Progress in peculiar steps

RantWoman went to visit Jana tonight. This was kind of spur of the moment, a luxury afforded by living quite close to Harborview. Another friend D was visiting and the visit definitely had its laugh riot elements.

As RantWoman was arriving, D and Jana had managed to set off Jana's spiffy new bed alarm. Jana is not to try to get out of bed unaided. To assist with this rule, Jana is wired up to a bed alarm. The bed alarm has some wires on quite a short tether, to the point that sometimes if Jana moves her arm or tries to adjust something on her bed, the alarm goes off and a couple staff come hurrying in to make sure she is supported if she is going to get up.

In addition to the bed alarm, Jana now has rubber mats around her bed and sleeps with the bed in a very low position. She gets to be much less boxed in than when RantWoman visited on Sunday, but she also gets her fabulous bed alarm in case she gets carried away with activity.

RantWoman did not track all the details of what exactly happened with the bed alarm at the beginning but the problem was quickly dealt with and visitors sat back down while Jana finished her supper. RantWoman remembers the bed alarm getting disconnected for a bit while Jana ate on the solemn promise of everyone else present that the nurse would be summoned immediately if Jana wanted to get up for some reason. Then it was time for--peculiar progress item--using a commode, and not just using a commode but using a walker as part of the transfer process. This all still needs trained hospital staff summoned by pressing the call button, but it is still great progress.

The hospital staff usually encourage visitors to step out during such hygiene moments; while RantWoman was out, she noticed an elderly gentleman in a neighboring room who also was acting quite spry about wanting to get up and move around without his walker; a nurse also hurried to assist him.

RantWoman and D and Jana visited about numerous topic, another person we all know who is gravely ill, some other faces, adult children, Jana's trip to Finland with her family. RantWoman asked about the sauna and Jana said well the temps were in the 80's so people were not exactly dying to steam themselves further. On the other hand it was great weather for hikes to gather mushrooms and berries.

At one point Jana allowed as how she might like to read some of her favorite sci-fi: the Lord of the Rings, Ursula K LeGuin. Trying to read it herself sounded better to her than having someone read to her, a point RantWoman can definitely relate to for reasons needing another separate post.

Jana also said at one point, she feels like she is lying around playing. Despite the laugh-riot elements, neither D nor RantWoman thinks anything about the experience looks like playing. At one point Jana noticed that her glasses were dirty; D washed them and there was conversation about the miracle of the glasses surviving the accident but also problems about the lens coating. Jana said she thinks she gets to talk to someone about glasses problems tomorrow.

D and RantWoman hung around until C, another friend of Jana's arrived for overnight accompaniment on the pullout bed chair. C arrived just as the nurse was coming in with the next round of "fun," pills, a shot, and eye drops. Boy does Jana know how to party.


Last night's update email just for tracking purposes:

Jana continues to improve in many ways. The medical staff is pleased with her progress on cognitive tests and in her neurological exams. Jana has passed the speech pathologist's swallowing evaluation completely, and so she in now on an unrestricted diet. While Jana does not move her left leg leg much (it is the leg that had the surgery and is in a cast), it is expected that future physical therapy will greatly help it along.

The urinary tract infection has cleared up and the Foley catheter has been removed.

Jana had a number of visitors today and they were nicely paced. (Thank you all of you!) She decided that she wanted to be out of the bed and thus sat most of the day in either a regular hospital chair or in a regular wheelchair, while still wearing her back brace whenever out of bed. Warren and Jana even got to visit with some folks while out in a garden.

Jana is still, at times, trying to get out of bed when there is not adequate medical support for her. To make it less likely that she will hurt herself, Jana is now in a lower bed with rubber mats on the floor.

And best of all, Jana continues to be cheerful.

While Jana is getting closer to being discharged from Harborview, we still don't have a definite date nor location. But I will share that information as soon as I get it.

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