update on my nanny who had the stroke

Thanks for the update and I'm glad it's good news. It will be happy holidays after all, it seems.

TONI

I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers. And God keep you all close not matter what He decides to do.

Thanks for the up-date, Peg. You, I'm sure, don't need advice from me, but I'm so very full to here with it!

For a month or so the brain is swollen and in the process of absorbing the dead tissue. This puts pressure on the undamaged part and decreases the blood flow. It'll be months and months before you'll get a real feel for how much she's lost and what she has left. Maximum improvement usually takes a year to a year and a half. She'll need someone (you?) to not panic and relate to her as though all-is-well, time-is-long and what-the-heck: nobody is perfect. She'll probably try to cover up, and a lot of semi-gibberish will come out of her mouth. Remind her of her injury once in a while, don't go along as though nothing has changed, but DO try your best to interpret what she is trying to say. Don't push. You'll get the knack. Shared memories are tools. I bet'cha she has a lot more of her real self left than anyone will admit. Still, it's a brand new chapter in her life and social interfaces will be very different than what she's used to. One last: YOU are not everything to her! Don't try. Praise her bravery. If my guess is right, she'll help you through this as much or more than you do her. What will be, will be.

Love and best wishes.
Bob

well i went to see her today.. and everyday is new to all of us.... she looked good, and we went and watched her have her therapy today ( my 1st time seeing this) she did WELL she was kicking her one foot when the dr asked her to, she was able to sit up when asked.. and she was able to take and hold some plastic colored cones from the dr. when asked to do so.....
nanny also did alot of word search puzzles and we brought in her book and was handing it to her and asking her.. " saying nan, do you remmber , you like to do these puzzles and she attempted to try to nod her head.. she also was flipping through the pages of the book one handed before she lost her grip and dropped it.. so again, good signs ide say...

she looks very dazed and we are all wondering if she may not be able to see?:( my mom is taking this very hard, and is thinking negative and i keep telling her not too.... time will tell.... but nanny can hear us and squeeze our hand when we ask etc... im happy with what i have sen since day 1 .. 3 weeks ago.....sad thing is , is that me and my mom have been the only ones to see her.... but as long as she knows we are there things will work out.:)


bob,

thank you for sharing the information with me...ive tried to get some information online as to how to help and work with stroke victims and didnt come up with much other then what it really is and what its done to the body... so any other helpful sites info. ide surely appreciate.....
the nurses told us, YES talk to her as she is normal( lack of better wording) and include her, so ive been telling her what day it is, talking about weather, tv shows, how her great granddaughter is doing( my lil girl who is
i also told her i'de come back and do her nails for her.....we can see her moving her mouth alot and tryin to speak as to making moaning sounds which is also a plus!
another thing one of the therapist had said while we were there a few days back is keep her awake while we are there daily..... n talk with her etc... and she noted my nanny seemed like she didnt want to acknowledge we were there and was ignoring us on purpose????? grin*** so we kept at it and was able to keep her up for a lil while ... they have been giving her tylenol for pain? i keep forgetting to ask the nurses about this and why? are they usually in pain?

ive got so many questions to ask on all this and im going to make an appt. with her dr./nurses to sit with them and get as much information as i can... ive been so busy and running and when im there.. it just keeps slipping my mind.. thanks again for taking the time to write to me and offer help and suggestions... i sincerely appreciate it.. all my best, be well, peggy and family

Peggysue, best of wishes to youand your nanny!

It's very hard to see a person in that condition, but the more contact you have with her as a family, or individually, the more she is likely to come back. Touching her arm and talking to her normally will help calm her and will also convey how much you love her.

When my stepkids were in a near fatal auto accident, and the younger daughter was in a coma for quite some time, I watched the recovery of all the heart patients who were taking the same type of rehavilitation training as our daughter finally did when she came out of the coma. The heart patients did remarkable! They went from nearly totally disabled, to speaking with a slur, to being up and about and proudly regaining their lives. The transformation was infinitely more rapid than I ever thought possible for them (not the same with brain injury patients unfortunately).

Reading to her, talking to her, and brushing her hair are things that can bring a lot of joy. Painting her nails is a very kind and well considered act also. Playing music that she enjoys will greatly aid in making her day more pleasant - just nothing sad though, or anything that brings back back memories,

If she has any tubes in her still (down her throat, or even the IVs in the arm), they are likely giving her some pain medication to ease some of the discomfort from that. Obviously they can't give aspirin because it's a blood thinner, so the Tylenol is probably their drug of choice.

You can even make a game of trying to figure out what she wants, so long as you don't tire her out doing that. I was always able to tell by the fluctuatons in blood pressure and heart rate when I hit a topic that was meaningful.

You have the right attitude to not give up and just do what you instinctively know she will like. When I later talked to my daughter about what she remembered about the coma, she did not remember the coma when asked directly, but it was obvious some of what we did got through to her, since she would mention things later that she could only have known when she was alert to her surroundings (like when I got a pair of new tennis shoes for her that pinched the side of one of her feet and hurt or when we read her a particular story). She was a vegetable, as far as we could tell then, although the doctors said she was technically "out of the coma." So, never give up on believimg that your nanny can hear you and know what you are saying. She will always recognize the love you have for her and that heals better than any medicine yet known to mankind

I'm glad to hear that you're finally seeing some positive progress with your grandmother. Peg, please keep us updated as her health continues to improve. A lot of people are pulling for her...