February Journaling
1. My grandson is 11 today. My husband’s
coworker came out to church. Then we took him out for lunch. I’m down 21 pounds
since July.
2. Last night around 11 pm my mom had a
TIA, a mini stroke. Her only symptom was aphasia which is difficulty speaking.
She was trying to tell me something but 90 % were not even words. At least I
happened to go down there right when it happened, or she would have just gone
to bed not knowing, since she doesn’t talk to herself. I called an ambulance
and spent the night in the ER. They also found her hgb was low, 64, so they
gave her a unit of blood. Her speech improved overnight but then worsened again
the next afternoon. They are doing CT’s, and MRI’s. It improved again by
evening. I spoke with the neurologist. I’m so worried about her.
3. Going to visit mom, then taking a new
couple out for dinner. We brought food from home for my mom since she’s not
eating so well. They moved her to a quieter area in the ER but still waiting
for a bed on the stroke unit. The MRI showed a true stroke, not just a mini
one. But thankfully there was no paralysis.
4. Published another word search, this
one on Medical Terminology.
5. My mom was seen by speech therapy
today. She has both receptive and expressive aphasia. I had her facetime with
my aunt and that made both of them happy. At one point my mom looked at the
clock on the wall and said, you need to go. It was one o’clock, which she knows
is my nap time.
6. Daily visit to my mom. She called my
aunt again. Prayer meeting.
7. My mom’s memory and speech are
improving daily. She is starting to recall everyone who has visited. My cousin
came over on her way back from a business trip.
8. The grandkids stayed overnight and we
celebrated their birthdays, 11 and 9. We are getting new bikes for them. They
also visited my mom. She is remembering when we called the ambulance. She just
wants to go home.
9. Heard from the hospital today about
mom’s discharge plans, it will be either tomorrow or Wednesday.
10.Published another word search, this
one on Obscure Vocabulary. Now that I have five I’d like to know how to bundle
them and sell them as a set on amazon.
11. She’s home!
12. First visit by the PSW; they gave
her a shower which she loved. It’s been two weeks.
13. First visit by Occupational Health.
I’m also trying to arrange home speech therapy. My mom can do her dishes, dress
herself, fold laundry, and set up her coffee. She was playing cards, so she has
some muscle memory for that, as well as for her CPAP machine, and about some of
her medications. But her speech got a little worse, she has trouble finding
words and understanding questions.
14. Valentine’s Day, or as they call it
in Finland, Friendship Day. Not everyone has a sweetheart, but everyone has a
friend. My car got clipped in the grocery store parking lot. Part of the fender
fell off. I didn’t get her info, thinking it would be an easy fix. Now my
husband says it may be costly.
15. At church, teaching Sunday School
about the temptation of Jesus.
16. It would have been my dad’s 87th
birthday, but he died at 28. Today our church is doing a Family Day event at a
community center as outreach. Everything is closed except the drug store.
17. Went to Walmart.
18. Chiropractor and massage appointment.
19. My mom is getting better at the
simpler word searches I make for her. She is so proud of her accomplishment. I
am going to make them more challenging. She is also trying to read.
20. So many appointments today. Three
practitioners came to our home just this morning. My mom was rude, telling them
to go home. It looks like I’ll be doing her speech therapy assessment and
possibly her treatment.
21. We bought a new mattress and the old
one is going into one of the guest rooms.
22. Church, helping to teach through the
life of Christ. I bought a new bedspread for the guest room bed. Made a squid
and a flamingo.
23. So many appointments, and the PSW
was two hours late, hard to work around her when she doesn’t even call. I had
to do my mom’s speech therapy assessment because she is uncooperative with
people who come into the house. It doesn’t help me for her to tell them to go
away.
24. Speech therapy appointment. My mom
is not a fan of having people come to the house. But I can’t do it all.
25. Last evening my mom suddenly started
speaking quite coherently in full sentences with only a few words not found.
When she initiates it, she is better than if we ask her questions.
26. I saw a naturopath today, so hopeful
that we can discover the root problem to all my autoimmune illnesses. Today my
mom decided she wanted to make Finnish pancakes so she did.
27. Made two peas in a pod, a drunken
granny stitch pink ombre scarf and ear warmer, a small watermelon purse, and
six more preemie beanies.
28. Women’s ministry breakfast then a
young adult’s planning meeting at our house with pizza.
