Just got home from spending some time with my sister. This time, Jay (my husband), went with me. George was already there, so it was just the 4 of us. We just sat around, chit-chatting like we always used to.
George went home shortly after, and took Jay with him so I could stay later. Jay had to get home to our kids to put them to bed. Leslie and I talked and giggled, and made up different stories about what the other patients on the floor were in rehab for. Scenarios that only sisters would come up with. It was fun. We laughed A LOT. We talked about the first thing we were going to do when she got out of there (go to the Melting Pot!!) and she shared with me what she does every day.
She is doing well, but she is VERY aware that something isn't right, and it makes her very sad. She cries often, and frequently asks if she can just go home. It broke my heart, because several times this evening while I was with her, she asked if I would just take her home with me. When I explained that I couldn't right now, she asked if I would stay there with her instead. Of course, I couldn't do that, either. She never cried tonight, but she asked a lot of questions.
She has practically no short term memory. If you ask her what she ate for dinner, she has no idea. If you ask her what she did in therapy, she'll say she never went, when in reality, she was in therapy for several hours. Parts of her long term memory are still a little foggy, but for the most part, she is doing amazingly well at remembering things from her past. Frequently, she will say "I had a dream that I (fill in the blank)" and usually it is something she actually did. It all must be so confusing for her.
I am very thankful that I documented all of this in this blog. I remember the first entry I wrote when this happened, I had no intention of sharing it with anyone. This happened on a Monday, and I remember thinking that she just might be home by the weekend. Looking back, I realize how silly and unrealistic that was, but I think I was just thinking with my heart and not my head. Thank you again for all of the support along this long, bumpy journey. There is no way my family could have traveled it alone.
4 comments:
Laura , when I entered a rehab/nursing home as I couldn't walk (which they still don't know what went wrong) , to spend at least 3-6 weeks ..I cried the first whole week. My hubby gave in and took me home. No this isn't anything like Leslie but yes to learn how to touch , reach out and feel the need in nursing as you spoke of is a true gift. We don't have enough Laura's around. Bless you
I'm glad you documented this too, Laura. You are a gifted communicator, and I have learned a great deal from your documentation of Laura's case. Sometimes we want to keep family things private, but when we share them, we learn how much others care about us, at a time when we really need to know that. I glad you feel our support. What happened to Leslie could happen to any of us, young and old, and your courage in putting it out there and allowing us to share in your family's struggle is loving and brave. I wish Leslie all good things as she progresses in her therapy at the rehab center. As for you, take care of yourself! - Jackie
Oops...I meant to say "Leslie's case" in the second sentence, not "Laura's case." Long day!
Laura,
There is room for much improvement with Leslie. The short-term memory should improve as she works her cognative functions - very important for her to be challenged. By the way, I visited my sister during rehab and she couldn't remember the therapist's name 2 minutes later. We were making up stories about asking for a 'cup of joe' (coffee) but she still could not remember Joe's name. It reminded me of me trying to learn spelling words in elementry school - I would write them 50 times each and still flunk the test. Sis has improved over some time and I'm sure Leslie will also. Big hugs to all of you!
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