My husband used to be a very anxious person, but the stroke seemed to take that away.  Which is a lucky thing!  If your grandmother was worried, she probably wouldn't be interacting with you so well, is my thought.

Thanks for the morale!

Cipeko, I'm trying to catch up on your blogs and I see you are saying she is looking toward the windows.  Tell me... does anyone ever get her up out of bed?    If they taught the family how to move her safely (?) maybe she would like to sit by the windows and look out?    Is there a PT that will come to the house to continue her physical therapy?

Cipeko, the thing about the sleep is this.  It's not good to KEEP them asleep.   What it is, is that most strokers have so much exhaustion, and so LETTING them sleep is good for them.    She seems to be awake a lot, maybe because she is not moving enough?    That may be causing her some boredom and starting depression?    Most strokers do take a light anti-depression med to help them not dwell on all they can't do, and keep working for improvement. 

I guess my big question is, did they teach the family how to get her up out of bed.    Staying in bed a lot can cause pneumonia, and if you can safely get her up it would be better for her, and use some of her energy too.    You mention her looking toward the windows.   Perhaps she would like to sit by them so she can see out?    Just watch her so she won't try to get up on her own, and fall.    That is one thing to watch for, them trying to do things when you are not looking, that they are not ready to do alone.

I will say that Bob wears diapers and usually sits in his wheelchair, but occasionally sits on a regular chair.   At that time, I put a half a bedpad under him, because you never know when there will be a leak and ruin the furniture!    Just saying....

You are all doing great!

Hello Sandy,

Thanks for your detailed comment.  Coming to your question, noone taught us to get her out of bed, since she has the NG pipe through her nose, we all thought she should stay layed down all the time, but you are right, she might be bored, she might want to move around a little bit.  Her right leg,arm are completely paralysed, she cant move...she can hardly keep her head still, that's smthg I spotted when we want to raise her in the bed, to let her sit on her bed, she can't keep her head still... =(  Maybe we can make her sit down on a wheelchair with her diapers, and move around the house...? I'll talk to my mom about this.

About PT sessions, they will start 10 days later, as the hospital PT department wants to have her in the hospital for 2 weeks, to teach her to walk via one foot and a cane perhaps or a walker, am not sure what their plan is.

And you are right about the sleep, we kind of let her sleep because we feel like there's nothing else to do, and that's a shame really....

I will tell you how things went with Bob.   First about the feeding tube.   The speech therapist is the one that does test and decides if they still need it.   I'm trying to remember.. did you say she COULD eat, but wasn't eating enough, so that is why they use it?    IF SO, does she understand that if she will eat enough, she can be free of the tube?     I don't understand how they expect you to run back and forth to the hospital with a tube and do therapy. (?)   

Before Bob left the rehab at the hospital, they would get him up and he would "walk" him.   One would be on a stool with wheels beside him, and she would move his paralized leg forward, the other was standing ont he other side, holding on to his gait belt and also dragging a wheelchair behind him, incase he started to fall.   The gait belt is a strudy belt you can put around them and use to balance them, rather than pulling on their arms, which can damage them.   He had no use of his stroke arm/hand, so couldn't use a walker, but used a hemi-walker.    That is a very sturdy half walker that people with one hand can be secure on

If you read the one I just wrote about HOTWHEELS CONVENTION, you can see Bob wearing a blue one.   You put your hands on either side of the buckle to help lift them up or down.   When they walk, you put your hand thru the back with your fingers pointing up.   If you put your fingers pointing down, and they start to fall, their head will point down as you try to right them back up.    If your hand/fingers are pointing up, it keeps their head up.   The usual color is white, but sometimes you can find them in colors.

When he was in rehab, they did e-stim on his leg to get the big toe moving.   They put the electrical patches on the front of his shin and it would just make the big toe move a little.    When he came home, the only thing he could do was stand with my assistance, pivot, and sit down with my assistance.   That was usually done to get in and out of bed.

Early in his stroke, Bob had the trouble eating too.   It's not the food didn't taste like GOOD food, it didn't taste like food at all.   The stroke affected the taste and it was a horrible taste   he experienced.    He was able to tolerate this special ice cream they had that had vitamins in it.    When he understood he could be free of the tube when he ate enough, he began to eat.   I would put it in his mouth and he would like at me like 'WHAT DID YOU PUT IN MY MOUTH! AHHHH!"    But I just said, it's already in there, it's just as much trouble to spit it out the front as swallow it down the back, and if you swallow it, you can get rid of the tube faster.   Soon his taste came back and food tasted normal again.   But of course, he was cleared to eat, and I was given a list of things to not give him.    Like, don't mix textures.   Not Rice Krispies and milk because you would have the little cereals that swam in milk, and it would be too different in his mouth.   Not vegetable soup, with broth and then a few vegetables, but cream soup, with none of the lumps of meat.   A soft noodle/chicken casserole would work well, because it was all the same consistency.  Mashed potatoes.   I just don't know if your grandmother was found to have any swallowing/chewing problems.

My photobucket pages of Bob's rehab put the newest pics on first, so you have to start with the furthest page (4) at the bottom, and then go to the bottom of page 3, and so forth.  If you want to see him in rehab, this is page 4, the beginning:

http://s139.photobucket.com/user/cozyhomelife/library/Bob%20Stroke%20Rehab?sort=3&page=4

Hello Sandy, I really dunno how to thank you, just been through the photos and videos of Bob...I felt happy seeing the improvement in his rehab.  He was cutting grass in one video and in the other climbing the stairs, etc...great to see them!

I just showed them to my mother, and tried to convince her to get grandma to get rid of the feeding tube asap and start physiotherapy somehow.  I'm amased how 2 pts are involved with a patient in Bob's photos...But could you please tell me how long has Bob had to stay in the hospital ? and when did they start physio? and when did they discharge him home (after the Bob got rid of the feeder tube maybe?)

Thanks a million again.  Mom will call in a PT this week and see if we could change grandma's posture somehow.  We are still unsure on how to make grandma keep her head still...etc...

Healthy and happy days to all out there.

Cagin

ha, ha, you had me wondering where you saw him cutting grass!   He was trimming the bush with one hand on the porch!    Maybe she could use one of those soft foam neck supports?