Yes, I know...I have the Burger King song stuck in my head!
But guess what!?
My first night at Sheltering Arms I did rule in a pretty grand way. I got 8 straight hours of sleep!! I'm really not sure if that has EVER happened to me. Maybe when I was super sick?
I did fall asleep at 10 at night and woke up at 6 in the morning. 6 is EARLY and 10 is LATE!
I really don't remember much of this time. It's what we call "amnesia" and maybe one day I'll gain some memory of it! But the rest of June...my first two weeks at Sheltering Arms - I don't remember!
I was nonverbal on my first day there; only nodding yes/no to questions. I had some pain at the trach site, but nothing they couldn't handle! When I first came to rehab, I was on 18 different medications!! I can say now that they luckily knocked that down to 7 before I left.
With my awesome blood tests, because they need to know what they have gotten themselves into, it shows that I have possible heart failure and a type of liver disease. My AST and ALT levels are high with low chloride levels. They did find a hemangioma on my liver, which is a small benign tumor!
With Occupational Therapy, is shown by evaluation that I need maximum help with self-care and all things related to it. With Physical Therapy, all evaluations were done by one of my favorite girls, Anna. I was in a wheelchair and couldn't really move much. I said I was in pain by making the face. The face that I made suggested my pain levels were at a 4. After my PT evaluation the pain in my face suggested I was at a level 2! I needed maximal assistance requiring the help of two people during my evaluation.
As of right now, the goal for everyone to see me achieve is to walk and talk better. They are giving me about 4 weeks to get this completed. My husband was there for all of the sessions to learn what he needs to do while there with me and when I eventually go home. He knows that he will need to care for me. Right now, my I am feeling confused and that is noted. I also can only open my mouth 1cm. So, they are keeping me on the tube feeds. When they brush my teeth, they have to use really thin liquids and they have a toothbrush with suction, so I don't choke.
First day, down! A month to go!
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