A day at the Salon and a Visit.

Moms had some fun the last few days. Yesterday, I took her to the salon and mom got the works. Haircut, shampoo, perm, color, and style. This is one of the few things she really enjoys. She looks great. I told mom that we are going to have to make this a regular thing. I tried to get a picture of her, but anyone who knows mom can tell you, she hates getting her picture taken. I just wanted to share how pretty she looks.

Tonight, her sister, and nieces, came to visit. Today was another good day, as far as good days go for mom. She loves the company. I know she was excited for them to see the new hairdo, even though this PSP make it hard to read emotions at times.

Another Video Flueroscopy

Mom had another Video Flueroscopy today. They brought in a Speech Language Pathologist to try different swallowing techniques and also see how mom does with different types of liquids and solids. There are a few changes. They tried different positions during the swallow. Typically if a patient tucks their chin while swallowing liquids it helps close the airway and reduce the risk of aspiration. They found that none of the positions made any difference for mom. During one swallow with thin liquids, some of the liquid did penetrate the trachea. Unlike prior test mom didn't cough or feel the penetration. This is not good. This puts her at great risk of aspiration.  Additionally during swallows with solid foods, the food stopped at a bump where the aorta presses against the esophagus. From here on the doctor wants mom on soft food and thickened liquids, and she has to follow every bite of food with a drink followed by a hard dry swallow to clear her esophagus. These swallowing issues have to be one of the worst parts of this disease.

New Kindle

Mom just finished her first book on her new Kindle. She really enjoyed it, and she had me download another book today. This is simple enough for her to operate without my assistance, and I think it makes me as happy as it makes her. The menu system has voice guidance, so whatever you select it reads aloud to you. There are currently over 60,000 audio books available for the Kindle, and there is a book club that allows you to download books with a monthly fee, that is much cheaper than buying books separately. Finally something new for mom to do.

Aug. 24, 2011

I haven't posted in a while. So here is an update. We've been very busy. Mom has 2 or more visitors a day from the hospital (OT, PT, speech, Aids, Nurses)since her discharge back on the 4th. Her hip has healed very quickly.

Unfortunately the PSP symptoms continue to progress. Her vision is getting worse. This is especially frustrating for us all. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for mom. She gets upset just trying to maneuver in her room. I just fell bad because, I can't think of activities for her to do. I'm going to explore some new ideas today.

The other symptom that has progressed, and concerns me the most, is the swallowing. In her last video fluoroscopy a few weeks ago, they observed how mom's esophagus was working. It was not working well. The last few days she has had a lot of choking and trouble swallowing. Because of this she is eating very little. This is heartbreaking to watch. She has an appointment with an upper GI specialist coming up. I fear they will bring up the discussion about the feeding tube, and mom has made it very clear that she wants no feeding tube. I just hope my fears are premature, and we have some more time before the swallowing issue must be addressed.

Vacation Day

 Today was a vacation of sorts for us. I've not spent much time with the kids this summer, with all the craziness around moms illness. So we made a last minute decision to go to the lake and take the kids tubing, before school starts. My wife and I talked about taking mom on the trip, but though it might be too much for her. We called her sister and made plans for mom to spend the day with her sister while we were gone. This worked out well because her brother was in town from Mississippi, and she doesn't get to visit with him very often.

Mom spent the whole day with her sister and 2 brothers. She really enjoyed herself. I'll have to say, even though she enjoyed her stay, I still felt a little guilty going to the lake. But I think it was a welcome break for her and I both.

 

Mom with her sister and brothers.

Kids made mom a blanket

The kids and Allison went to the craft and fabric store today. They made mom a new blanket. She loves stuff from the kids that they make.

Discharge plans are set

Mom had another really good day.  The doctors met today and set moms discharge for August 4th Thursday. 

The Good Day Continued with a Visit from a Friend.

The rest of the day continued to be a good one. Right after dinner, one of moms really good friends, Pat, stopped in for a visit. They hung out for a good while. Mom showed a few more smiles, which is always nice. I hope tomorrow is as good as today was.

Good day

I had breakfast with mom this morning and she seemed very alert today. She ate everything. I decided to stay for some of her therapy today. Physical therapy had her walking with the walker at first and then without, and mom did very well. She then worked on stairs, sitting and standing from a chair, and side stepping over obstacles down the twin bars. Mom did amazingly well on all. Today was the first time I have seen her do any activities without assistance. We'll take as many good days as we can.