bed.

– My saddest day at the end of this week, I arrived and he told me he was trying to catch up on his sleep and not to talk to him. Granted, he’d had a hard night and he did feel bad about telling me that later.

– Maybe getting over some of his bias against talking to the psychologist assigned to him. Understanding her role better. She’s in a wheelchair too.

Reach Dennis, reach!

Off to Rehab

/ Shirleyjdietz / Leave a comment

I thought the surprises were over, but they were not.

Today when I arrived at Dennis’s bedside I was able to see his face without the NG tube. The nurses had already taken care of that task. A good thing.

Dennis’s face… he has lost weight in his face and looks so tired. The husband has very big eyes, hound dog eyes, you might say. When he looks at me, or other people, with recognition in those eyes, and maybe a lifting of the eyebrows in question mode, he sparkles with personality. When he has his eyes closed, or half closed as they often are, he looks near death. He doesn’t always show a lot of facial expression – it’s one of the parkinsonism traits of Lewy Body dementia. Another feature of his face is the month old beard and mustache. I’ve held off trying to shave him for fear some hair might be sucked into his trach tube.

The next thing we heard from one of the nurses was that he was being transferred to rehab today! Probably this morning! A day earlier than expected! His first feeding in the new gastrostomy tube was started and a few minutes later PT was knocking on the door to work with him. They were all excited and wanted to see if he could stand with their fancy lift machine.

The stand up machine. Took 10 minutes to get in place, 5 seconds to stand up.

The doctor came next, then the social worker who had been helping with placement. It was like a celebration with everyone smiling and congratulating us. It was like having a new baby, or maybe winning the lottery.

I actually felt guilty leaving before the move occurred. I had a much needed massage scheduled and had barely enough time to get home for it. I’ve missed a lot of self care lately (showers, hair cuts, sleep, etc…) and decided that there were competent people who would take good care of Dennis during the transfer. And they did. I called this evening and he was in his new room, doing fine, according to the nurse.

Tomorrow I will have a new adventure, finding my way through a new facility, getting used to new regimens and rules. Dennis has always thought that trying to get well was his new post-retirement job but I have a feeling this will be the most work he has done in a long time. The list of scheduled appointments is long.