Mom's Stroke

 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 87^th 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.