Diann update 1-18-15: On the way to the hospital today I was thinking how great it is that Diann is in such good hands, and how that gives me one less thing to worry about. About 5 minutes into our visit, I noticed that her affected arm, resting on a pillow across the bed from me, looked a bit swollen. It was edemic, pretty seriously so, like a sausage. This is the arm her IV was currently in (as of day before yesterday). Theyve moved the IV several times, so its been in that arm twice before without issue. They moved it to her left arm, and temporarily suspended the saline. I dont know if this is to be expected sometimes with someone with her vein problems or not, but it gives me pause. Other than that, we had a good visit. She cried a lot more than yesterday, but not for long at a spell, some of which was because she still cant communicate much (she was especially upset when she couldnt tell the nurse about her edemic arm, but she said it didnt hurt). She did say a new phrase tonight: I know -- several times. I noticed her trying to look past me at one point, so I turned my head and saw that NCIS was on (its her favorite show). I said, Ohh, you finally get to see Jethro, huh? and she laughed and smiled. When I asked her if *she* found that channel, or someone else, she said I (did)! Her speech is getting i n c r e m e n t a l l y better, but enough that I can see it (but not enough that shes happy with the progress). So I encourage her and point out the improvements I see. Her consonants are very slowly coming back, and not yet distinct. Part of it may be mental, too, as when shes trying to talk she says, I, ummm and and, ummm a lot. Shell get there. Just not soon enough for Diann!
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 05:17:35 +0000