This is an update from the “The Adventure Continues” post when I reported that Mum was doing really well …
"Those of you following our story will recall she was hospitalised in August following long term use of Asprin which had damaged her stomach lining. Well, she was taken off asprin and out on Omeprazole. Being a very sensitive person and one who does not take medicines by choice, she struggled to adjust and it took a while for her stomach issues to resolve but two months on, we feel that might have been achieved and she really has been so much happier.
Mum never had a plateau that she stayed at and has been on a continuous improvement from a very severe position from which she was not expected to recover or improve. But she has proven all the cynics, naysayers and experts wrong as she is healthier and stronger today than at any point since she had her stroke over six years ago."
Since that post, she is now totally off her medication and naturally, it is taking a while for her body to adjust to the no contaminants in her body.
Whether related to that or not, she had what we believe was a seizure yesterday but we managed it well and she is doing fine. In fact, by the end of the day she was getting back to her usual self and today is anything she seems better than ever.
That’s the thing about Mum, anytime she is hit with something, she just comes back stronger and hence the title of this post.
Mum has never plateaued and her progress has always been upwards and yes, there have been the step back after the two steps forward, but she continues to amaze.
There is more I can tell you but it can wait.
There is no better or more rewarding job than caring for Mum
Reading this in awe and inspiration at the same time, had my first early start in months (05:00) and came back to check on dad he was delirious so two call to 111 deal with medics and 15 hours in A&E. He was admitted but released today at 17:00, I’m struggling but despite pneumonia he looks fine.
Your mum is an inspiration and a proper trooper sending well wishes and long may her recovery continue.
Mum is sending good vibes to all fellow stroke survivors and in fact anyone who wishes to receive them. She is truly amazing and people used to love being around her and in her company. Sadly, many have now deserted her, but she holds no ill will. She never bears grudges and always sees things from the other persons perspective which allows her to move on.
She has been and remains an inspiration for many.
Today she has been super well. I honestly feel she will make a full recovery from her stroke, as improbable and as absurd this might sound. I can only look at the facts and the evidence and how she has defied all stereotypical beliefs around strokes, age, etc. etc. She has fought off the “poisons” that she has had to endure because she was unable to vocalise and express her views and those who made choices on her behalf did so through ignorance or without full facts and understanding.
@ManjiB Your mum is a strong spirit a fighter, but with you as her son supporting her all the way she finds strength an resilliance to overcome. God bless you all as a family
Mum is indeed strong willed - you’d have to be with all she’s been through and I am not just talking about post-stroke!
I think you are right, we all depend on each other and draw strength from each other. Mum knows she can get help from myself and my sisters and we know she is here for us and she is as she could have given up six years ago when she had the stroke, she was 89 years old after all, and according to some she’s had a “good innings”. Not her, she wanted more or she thought her little brats still needed her
She is such a joy to have around, even when she’s bawling her head off for half the night as she fights whatever is ailing her at the time.
I trust all is well with you - I can’t remember whether you sorted out your varifocals or not, but that’s what comes to mind
Your mum is a true inspiration. She continues on despite everything and as you say gets stronger day by day. She may, in years, be older than most of us but I am sure she will outlive us all.
Her family, you, must all get your strength & tenacity from her.
Thanks Wolfie - this is one of my favourite songs of all time, made all the more memorable because when this was in the charts a certain Christopher Tarrant used to play it on his breakfast time radio show and he used to be tickled by the lyrics,
He drinks a whiskey drink
He drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
I personally love the below and sometimes I sneak it in on some of my communications to see if anyone spots it )
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times.
Mum is happily sitting on the edge of her bed unsupported for up to 40 minutes.
During this time, she rocks from side to side and back and forth but she is totally aware of where she is and what she needs to do to bring herself back to the middle and sit up straight.
She uses her left hand to push and support herself back to the middle when she ends up leaning to her left and she seems to be using her stomach and back or other muscles to correct herself when she leans right, forth or back. Watching her do this is just incredible - she has so much strength.
She has happily “walked” for 30 minutes on her leg exerciser. Whilst not weight bearing i.e. she is sat in her wheelchair when she does this exercise/activity, her legs are moving. I compare this to the light movement activities in things like Tai Chi or Yoga and to me continuously moving in this manner for 30 minutes with no adverse effects is just amazing.
One other thing she does is using Revitive medic for 15 minutes - electrical stimulation of her leg muscles.
All these things make it so worthwhile and hopefully, she can build on this and then perhaps become weight bearing and start walking - she already has demonstrated she can sit perched full tilt on the riser recliner and this is not that far off being weight bearing - she just requires a bit more help and strength to lift her bottom off the chair.
I love reading all this, your mum has come a long way. Though it may not seem far to some reading this, but considering what she came back from, it’s amazing how well she is doing, just wish I could meet her
Lorraine - you are 100% right. Someone reading this might think I’m some sort of nutter, but until you have been on this journey starting with her lying in bed for over a month and being told to say our good byes to her and then seeing her today sitting on the edge of her bed for 40 minutes unaided and being risk aware and resetting herself each time she tilted you may struggle to understand what the fuss is all about.
Just now she asked to be changed (freshened up).
Then I put her on her back for the night thinking she has spent a few hours on her side and so she would benefit from a positional change. Within a few minutes of me turning out the light, she called again. So I knew she was not happy on her back so I asked which side she wanted to be on, the left or the right.
I explained she had already been on the Left prior to the pad change but it’s her choice. I asked again and said she has to choose …
… well she did just that.
And as our friend Michelle @Mich-mm would say “Another first” - she used her left hand to indicate she wanted to be turned (I had put her on the right hand side because I thought that is what she would want) and put on her left hand side.
That is a clear indication if there was any doubt that her brain is fully functional but she has struggled until now to communicate. No longer
It seems to me (and Roland @pando hinted at that when I reported that Mum was drug free) that the recovery could now be at an exponential rate. That is what believe and we have always believed she would walk and talk again and as you rightly say
There will come a day when I you will get to meet her.
I already mentioned this earlier either here or on another post, but there is no harm in reporting good news or feel good factors
She is drinking water by mouth - comfortably
She is sitting on the edge of the bed for up to 40 minutes unaided (but with support at hand) and risk aware i.e she does not tilt forward and risk falling off, she corrects her position
She “walks” on the leg exerciser for 30+ min albeit whilst sat in her wheelchair, but that is 30+ minutes of continuous leg movement
She is able to sit out on the commode (but this needs a bit more work) and when this has been perfected we’ll be at yet another level as this will get rid of all the issues that arise from having to do your toileting needs in a pad whilst lying in bed
She engages in conversations - stops to think or understand and then answers (Ok no words, but she is clearly saying things)
She has attended a large family gathering for the first time since the stroke and had no adverse reaction e.g. noise, crowds. Just sat there as cool as a cucumber whilst members of the family greeted her.
I don’t know what she will do next, but nothing will surprise me because I know she is totally capable of doing anything she wants to - it really is up to her. She has done all this, pretty much by herself (director). We (carers) have merely been facilitators.
Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement.
@ManjiB reading what your mum can do,brings me such joy.getting her legs moving will prevent the contractures,aquinovarus I now have.i’ve been learning to sit at the side of my bed and get up from lying,it’s exhausting but I manage.
Her firsts may seem minor to some. But they are monumental to her, and to you all, when you consider how much of the brain has had to restore/retrain to get to that point.
Just the sitting on the side of the bed for 40 minutes takes an awful lot of brain work to achieve. The connections the brain requires to control muscles and tendons, establishing the body’s centre of gravity, maintaining, readjusting position, etc, is a lot of brain work we take for granted in a normal healthy body. We don’t even think to consider what it takes the brain to get the body to site upright.
And doing that exercise is building and strengthening her core stability…ready for the next step in her comeback
Lorraine
I love that bit, I used to something similar before I could speak again. Just because you you can’t speak doesn’t mean there’s no need to understand or let people know you have an opinion even if you can’t say it
Honestly Lorraine (I find that a weird phrase - “Honestly”, it suggests I might be/have been lying but it is just a quirk of the English language or perhaps my interpretation of it), I can’t sing any higher praises of Mum.
Everything she does is beyond comprehension, but I guess we are too used to it - she has been like that all her life
In spite of and perhaps because of all the 'orrible things that have happened to her (and continue to happen) we couldn’t be more proud of her.
Another little story - when the “rookie” GP was doing her examination and blagging her way through it - Mum noted that and she signalled to her (agency) carers and the carers had a little chuckle because Mum has pulled them up when they have tried to pull a fast one.
It’ll feel like a long slow slog at times but the benefits are worth it, so we won’t allow you to give up anyway😉 I know you’ve had a few more firsts, but how’s the speech coming on Michelle?
@ManjiB i know my daughters love me but they don’t have the dedication you show to your mum.my youngest daughter came for a physio session and rather than help me put on a pair of trousers she called a carer.
Hello Michelle - would you like your daughter to help you put your trousers on?
As I don’t know your daughter, I can only speculate as to why your daughter called a carer to help you rather than help you herself.
As you know you are well loved by your daughters and they are there to support you. Indeed, your youngest was there for your physio session, which clearly is a form of dedication is it not?
Speculatively, and assuming she would normally have helped you, maybe on this occasion there was something she herself needed to do and knowing help was at hand she used the outside help so she could do the thing she needed to do.
Speculatively, and assuming she feels uncomfortable helping you (don’t ask me why, some people are uncomfortable for whatever reason), she may have again taken the opportunity to use the help available and not go through the discomfort.
Speculatively, and assuming she would like you to be more independent, this might be her ways of promoting independence, though to be fair, asking a carer to do it is not quite promoting independence?
Loving someone, caring for someone, helping someone, these are all things that can be done in many ways and there is not always a direct relationship with these acts or actions.
You could always ask her why she does not/did not help you, or you could do better. Next time she is with you, ask her to help you get dressed or something and she how she responds - does she do as you ask, or does she seek to detach herself from the request and call a carer to help you.
