Up and Down

This past week or so has been a bit of a roller coaster for Jamie, and for us.  We will hear that she is eating well one meal, and then the next morning she won't eat hardly anything. Or she will have a great morning in PT, and then a bad afternoon session.  We have been told over and over that there are good days and bad, and that one of the hallmarks of TBI is inconsistency.  We are learning that everyday!

We have also been seeing some mood swings with Jamie, she will be very happy and bubbly when she's talking to us and visiting with us, but then she can have some pretty down times, too.  One of the specialists on Jamie's team is a neuropsychologist.  This doctor specializes in helping TBI patients and their families deal with the emotional and psychological effects that come with a TBI.  She has been such a help for us, helping us process and know how to take care of ourselves, etc. Now that Jamie is more cognitive, the doc can also help Jamie deal with some of the emotional aspects of her recovery.  She spent most of the day yesterday shadowing Jamie and seeing how she was interacting with family and staff.  One thing the doc picked up on (which we've noticed as well), is that Jamie does much better when things are explained to her before anything happens.  For example, instead of just coming in and taking her vitals, its better if the staff explains to Jamie what they're doing and why they're doing it before they do it.  The same goes for her therapy sessions. We think that if we can give Jamie more control over her environment and treatment, that she will be more excited about it and do better with it. 

Inspite of this roller coaster feeling over the last week, the report from Kathy for this morning was a great one!! From what I could understand, Jamie did so well because each step was explained to her. Her daily schedule was laid out, and then it was explained to her that she would take a nap before going to PT.  If the details are given to her, it seems like she knows what to expect, and does much better with it.  Jamie had no trouble getting ready for and starting PT, and she is virtually transferring herself from her bed to her wheelchair - she just needs to be guided and positioned a little bit.  She walked a lot in her morning PT, and then went outside to a little courtyard area.  There, she worked on walking up and down steps!! I don't know how much she was able to do, but this is yet another new skill that she is working on! Go Jamie!

OT and ST from this morning also went well.  OT mainly consists of her getting ready in the morning, and she is doing a great job of dressing herself, brushing her hair and teeth, and washing her face.  I know that yesterday in speech, she worked on "opposites".  I hear she did a great job, although I don't have any details.  :)

Our prayer for this week is for consistency: please pray that we will be able to see steady, consistent increases in Jamie's appetite and her ability to communicate.  She's doing great, but we just want more! Is that greedy? :)

love, Us.