A new visitor

Yesterday Kris and I joined Kathy and Mike in an evening visit.  Kris and I got the wrong room and were confronted by the gloves, gowns, and masks to prevent infection warning signs.  We snuck around and peeked into other people's rooms until we finally saw Mike and Kathy, in a room conveniently situated across from the nurse's station.  He hasn't been sleeping well lately, so they put him on camera surveillance during the evening with a nifty hidden spy camera in the TV.  They've got him pretty well staked out there.

Since this was my first visit, I wasn't sure what to expect, mostly because it seems that every day a new improvement is made or something has changed.  But, to continue in the tradition of constant surprises, Howard took one look at me and said, "Sorry I couldn't be there to stir up the pot", referring to my college graduation last Saturday.  Grandpa was really shining through.  Happily for us, that poignant comment seemed to set the tone for the whole visit.

Howard-isms, as Anna calls them, were coming up like crazy.  "What does the vet say about this?" Howard asked the nurse, who was understandably confused by the question.  "No", we explained, "That's what he's always called Doctors".  "You're a good boy" was a popular one today, even with the nurses, who smiled at the compliment.

Howard mentioned to the nurse that I'm my way to be a Doctor and seemed very proud.  While the nurse was working Howard asked me, "Is he doing this right?  Is he a good one?"

"Of course he is", I said, "he's a good one.  You should trust him".  Maybe the extra motivation helped him swallow two large tylenol pills with water---a big step and advancement from what I had heard about his eating habits even a week ago.  The young nurse was very patient and kind with all of us.  Howard was full of sass for him, but the nurse was pretty quick and was able to keep him on track with the daily nursing routine. 

Lots of winks and smiles came my way today, showing me that the real grandpa is starting to re-emerge.  He seemed to be in high spirits overall and was more smiles than winces.  He was able to wiggle toes on both feet and could feel the nurse touching his toes.  

From what I've seen from my time at the UW speech clinic, he's doing incredibly well.  He recalled the name of Kris's bakery (though he said it was Chinese food), knew that he went to college at U of I and knew it was 2009.  He quickly recognized us and knew our names.  His brain is obviously churning hard with thought and working overtime to recover from 5 weeks of non-use.  He does particularly well when we stay on topic, especially with things he cares about, like his clients or the family.  Jumping around too quickly trips him up, but he gets there if we give him enough time to respond.  

I think a time will come soon that the dynamics of the situation will change for the better.  Today, he was more often than not in the present moment.  Getting over the hump of regaining orientation is tough, but once that happens we'll be able to start working on the little things and have longer, more meaningful conversations.  

It was a good visit and we'll back back a few more times before we leave.  Here's to a speedy recovery.

---Sarah