As I sit here with my hot cocoa, I have decided to write about my most recent experience that I don't quite have the doctor's notes on just yet.
Very recently, my husband and I made the trek to a couple of my therapy appointments.
Enjoy the view of my wonderful medical center! This one is a new one for me, and one I'll be calling my second home for a little while. No, it doesn't mean I'm staying there. It just means I'll be visiting it at least once a week for a bit.
My husband smiles, takes it in, and gets his calendar out to schedule my appointments. He, too, wants me to survive and this year is my year to kick it all into gear!
Any appointment that he absolutely cannot make it to, I will be using the VPAS services that my AMAZING case manager through Brain Injury Connections of the Shenandoah Valley got me connected to. She really has connected me to a lot of things, like music therapy. But we will get into that another post!!
Anyways, let's not go off on another tangent!!
Medical center - stay focused!
My first therapy session was with speech. They gave me applesauce to try and eat. They both noticed that I take two swallows to swallow my food - regardless of what it is! Then they gave me a graham cracker to try and made sure I had water nearby. With the graham cracker I had small pockets of food on the side of my cheek, which I felt, and they agreed that was good I knew it was there because some people don't. That could be a potential choking hazard if I didn't even know it was there! Once they saw it was there, I took a drink to get it to swallow down. At this point, I can only eat small bite-sized foods. I stick with cooked veggies, tuna, shrimp, and crab. No crackers or raw veggies for me! We are also taking in the meats one at a time. I have already found that I can't eat chicken as it gives me a horrible headache when I do.
They then had me open my mouth as far as I could! Which isn't far... did I mention my dentist LOVES me!? I have a limited mouth opening and definite facial paralysis. Which I knew, but they are going to help me out!!
I then got to say made-up words super-fast - well, as fast as I could say them! Which isn't fast at all. And they taught me how to use a straw! The right side of my face is stronger than the paralyzed side, so I put the straw in my right side, curl it up with my tongue to direct the fluid to the back of my throat and this way I don't spill or use my hands! Normally I have to use my hands to get my lips around the straw - but now I don't!! I have even been trying it at home!!
So now when we go to a restaurant, I can drink out of a straw and look normal doing it! I don't have to be self-conscience about drinking!!
Now...off to OT!
She did an evaluation as well to see where I am and what I need help with.
She suggested getting a couple pairs of blue-light eyeglasses and taping one lens on one pair and the other lens on the other pair. We are to use the clear (semi) medical tape and that way the eye that's covered that day doesn't focus on anything and I won't see double vision AND I won't have to wear eye patches anymore!!! I think that alone is the best news ever. Then after my surgeries we can start minimizing the tape here and there until it gets better!
Another thing she suggested is having a vacuum cleaner on all three of our floors so I can vacuum as I please and don't need assistance getting it up and down the stairs. I don't carry things on stairs. I don't feel comfortable using stairs - period. She is helping me regain my independence so I can feel like me again. We are starting small!! But it's a start somewhere.
These therapies may seem minimal to some - but therapy is life changing for me. Learning how to drink out of a straw is HUGE! Being able to safely clean again is HUGE! This way I can help my husband as he has picked up A LOT since my accident and I would like to try and ease my way into helping again.
These are weekly. This year is going to be a GREAT year. I can feel it. God is orchestrating so much and has opened so many new doors for me. The old me would say something along the lines of...'if only others could be in my life now to see this.' But the new me doesn't have the time to dwell on the recent past.
Here's to the best new future that the new me is creating!!
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