Walking and Talking
We began our day with our daily dressing ritual, easing Chester's legs into compression stockings, choosing what colors to wear, wiggling his shoes on. After a breakfast of Kix and bananas, I ran to the drug store for a few things and when I returned at 8:55, Chester was all set and ready for his physical therapy session. Chester and his therapist agreed to go "beyond the walls" of the apartment complex and so we all drove to downtown Berkeley and Chester practiced walking city streets and crossing the street in the time allowed by the traffic light. The biggest challenge of "city block walking" is all the people- lots of folks just rushing along, and even with the three of us- Chester and his cane, Doreen walking alongside, and myself following with the wheelchair, many folks cut right in front of Chester. So it is a practice and a challenge for him to stay focused and steady with all the extra stimuli and obstacles of the parade of Berkeleyites rushing by.
We returned home after walking about three city blocks, a full two hour adventure, and had just 30 minutes until speech therapy. I heated up fish and mixed-root-mash for lunch. As Chester was eating, he approached me about my "distraction" over the past few days, and took the time to offer me some beautiful supportive touch as I grieved a moment for all the illness and loss in my family in recent weeks. Even with all of his physical challenges, he is still such a powerful ally, still has the ability to reach inside and touch the most tender and vulnerable places.
After his speech therapy session, Jaime arrived just as Chester was sitting in bed for a rest. The three of us sat together and finished the application for Medi-Cal, which will be a HUGE relief if Chester gets approved. He is absolutely eligible, so we are all confident that he will get enrolled and they will start taking care of the insurmountable medical bills that keep arriving daily. It felt great to finish the application, have Chester sign all the forms, and get them off in the mail. We'll keep you posted!
Then it was off to Dr. Fitzer's, Chester's general practicioner. He didn't have much new to say, but was very reassuring. He confirmed that Chester should up his dose of the anti-seizure medication, checked on his head wound progress, and said that his thrush looks mostly cleared up. So Chester will stop the thrush medication, and one less medication is always good news. It was a good visit, and Chester felt confident as we left.
This afternoon we talked about the level of cognitive impairment Chester is experiencing. He is starting to name and give voice to the confusion and unknowing that he has experienced for the past several months. I've noticed it for awhile, but we are now starting to name it more specifically. I told him that I have noticed only a mild progression of the cognitive impairment, and that I will be honest with him (and with you all) as I continue to bear witness. Currently, it mostly presents itself as mild confusion (that quickly clears when we offer him guidance or explanation), some memory loss, and the twins aphasia and apraxia that are compromising his speech. Ultimately, we agreed that he is cognitively impaired, but not incompetent. This distinction was important to name. We agreed to continue being easy with it, allowing and not struggling, and to be as fully conscious as we can be throughout.
The best thing about today was the amount of walking Chester was able to do. More and more, he is getting out of the wheelchair for all the short walks he can. Instead of rolling into the bathroom, he parks and walks in. To the car, in and out of the doctor's office, back home. . . Walking, Walking. He feels more and more confident with his stride and is glad to have the extra movement in his day.
So another good day here. The rest of the week is pretty quiet- a few rehab sessions, a visit with friends, lunch with Jaime on Friday. Nothing major. So I'll write if there is anything to report, or any hilarious moments to share. But know that Chester is feeling pretty good and making great strides.
We returned home after walking about three city blocks, a full two hour adventure, and had just 30 minutes until speech therapy. I heated up fish and mixed-root-mash for lunch. As Chester was eating, he approached me about my "distraction" over the past few days, and took the time to offer me some beautiful supportive touch as I grieved a moment for all the illness and loss in my family in recent weeks. Even with all of his physical challenges, he is still such a powerful ally, still has the ability to reach inside and touch the most tender and vulnerable places.
After his speech therapy session, Jaime arrived just as Chester was sitting in bed for a rest. The three of us sat together and finished the application for Medi-Cal, which will be a HUGE relief if Chester gets approved. He is absolutely eligible, so we are all confident that he will get enrolled and they will start taking care of the insurmountable medical bills that keep arriving daily. It felt great to finish the application, have Chester sign all the forms, and get them off in the mail. We'll keep you posted!
Then it was off to Dr. Fitzer's, Chester's general practicioner. He didn't have much new to say, but was very reassuring. He confirmed that Chester should up his dose of the anti-seizure medication, checked on his head wound progress, and said that his thrush looks mostly cleared up. So Chester will stop the thrush medication, and one less medication is always good news. It was a good visit, and Chester felt confident as we left.
This afternoon we talked about the level of cognitive impairment Chester is experiencing. He is starting to name and give voice to the confusion and unknowing that he has experienced for the past several months. I've noticed it for awhile, but we are now starting to name it more specifically. I told him that I have noticed only a mild progression of the cognitive impairment, and that I will be honest with him (and with you all) as I continue to bear witness. Currently, it mostly presents itself as mild confusion (that quickly clears when we offer him guidance or explanation), some memory loss, and the twins aphasia and apraxia that are compromising his speech. Ultimately, we agreed that he is cognitively impaired, but not incompetent. This distinction was important to name. We agreed to continue being easy with it, allowing and not struggling, and to be as fully conscious as we can be throughout.
The best thing about today was the amount of walking Chester was able to do. More and more, he is getting out of the wheelchair for all the short walks he can. Instead of rolling into the bathroom, he parks and walks in. To the car, in and out of the doctor's office, back home. . . Walking, Walking. He feels more and more confident with his stride and is glad to have the extra movement in his day.
So another good day here. The rest of the week is pretty quiet- a few rehab sessions, a visit with friends, lunch with Jaime on Friday. Nothing major. So I'll write if there is anything to report, or any hilarious moments to share. But know that Chester is feeling pretty good and making great strides.
posted by Chrys Curtis-Fawley at 7:35 PM
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