Saturday, October 16, 2010

Last night was my turn to stay the night with Leslie. When I got there, she was up in a chair watching a movie with George. She looked awesome and very comfortable. George left shortly after so Leslie and I just sat there and chatted. If you didn't KNOW what was going on with her, you would have been totally fooled because our conversation was very natural and normal. She even teased me in a way she used to tease me before this happened, and she remembered the goofy name we gave her dog, Aggie's face when she got it all wet while playing in the hose. We laughed, held hands, and caught up on stuff. We sat on facebook together and I showed her some of the blog, including the pictures of her on the ventilator. She said it looked really scary and I assured her, it was horrific, but we are all so proud of how far she has come.

At around 9:30, she was ready for bed, and that was fine with me because I wasn't feeling so great so I wanted some rest, too. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of our very busy night! She somehow got it in her head that her and I were in a house, and someone was trying to break in. The noises she heard "outside" ie. the nurses and staff in the hallway, were the criminals and they were coming to hurt us. She kept asking me if I had a gun. Then she said I better call the police. Ironically, when she said that, we heard police sirens down on the street and she was so relieved that they were coming. She told me I better talk to them about what was happening. NOTHING I said relaxed her and she stayed paranoid for several hours.

Finally around 1, I got her to sleep, but this was also when they needed to do vital signs. Her blood pressure was quite low (74/48) so they rechecked it 4 more times. It never got higher than mid-80's but they must have been okay with that because they never came back. Needless to say, Leslie was wide awake again. This time she thought I was someone named Melanie. When I corrected her and said I was her sister, she said, "Huh! I didn't know I was in a sorority!" Not THAT kind of sister! But whatever. I didn't correct her and she then said "You really remind me of my little sister, Laura." Hehe :)

An hour or so after that, she needed her bed cleaned. Her skin is still very very raw. It bleeds and is very painful, so I try to keep her as clean and dry as possible. So while I was helping the staff make sure she was clean, I said to her "position your legs as if you were going to have a baby!" Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad word choice. She had it in her head that she was now getting ready to deliver a baby and "ooooh I hope it's a girl!" We talked about her having a baby for at least an hour. When I finally got her settled in bed by rubbing her back and legs it was now almost 4 AM. No sleep for me, but I was doing okay.

She is taking a couple of blood pressure medicines (Toprol and Lisinopril). She does not have a history of high blood pressure but when she was on the vent it spiked up a bit and her heart rate was tachycardic. Right now they WANT her blood pressure as low as it is right now so we'll see how it goes.

I think once we get her to rehab, we will all learn how her life is going to be. We're ready for that next step. It's one step closer to getting her home where she belongs.

Thank you for the thoughts. Each and every one of you that read, I appreciate you so much. One day I will individually thank everyone, I promise. Just know that you have touched my family in such a deep way and we are eternally grateful to all of you.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tuttle Family~
Every one of you are in our thoughts and prayers. It sounds like Leslie has made remarkable progress because of your Love and Support. We wish you all the Best!
Harold and Jean Schafer

Erin said...

Thank you Laura for your open and heartfelt updates on Leslie and the family. She is such a wonderful person that I refuse to believe anything but good things for her. If anyone deserves a full recovery, it's Leslie. I keep her in my prayers daily and say another one each time I pass her old media room at Gudith. Lots of love to Leslie and your entire family!

Anonymous said...

I still pray daily with my family! I look forward to another visit with Leslie perhaps when she moves to rehab, unless she stays at the hospital a lot longer! I know Rachel Calkins would love to see her, too!

Tom said...

Laura,
Big hugs to all of you! Leslie is blessed to have a family that would spend every night with her. Your support has and will continue to help her.
Hugs,
Tom Harvan