Becky...how is your dad?

Well, he is hangin' in there.

This evening Dad was scheduled to be moved to a nursing care center, Greencroft, in Goshen, Indiana. There will be at least a month of rehabilitation therapy attempted to see what he can recover.

He has definite weakness on the left side and is still hazy with memory and stuff, though yesterday he had an INTERESTING morning....

I can't remember all of what dad said, since he kept talking SO MUCH. Ardith was in the room for part of it and I was glad, for she hadn't seen any responsiveness before.

The resident (I'm-sorry-but-all-the-studies-show-that response-to-this-type-of-event-is-not-good) Doc came by Dad's new room and attempted talking with him. In answer to the questions, Dad told him he was a) in a hospital.... b) in South Bend, IN.... c) in Memorial Hospital.....d) he'd had a stroke..... e) the year was 1966 :-) Oh well, 4 outta 5 ain't bad. Besides, he'd answered even earlier years to previous time questions.

"I would really like a glass of water..."

"We have to give you a swallow test, Mr. Baker. You don't want to get something in your lungs and get pneumonia, do you?"

"No....but I would only take a little drink..."

"Is Mother here?"

"Yes, Dad....Mom, come over here...."

"Anna Mae?"

"Yes Bob, I'm right here."

"You're a good wife. I don't know what I'd do without you....How 'bout that glass of water, now?"

*laughter and smiles all around*

(doc) "I'm going to order that swallow test, STAT !"

Dad had a partial test later, and if the nurse cleans out his mouth first, he can now drink water through a straw. Apparently a little water going into the lungs is not a big deal, but if the water takes bacteria down with it, THEN there can be problems.

After all of this conversing, the physical therapists came in and sat him in the recliner for an hour. That was rather taxing and he hasn't been so chatty since. I imagine moving to a new facility has been pretty draining too, so he's going to need some days to just get back to the level mentioned above.

We'll just have to wait and see. Things could still go downhill, but we are somewhat encouraged. Even the resident doctor was impressed. I wonder if those studies stating a 2-3% hemmorhagic stroke survival rate might need to be altered.

I'm thinkin' Dad didn't read the literature.

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