Friday, 01/31

     Caren said she woke up with a goal in mind.  She would test her limits, she would push herself to achieve.  
     When PT came in, even though she hadn't eaten breakfast, Caren was wheeled in a wheelchair to the gym.  Without the R shoulder arm support, she walked 65 steps.  We barely made it to a chair to sit and take a breath - for 15 minutes.  Drawback: no suctioning machine at the gym.  PT asked Caren if she was done for the morning.  
     Caren's response, "No, I'm not done.  I have a goal.  Let's walk back."
     After another 60 steps, Caren was ready to be wheeled back to her room.
     Until Speech Therapy came.  Caren insisted on doing her Speech Therapy.
     By the time everything was done it was lunchtime, and Caren was ready for bed.  She was 'plum tuckered out.'  Caren was sleeping by the time I left.
     I took Austin in to visit Mom briefly, but she was still so tired, she slept.
     Then, THEN PT came back again!  Apparently it was time for Caren to 'socialize.'  She was to join a group making tostadas. Now, anyone knowing our family and Rick's heritage has gotta laugh at this.  Caren and I laughed as she explained that those folks really had no idea how to make tostadas.  Besides, she was still too tired to deal with all the noise of a group of people and noise.  Noise and confusion still cause her a lot of anxiety.
     But, today she had a goal.  She believed she could, so she did.
     Yay, Caren!
          Jehovah-Chatsahi 

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     Friday Evening

     (Rewind to Friday afternoon:  One of the nurses/w a very heavy accent came in to Caren's room, asking her medication questions, which dumbfounded Caren.  She looked at me and explained that she couldn't understand the nurse's language.  The nurse, professional that she wasn't, got in a huff and chastisingly [if that is indeed a word] corrected Caren by announcing, "You mean MY accent?"   In my head I thought, "Well!  Someone is having a bad day!"  And, then I dismissed it.
     Little did I know that the offended nurse was not yet done.
     Later that evening, thankfully Benjamin was with his Mom, she again entered Caren's room.  In the process of waiting on Caren, this same nurse yanked the pillow out from under Caren's R arm, throwing it to the floor.  Caren screamed in pain, as Benjamin hollered, "Don't be mean to my Mom!"  Several times the cell phone call was dropped as I tried to make sense of what was happening in Caren's room.  Caren kept telling me to wait, because other people were coming in to help her.
     It definitely 'got my Irish up' and I was ready to bundle Nich and Austin into the car and fly down the road and pull me some nurse hairs.  *breathing*   I'm not clear how it all settled, but Nursie Dearest never came near Caren's room when I returned on Saturday.
     Where does administration get some of these people?  KGB rejects?  [a tad unkind, I know - but WTF!?]
     God, God, it truly is a challenge to see the Christ in some people.