I just left from a two and a half hour visit and WOW! My son Tim and I were there with her, not much happening, Bettie in and out of sleep. Then about 5:30 I think, I opened my mouth for something and she opened hers. Then she got a kind of impish look on her face and then made a silly face. She was copying me, like it was a game. We went back and forth a number of times with her more responsive each time, lots of smiles, etc. I started talking to her and she repeated back a number of things I said.
About that time Veronica arrived and shared in our joyous interchange. Then Bettie and I began a hand squeezing game: I squeezed her hand three times and she repeated three, then added one more, like she was raising me one. Then I did four and she did four plus one. We went like that up to eleven!
Then Tim says: "Lets see about the right side". He began with some tickles on the bottom or her right foot and Bettie moved it. Then she raised it, then lifted the whole right leg up and down several times completely on her own. This is her "paralyzed" right leg we're talking about here. By this time the three of us helping her have to stop to wipe away the tears of joy.
Needless to say, we are very encouraged by this sudden and dramatic improvement. Especially when just yesterday the doctor said she may get worse before she gets better because of brain swelling. Tim and Veronica left and I spent another hour with her alone. When lucid, she could repeat whole phrases, after I got her started: "I feel better", "I love you", etc. She repeats these many times over as if she is studying a foreign language.
At one point a Dr Duncan came in. He was there to determine if Bettie was a candidate for a semi-permanent feeding tube in her stomach. I described her recent progress to him and he observed her briefly. (She has a feeding tube in her nose, but that is not good to leave too long. She got that because she failed a swallowing test on Wednesday). Dr Duncan's conclusion was that this latest improvement indicates it's too soon to give up on eventual oral feeding. We'll try the swallow test again soon and see where we are.
(At this point in adding to the blog the phone rang. It was my first boss at Boeing and good friend: Colonel Joe Jackson, calling for an update. I simply read him what I had just written. What an honor to have friends of his stature calling to give love and encouragement. Follow the link to Joe and you'll see why it is such an honor.)
Back to Bettie: I hated to leave her for the evening this time, but I was anxious to add to this post for the news to spread. I'll be there by nine in the morning, hopefully to meet with Dr Heide and see what he makes of all this. Meanwhile, I'm smiling through tears.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
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This was a very good day! I must admit I'm feeling selfish, but I really needed to see Bettie playing the hand squeezing game, funny faces, applying her own chap stick, and brushing her hair. I am encouraged, strengthened and renewed. I had been holding back the tears that had been just under the surface since the stroke. It is a blessing to finally let them fall while celebrating her accomplishments.
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