Mom is doing very well. She's recovering from surgery; still has some pain but that's understandable since she's not taking much pain med (doesn't like the side effects).

She was a bit tired yesterday, but weathered through some PT (walked with walker down the halls and did more strength building exercises) and was sitting up in her chair when we visited late-morning.

The staff at Pac Spec has been very attentive and considerate. Seems like they still may need to work out her tube-feeding schedule so it doesn't conflict with her meal schedule - she's just not hungry enough to eat much solid food.

G-Tube Surgery today

Looks like my post from last week didn't post. Things continue to go well for Mom. She continues to get stronger and build her endurance. She uses her walker and is able to travel longer and longer distances on foot. She has a new wheel chair - much more comfortable, she says, so she is able to sit up for longer periods of time. PT is going really well. They have her doing more standing exercises and more variety on the machines.

Speech therapy is also going well. She's regularly eating soft solids at every meal, without assistance. Also, she's drinking liquids of all thicknesses unsupervised.

G-Tube surgery was this morning. I just got a call from the surgeon who confirmed that it all went well. No challenges or problems. They are keeping her in the hospital overnight for observation. She is thrilled to have the tube out of her nose finally.

The up-swing continues

Mom says she's feeling the best she's felt in the last 10 months. She seems very strong and is doing very well.

She continues to push herself during PT. She walked the length of her room (about 12 steps) using her walker, rested, then continued down the hall another 10 steps or so. Longest walk so far.

She has started complaining about being bored - a great sign, I think. She's actually enjoying watching a little TV; she has finished every crossword she has so far; and - most importantly - she is knitting again (slippers).

On Thursday we had a consultation with a surgeon to install a G-Tube. She is looking forward to getting this done. The tubes down her nose/throat cause her so much irritation and are hindering her eating solid foods. It will be more comfortable for her all around. I hate for her to go through the procedure and have one more thing to recover from, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort.

We may be possibly seeing the scant beginnings of a dim light at the end of this long tunnel. Maybe. She still has some milestones to overcome, so who knows what might still happen while she's staying in that facility. No one will even try to speculate on how long until she can go home, but she is motivated and eager to get there.