Thursday the 27th Update

Debbie called with our "progress report" today. Things are looking really good from the sounds of it. Lea Ann took her first actual shower this morning (sitting in the shower, but actually in it!) Said she, "Felt like a person again." Her therapies include two rounds of Physical Therapy daily and two sessions with Occupational therapy and one with speech therapy. They get breaks for lunch and somewhere in there, Jake and Debbie work her out twice a day. Whew! Makes me tired just listening to her! On Wednesday and Thursday Lea Ann had been having some numbness in her mouth and left hand that caused some concern for the therapists, so they ordered a CAT scan for precautions, which showed everything was fine. They told her that the numbness was good since everything's "waking up." She showed some progress with her right arm today in that she was able to shrug her right shoulder. And I guess the physical therapist almost fell over when Lea Ann impressed her so much by getting up on her hands and knees by herself! She's now able to get to the bathroom with assistance for balance. Jake really made her day and brought Macey, her cat, in to see her. Debbie said Lea was covered in cat hair when Jake left with Macey and Lea Ann just wanted to fall asleep. But momma wouldn't let her sack out until the bed linens and her clothes were clean again. :o)
Debbie said Lea Ann has good spirits most of the time, but has broke down on occasion. Like the psychologist said, "We'd be more worried if she didn't break down every now and then." She's laughing at herself from time to time. Debbie said she handed Lea Ann a comb and Lea Ann started combing her nose and got tickled. Like Debbie said, "You gotta laugh!" Lea Ann is even figuring out things that no one else would think about. For instance, Rice Krispies stick together on the spoon better than Cheerios, so she can maneuver the spoon to her mouth easier with a clump on it. I got tickled at that one.

The doctors were suppose to meet with the therapists today to re-evaluate Lea Ann's progress and maybe have a better time frame of her length of stay at Methodist. They want to keep her as long as possible for maximum one-on-one benefits and to get the most out of her therapy in the early recovery stages.

Rumor has it that Lea Ann got a chance to look at her blog yesterday, so make sure you're commenting to her! She's getting everything on here, so take a moment and jot her a line or two! Every ounce of encouragement means so much to her!

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt