She speaks in complete sentences! All the tubes are removed! She's eating soft foods!
Wow! What a change a week makes! I wish I'd brought a camera -- Terri is as presentable as one would ever get after having been in the hospital for 3 or 4 weeks.
This visit was a joy, and we actually spoke a bit. I told Terri that the members of Susan's Place are rooting for her, and in their thoughts and prayers. She appreciated that.
But Terri is not completely recovered yet. Lucid moments were interspersed with retreats into a bit of a mental fog. This is normal and understandable at this stage in her recovery. Also her legs aren't working well, her fine motor skills are still reduced, and the volume of her voice is really low. These are some of the areas the rehabilitative therapists will need to work on.
We chatted a bit about the lack of fashion (and comfort) in hospital gowns. Terri said they exchanged them every so often, but she had no choice in the new one -- she got whatever they brought.
Terri took a phone call from one of her daughters and chatted for a bit, seeming brightened by the conversation. Mostly Terri talked with Andrea about this'n'that -- I tried not to eavesdrop on this conversation.
Andrea said that they'd be moving Terri to a rehabilitation facility in Vallejo, California, as soon as a bed became available. (Vallejo is 70 miles from Sacramento...) Terri didn't feel the distance was that great, but Andrea complained that she wouldn't be able to visit every day when Terri was moved there.
I asked Terri if she was up to using a laptop computer yet. This was one of those fuzzy moments, and Terri seemed unsure of how to answer the question. I continued that it would give her something to do, that it would provide practice at typing and writing, and it would help relieve the boredom. At this (boredom,) Terri admitted that her stay in the hospital was mostly boring.
Sorry, I forgot to check the cards envelope for any new get-well cards. Terri did have one new stuffed animal in the bed with her -- a gift from one of Susan's Place members.
After we left (their granddaughter Moraiah was getting restless, as only 5-year-olds can,) I asked Andrea if they'd be able to get Terri a laptop. She said that Dale's laptop wasn't working, and that she (Andrea) had looked on eBay, but the prices she'd seen are too steep. Andrea thought that at Terri's rate of progress, she'd be able to really use a laptop in a month or two.
This from me (Haz). Is there any way we can pool donations to get Terri a used but working laptop? It doesn't have to be all that fast, or have all the latest bells and whistles. But it should handle wordprocessing and be able to be hooked up to a LAN, assuming a LAN is available at the rehabilitation center. I could donate $25...
Haz
