5.14.2009
So enough about me...
I haven't provided an update on my mom in law for some time. First, here's a recap, for those who may not know. (You can also read some of my other posts on the topic here, here, here, and here.)
A little over a year ago, my 67 year old mom in law began having severe headaches one weekend. They went to the doctor and had a brain scan, where they discovered a large tumor. She went to a neurologist, and fortunately they were quite confident the tumor was benign, but they felt it needed to be removed immediately, nonetheless. So her surgery was scheduled a few weeks later, which was May 29th of 2008. This was to be a relatively "routine" procedure as brain surgery goes, and it was said she would be in the hospital for a few days and then in a rehabilitation facility for a couple of weeks.
To make a long story short, leaving out a vast number of details because it would take all day...all did not go as planned. The tumor turned out to be much larger and more challenging to remove than they had anticipated, requiring more damage to her brain to remove than initially expected. Her recovery did not happen as planned, and the entire summer was spent in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. It took all summer, but eventually we figured out she had had a stroke shortly after the surgery (within hours) and was having seizures due to hydrocephalus (why it took three months to diagnose these things is another long and unfortunate story). In mid August she was put on anti-seizure medicine, and in early September she had a brain shunt put in to drain fluid. She also had a g-tube put in, and she has been in a nursing home ever since. The good news is that friends of the family run this home, and therefore we were all able to know she was receiving good care.
Progress has been hit-or-miss since September. She slowly regained some of her ability to communicate, and with physical therapy she made some strides in getting her mobility back. But it was slow going. In (I'm trying to remember) late February, my dad in law took her back to the neurologist for an evaluation, and was told she had improved more than any of the doctor's other patients. She was finally getting stronger, more alert, more able to participate in her various kinds of therapy.
So three weeks ago saw her moved to an excellent rehabilitation center, where she received hours per day of speech, occupational, physical, and daily-living therapy. She made huge strides, even as much as she complained about the "slave drivers" (her own words) and not having time to even watch TV while she was there. (She had become quite accustomed to watching TV for hours per day at the nursing home, because she couldn't do much else). When we visited her a few days ago, I couldn't believe the change -- I hadn't been there to the rehabilitation center, before so the improvement was incredible to me.
Her progress is no small victory, she has had to fight hard, as has my dad in law and all the people supporting him, to make this happen for her. He has advocated for her in huge ways to see that she gets all the care she needs, and he has been relentless in pursuing whatever treatments may help her to improve. Over the last few weeks he has spent countless hours at the rehabilitation center, learning how to care for her.
Well, yesterday, she finally went home, almost a year later. She still requires care, but care that is manageable by my father in law, with help. Last night, she slept in her own bed for the first time sine May 29th of last year. She can walk a few steps at a time and this is improving every day, she is learning to maneuver her wheelchair a bit, she is communicative, able to feed herself, able to help dress herself, able to use the bathroom with assistance, and many other things she hasn't been able to do for so very long.
To me, the most exciting part of all this is her personality. She's back. Finally. It's so beautiful to see her being herself, joking, laughing and being sarcastic. I remember -- way back last summer, in the most difficult days when the doctors said he probably ought to let her go, -- I remember telling my dad in law "She's still in there", even when it was so hard to believe. But it was true, she just needed time, help and healing for it to show again.
I'm now asking for your prayers, that my dad in law is up to the task of being her primary care-giver, that he doesn't become too fatigued, that mom continues to improve, and prayers of thankfulness that she has come so incredibly far. In August we weren't sure if she would even make it, and even a couple of months ago we still weren't certain she would ever go home. Now we're there. Amazing.
A little over a year ago, my 67 year old mom in law began having severe headaches one weekend. They went to the doctor and had a brain scan, where they discovered a large tumor. She went to a neurologist, and fortunately they were quite confident the tumor was benign, but they felt it needed to be removed immediately, nonetheless. So her surgery was scheduled a few weeks later, which was May 29th of 2008. This was to be a relatively "routine" procedure as brain surgery goes, and it was said she would be in the hospital for a few days and then in a rehabilitation facility for a couple of weeks.
To make a long story short, leaving out a vast number of details because it would take all day...all did not go as planned. The tumor turned out to be much larger and more challenging to remove than they had anticipated, requiring more damage to her brain to remove than initially expected. Her recovery did not happen as planned, and the entire summer was spent in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. It took all summer, but eventually we figured out she had had a stroke shortly after the surgery (within hours) and was having seizures due to hydrocephalus (why it took three months to diagnose these things is another long and unfortunate story). In mid August she was put on anti-seizure medicine, and in early September she had a brain shunt put in to drain fluid. She also had a g-tube put in, and she has been in a nursing home ever since. The good news is that friends of the family run this home, and therefore we were all able to know she was receiving good care.
Progress has been hit-or-miss since September. She slowly regained some of her ability to communicate, and with physical therapy she made some strides in getting her mobility back. But it was slow going. In (I'm trying to remember) late February, my dad in law took her back to the neurologist for an evaluation, and was told she had improved more than any of the doctor's other patients. She was finally getting stronger, more alert, more able to participate in her various kinds of therapy.
So three weeks ago saw her moved to an excellent rehabilitation center, where she received hours per day of speech, occupational, physical, and daily-living therapy. She made huge strides, even as much as she complained about the "slave drivers" (her own words) and not having time to even watch TV while she was there. (She had become quite accustomed to watching TV for hours per day at the nursing home, because she couldn't do much else). When we visited her a few days ago, I couldn't believe the change -- I hadn't been there to the rehabilitation center, before so the improvement was incredible to me.
Her progress is no small victory, she has had to fight hard, as has my dad in law and all the people supporting him, to make this happen for her. He has advocated for her in huge ways to see that she gets all the care she needs, and he has been relentless in pursuing whatever treatments may help her to improve. Over the last few weeks he has spent countless hours at the rehabilitation center, learning how to care for her.
Well, yesterday, she finally went home, almost a year later. She still requires care, but care that is manageable by my father in law, with help. Last night, she slept in her own bed for the first time sine May 29th of last year. She can walk a few steps at a time and this is improving every day, she is learning to maneuver her wheelchair a bit, she is communicative, able to feed herself, able to help dress herself, able to use the bathroom with assistance, and many other things she hasn't been able to do for so very long.
To me, the most exciting part of all this is her personality. She's back. Finally. It's so beautiful to see her being herself, joking, laughing and being sarcastic. I remember -- way back last summer, in the most difficult days when the doctors said he probably ought to let her go, -- I remember telling my dad in law "She's still in there", even when it was so hard to believe. But it was true, she just needed time, help and healing for it to show again.
I'm now asking for your prayers, that my dad in law is up to the task of being her primary care-giver, that he doesn't become too fatigued, that mom continues to improve, and prayers of thankfulness that she has come so incredibly far. In August we weren't sure if she would even make it, and even a couple of months ago we still weren't certain she would ever go home. Now we're there. Amazing.
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