Moving Along

After an eventful night watching Dancing With the Stars with me, Mom has made even more progress today.

This morning, Dr. McDannald removed the "button" over her trach, since she had been doing so well with her breathing and swallowing. As Mom is becoming more coherent, she is growing tired of these little procedures. They make her nervous and wear her out. She also had the feeding tube removed last night, which she HATED and has not yet forgotten. But, she's eating like a champ, and, in one day, has already been upgraded from "nectar thickness" to thin liquids and chunkier foods. She's been eating really well. She ate all of her breakfast this morning (cream of wheat, yogurt and juice) and then scarfed down a smoothie that I took her (all 16 oz!). Tonight, I'm taking her some pureed clam chowder and mashed sweet potatoes. She's been asking for fish, so she should like the clam chowder. I supplement her hospital food with better quality, more appetizing stuff, but, so far, she likes the hospital food, too.

She worked with a Physical Therapist again today, also. Tomorrow, we're going to get her into a wheelchair, so she can go outside. I hear there's a nice atrium at the hospital, so we'll go check it out. She should be moving to another hospital soon, since she's improving. We're still figuring out what type of facility that will be, so we'll keep you posted as it becomes more clear. We do know, for now, she'll remain in Northern CA, until she's better able to travel.

More later.

love,
jennifer