What A Beautiful Day!!!

How was this for a "Chamber of Commerce Day" in Austin?! Danny took advantage of it and took Dad outside for about 45 minutes this afternoon! That's a great way to get some good Vitamin D!!!

Danny and Daddy had a great day together! They played two games of two-handed Texas Hold 'Em poker and Danny admitted that Dad beat him handily!!! I keep ribbing Dad about beating him at gin and had Danny tell him that, if he'll practice, I'll play him again some time! That got a big grin out of him! During the late afternoon, Dad caught Danny sleeping in the chair! Danny said that when he woke up Dad pointed at him and laughed out loud! The speech therapist says that laughing out loud is GREAT therapy to wake up his voice!

A father should be so lucky to have a son like Danny! He has been diligent with supporting what the therapists are doing and pushing Dad to work hard so they can go fishing! Dad takes pressure from Danny better than he does any of us! Today Danny was working with Dad's right leg and Dad lifted it up about 3 inches! That's the first time he has been able to do that! We are convinced that Dad will regain enough strength to walk! Lifting that leg on his own is the first step (no pun in tended!)!

Dad pointed to the clock today and Danny deciphered that he wanted Danny say out loud the days between now and Monday. Then Dad had Danny name the days again and made him stop on Saturday. He was telling Danny he wanted to go home tomorrow. Danny explained to him that we were getting his personal assistant and home health care lined up and Monday was the soonest that could happen. Patience is not Dad's best virtue, but he has sure learned to have more of it since his stroke! Hopefully he will remain patient until Monday!!!

Mom will be back at Reliant some time Saturday late morning and will stay with Dad during the day Saturday and Sunday and then drive him home Monday. Dad will not have any therapy Saturday or Sunday, so both days are good for visiting!

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Down to the wire!!!

Dad's therapists are all pouting because they know he's going home Monday! It's such a blessing that he is being treated by people who really care for him! The bed, wheel chair, walker, etc are due to be delivered to Mom and Dad's house Monday morning, so everything should be ready for him when he gets there! I'll be the first place he heads to is "his chair!!!" Mother will drive Dad home with Danny following. Jean will be at the house for the deliveries and several of the rest of the "kids" will be there when Mom and Dad arrive! Should be quite a homecoming! Dad will probably be exhausted!!! The personal assistant, Sarah Smith (really!), should be there before they get home. It has been determined that she will be on a 5-2 rotation. She'll work 5 days and be off 2 days. There will be another assistance for the other 2 days. I don't know that person's name yet!

Please keep those prayers going for things to continue going well once Dad gets home and settles in with Mom, Sarah and Home Health Care!!!

Happy Thursday!

I spent the day with Dad at Reliant. When I arrived at 9:15 he was already in the gym working with the occupational therapist. He was sitting in the wheel chair and she was sitting in front of him. The exercise was to have him stand up then sit back down about six times, then rest for a few minutes. She did that with him for about 5 rotations. After lunch she took him back to the gym and had him pull himself up out of the wheel chair into a standing position. He can do that if she supports his right leg. Next he spent time with the physical therapist who worked with him using the walker. Again, the therapist fully supports Dad's right leg and helps him to move it forward a step then has him move the left foot up a step. It's a slow process, but very good for building strength in his legs. Dad tires pretty easily because his left leg is supporting all his weight until the right leg becomes functional.

Dad's stay in Reliant has been very positive and progressive. However, he really wants to go home! We are honoring his wish to go home and Mom's wish to have him there! If all goes according to plan, Dad will go home this Monday, Nov 2. We have Home Health Care lined up to continue his therapies next week and the personal assistance aid will be at Mom and Dad's Monday to meet Dad get him settled back home! He will be so happy to get in his chair at home!

More to tell but I'll have to continue tomorrow because I'm going to bed!!! Love to all of you! Sandi

This from Leslie Stephens...

I took Harvey's Stone Mountain plat with me when I went to see him a few days ago. Danny and I showed it to him and he knew who owned the lots and the numbers of them. He didn't the first time I showed it to him two weeks ago. Also I wrote several things on the chalk board and he recognized all of them. I wrote "how many cows do we have" and ask him to write the answer on the board and he wrote 19 with the 9 backwards. He new it was so he erased it and wrote it again the same way but looking at it he knew it was not correct. I acted like I didn't notice it and started talking about other things. Later I told him about a friend that came to the house asking about him and he didn't know who I was talking about until I told him a funny thing that happened one day with this guy while building their new house and all the sudden his eyes lit up and a big thumbs up!

Thank you, Leslie, for all the loving, caring things you do for Mom and Dad and all of us! "A faithful friend is the medicine of life." You and Kim are the best!

Workin' Hard!

Forgot to tell y'all that Danny and Lisa brought Dad Elgin hot guts for lunch on Sunday! That's Dad's favorite food!!! I'll bet he had a great big grin on his face when he saw what they'd brought! Good thinking you guys!!!

Dad is making good progress every day! He is gaining strength in his right leg...about a week ago Danny would sit in front of him and have him push as hard as he could against his hand and Dad could barely push. Now, just a week later, he can almost push Danny over!!! The physical therapist used a blow-up brace on his right leg and had Dad "walking" this week! We are so blessed with the advancements in therapeutic tools!

Dad is also making positive progress with his speech therapist. She challenges him daily in connecting pictures with words, phrases, etc. as well as working with him exercise his mouth and lips to form words. She also encourages us to use humor to make him laugh and say "Ha Ha!" That is a very good tool in "waking up" his voice! The voice and words are not there yet, but they're coming! It's just going to take time, continued therapy and prayers!

Dad enjoys playing a few hands of gin, especially if he wins!!! He never was a very good loser, although age has mellowed him in that department!!! He played gin with Jean Monday and beat her 2 out of 3 games! Jennifer, David and their kids visited Dad Monday night and Kelly played tic-tac-toe with her Great-Grandpa! Good job, Kelly!

In the very near future we will transfer Dad from Reliant to his home! He has been wanting to go home for a long time, but it was vital for him to get as much intense therapy as possible! He is at the point now that being home will be good therapy! Through Home Health Care he will have continued speech, physical and occupational therapies about 3 times a week each. We are also lining up a Personal Care Assistant through a private company so Dad and Mom will both have full-time support. The company we chose operates on a "Balanced Care System," focusing not only on personal care, but also on nutrition, physical activity, social ties, etc. They'll provide care to Dad as well as light housekeeping, menu planning and meal preparation. I think I need one of those too!!! Currently, we are getting all our ducks in a row...getting the house ready, setting up personal care and following Medicare's protocol in setting up Home Health Care in getting Dad discharged for home. I will let everyone know when Dad leaves Reliant. Once he's home and we see how his schedule is set up for therapy, we will let you know the best times for visits!

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Monday, Monday!

Good morning one and all! It's a lovely rainey morning in Austin Texas! Mom says Dad had a good weekend. The speech therapist worked with him Saturday and Sunday, but no physical or occupational therapy. Hope they'll work double time today! No news flashes for the weekend, but Dad is well and working hard! His right leg gets stronger every day. The physical therapist said that the leg will get stronger first because it has the largest muscle, then the arm will follow. We pray for that!

Thank you to those who were able to pay Mom and Dad a visit! That breaks up their day! Thank you, too, for the cards, well wishes and prayers! We appreciate you so much!

God's blessings! Sandi

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Drum roll please!!! Today Dad said the word "No!" It may not sound like much, but it's really HUGE!!! Glenda had taken him outside in the wheel chair and they had gone around the building once. As they got near the front door, Dad pointed to the door indicating he was ready to go in! Glenda encouraged him to let her take him around again. As they neared the front door for the second time, she asked Dad if he wanted to go around another time and he actually said, "No!" We are all so excited that he used his voice!!!! Thank you God for that!

The week has flown by! It had actually been a week Wednesday since I had been up to the Center. We had been out of town, etc. I was amazed when I walked into Dad's room Wednesday as to how much better he looked! He didn't look "sick!" When I walked in his room at 9 a.m., he was dressed and sitting by the window in the wheel chair. He looked so perky and healthy! He had been wheeling himself around in the chair with his feet on the floor and was so much more energetic and lively! Before he left for therapy I asked him if he'd like to play gin and he gave me the thumbs up (meaning "yes"). We played three games and I won all three, but only beating him by one or two cards each game! Well, you know how competitive Dad is...after I won the third game he pushed the table away and gave me the signal that he was DONE!!! Tee hee! I was loving it!!! He tried to act like he wasn't amused, but he was!!!

Observing Dad do physical and speech therapy is so interesting. He is making so much progress between each time I get to watch. The therapists (who happen to both be women) are so fond of Dad and it is so obvious in the way they work with him. They instill a lot of humor in their care and he responds well to it! We are so blessed to have such skilled, dedicated individuals who are working with him!

God is great! Love to all, Sandi

Monday, October 19, 2009

Happy Monday one and all! Dad has had consistently good days at Reliant. Nothing earth-shattering, but continued positive progress in finding ways to communicate his wants, needs and desires to us! Mom said the weekend was busy with visitors...thank you to all of you who were able to go see him! Since Dad is now on the third floor, Danny took Dad a pair of binoculars Sunday so he can try to spot deer in a pasture across the road, but Dad "told" Danny that he forgot to use them at dusk yesterday and will try to remember today! Jean is at the Center with Dad today and I will check in with her later for updates! Danny went by and played a few hands of gin with Dad today! Dad really enjoys that! I don't mean to sound redundant, but we are so grateful for your visits, comments on the blog and prayers!

Thursday, Oct 15, 2009

Since Dad was discharged from the first floor and readmitted to the third floor of Reliant on Wednesday, he had to be re-evauated by the therapists (speech, physical, and occupational) and the doctor today. Apparently that is a requirement for Medicare. Each evaluation took about and hour, so it was a pretty busy morning. Now the each therapist will continue their intense focus on getting Harvey well! We are so very grateful to them!

The speech therapist works daily on porgressing Dad's ability to communicate. She uses melodic cues, pictures of everyday objects and needs, singing and other things to stimulate his voice and ability to communicate. The physical therapist works on strengthening Dad's legs so that he will be able to stand on his own and walk. She exercises Dad's right arm and leg so the muscles stay functional and his left side to balance his weight etc. Occupational therapy is for the every-day tasks, dressing and undressing with the use of only his left hand (for now), brushing his teeth, combing his hair, etc. Part of the reason one of us is with Dad during the day is to encourage him to work with the therapists. He gets frustrated with therapy because he thinks a lot of it is elementary or senseless. We know that by the facial expressions he makes and because he often just won't participate! Keep in mind that we are dealing with Harvey...he can be downright ornery!!! Fortunately, the therapists have good senses of humor and lots of patience!!!

Jean said the afternoon was busy with wonderful visitors, so the whole day went by pretty quickly!

Loving your comments!

Thank you so much for your comments and for following the blog! We are reading your comments to Dad and he is enjoying that! It helps us a lot for you to sign your comments with your full name! God's blessings!

Sandi's Day with Dad//Moving Day

This didn't start out being a happy day for Dad. His physical therapist came in this morning to explain to him that there would be no therapy today or tomorrow since he was being moved to the 3rd floor. He was visibly surprised and disappointed to find out that he wasn't going home. I had some explaining to do, and he ended up conceding to remaining there. The first floor is acute care and the third floor is a skilled nursing center. The skilled nursing center is the next step in his recuperation/care. Even though Dad isn't thrilled to be there, he is getting consistent intensive therapy. Continuity of care is invaluable at this point in his recuperation.

So, Dad is now in room 310 at Reliant. On this floor and with his new schedule, the best visiting times will be between 3:00 and 7:00on on weekdays. I don't know yet what the weekend schedule will be like because he will have therapy on weekends too. We'll put that info in the blog as soon as we know. If you intend on visiting on Saturday or Sunday, you may want to call the room (512-244-4610) and ask Mom or whomever answers the phone the best time to visit that day.

Dad is the same man he was before the stroke, he just can't speak to us. When I am with him, I talk to him and treat him exactly like I would if he was at home in his recliner. He absolutely understands everything we say and is getting really good at finding ways to communicate with us. Stroke victims' brains get tired of "processing" and it is not unusual for them to avert their attention to take a break. What they are doing is allowing their brains to rest a little bit. Dad is very attentive when we're talking and then will look at the television for a while or simply close his eyes. So we have learned to tell him things in short spurts.

More about today...Danny and I got Dad moved and settled in his new digs. He has a nice view of a field across the street that has woods at its edge. Danny told Dad he would have to bring up some binoculars so that Dad could try to spot some deer. You should have seen the great big grin on Dad's face!!! He loved that idea!

This evening Robert (my son-in-law) brought my grandson Austin up to visit his Papaw! That brought a great big smile to Dad's face! Austin climbed right up in bed with Dad and said, "Papaw!! I love you Papaw!" Well, that made my Dad's day! Austin had brought a small bucket of toys and proceeded to show Papaw his trucks and trains! He would tell his Papaw off and on "I love you Papaw" and Dad would smile every time! Austin found a blue rubber ball that is for Dad to squeeze and exercise his hands. Without any warning Austin threw the ball pretty hard to Dad and at the same time said, "Here Papaw!" Dad reached up quickly with his left hand and caught the ball!!! Robert and I both had to pick our jaws up off the floor!!! There's nothing wrong with Dad's reflexes!!! Austin discovered his Papaw's wheel chair and said, "Grammaw, I need go for a ride in this!" He had great fun with me wheeling him around the hallway and then it was my turn for him to take me for a ride! That was interesting!!! It was wonderful having Austin there to entertain us!

After the little "energizer bunny" left, Dad and I watched NCIS together (one of his and Mom's favorite shows), he "talked" to Mom on the phone, and then I left about 8:30.

Thank you all for the cards and blog comments you have sent! Dad really enjoys hearing from you! And, again, thank you for all your prayers!

Tuesday with Harvey

Tuesday was fairly uneventful. Harvey did blow out a candle, which had to be done before he can talk. He got electrical stimulation on his face, which seemed to help the right side quite a bit. However, he did not like it a bit! He stood up for several minutes with the assistance of the therapist. When I was leaving, I got a big laugh from him when I insisted he keep working hard so we can go fishing again!

Ollie

Welcome to Harvey's Blog!

Hello dear friends and family of Harvey (aka Dad)! We have created this blog for easy access to updates on our Dad's progress! Please feel free to leave messages here for Dad and we'll see that he gets them!

Let me give you the basic history...Harvey suffered a stroke on Monday, September 14, 2009, some time around 9:20. He had taken his shower, hung up his towel, brushed his teeth and gotten in bed. Minutes later Mildred went in to kiss him good night and she found him unable to respond to her and called 911. Harvey was flown to Austin's Seton Hospital by Life-Flight and arrived there within an hour of the stroke. Sadly, he was unable to receive any of the drugs you hear so much about because he was taking Coumadin, which is a blood thinner, and all the stroke meds are also blood thinners. Administering them to him would have most likely caused him to bleed more in his brain and would have proven fatal if that occurred. There was nothing they could do for him except monitor him. Harvey remained in the hospital about a week and was then moved to the Rehab Center. He is making remarkable progress there!

Currently Harvey is in the Reliant Rehab Center at 1400 Hester's Crossing in Round Rock, Room 111. The room number is subject to change so, when visiting, be sure to ask at the front desk when you check in! Yes, Harvey can have visitors! During the week he is pretty busy with Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy until after lunch. He does have therapy from time to time after lunch, but not on a regular basis. So, during the week, good visiting hours are between 2:00 and 7:00. He usually has his dinner about 5:00, but visitors don't keep him from eating!!! There is no therapy usually on the weekends. We do ask that you keep your visits to a reasonable length of time but come as often as you'd like!

We are so grateful for the therapists that are working with Harvey. His speech therapist goes above and beyond the call of duty in finding creative ways to try to stimulate his vocal chords and "remind" him to try to use his voice. The same goes for his physical therapist! They are both great blessings!

When you go visit Harvey, we are using thumbs up for "yes" and thumbs down for "no" and that works well. It is also easy to read the looks on Harvey's face and he has gotten really good at figuring out ways to communicate with us!

I will apologize for this first blog being long, but I want to get everyone caught up with all the progress Harvey has made! From the onset, he has been unable to speak, unable to use his right arm, hand or leg, and unable to read or write. It has been one month since the stroke and he now has some movement in his right leg foot and toes. His son-in-law, Ollie, was with him today and observed Harvey's toes wiggling while he was napping! He has also made progress in all realms. He can make some sounds and is pretty good at communicating his needs by pointing and making faces!

Yesterday was Danny's day to be with Dad. Danny is Mildred and Harvey's only son. Danny laid out a hand of Solitaire and Dad started playing it correctly!!!! That's HUGE! He was reading the numbers and the suits! After Dad finished one game, Danny shuffled the cards and handed them back to Dad. Lo and behold he laid out the hand by himself that time and then played!!! Later on, Ollie (my wonderful husband) went to the Center and started playing gin with Danny. Dad took over Danny's hand and played! Danny ran and got the speech therapist so she could see what was happening and she found a card holder to help Dad with his cards. Danny is making a sturdier one.

It's been an amazing to see the progress that is being made on a daily basis. Some days are more remarkable than others, but every day Dad seems to be stronger and making more progress than the previous day.

Everyone, of course, is also concerned about Mildred (aka Mom). She has been so strong and stoic. She and some of each of the siblings had been spending night and day with Dad until we worked out a system taking turns being with Dad during the day. Once he could push the nurse's button during the night, we decided no one had to be there at night. Mom goes to their home outside Marble Falls after she has been with Dad a day or so, stays a few days and then goes back to the Center. When she stays in town, she has been spending the nights at the home of their dear friends, Dorothy and Conway Taylor, who live in North Central Austin. She has also found it easy to stay at the Marriott which is directly across the street from the Center. That way she only has to drive across the street when she is tired.

Each one of us will try to update the blog after we have spent the day with Dad/Harvey. I will close today's blog by asking each and every one of you to continue praying for Harvey and Mildred. We fervently believe in the power of prayer! It's working and we are so grateful to God for his many blessings! All my love, Sandi (Mildred and Harvey's 3rd - and youngest - daughter!)