Tuesday, 02/04

     Today was the day I met with Marie to file taxes.  What a wonderful woman, a new grandma, and a trusted prayer partner.  Thank you, Marie.
     After taking care of this yearly chore, I was up to see Caren by 11-ish, with clean laundry, a Valentine wreath for her bulletin board, and replacement toiletries.
     Caren was sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting.  I was so happy to see her!  Just one day can seem like such a long time.
     Maybe I am OCD, or maybe I'm just organized and tidy, but after only one day her room (or small cubicle, *chuckles*)  was a total mess.  Food product and med products were mixed together on the counter; my glorious placement of items in little trays was all moved around (truth in jest); prayer shawl was on the floor; and various other annoying little messes.  To me, chaos breeds confusion.  I do know by experience that chaos in the form of clutter and messes also makes Caren anxious.  Well, there is work to be done today, :-)
      The first project to to help Caren to the restroom, where we freshened things up, and helped her put on a clean outfit.  She is looking amazing!  Next, Paula (one of our wonderfully caring and compassionate aides) helped me to position Caren in the recliner.  Amber, Caren's nurse extraordinaire, brought Caren her meds.  
      By the time Caren was all settled in, it was lunchtime, then Caren and I were able to organize some of her paperwork.  Sue reigns over the front desk and has been at the facility nearly twenty years, so I went to her for a folder.  I really liked her idea of using a large envelope to contain frisky papers that would otherwise escape a manila folder.  Thank you, Sue!
     Sitting in the recliner, in a busy hall, near the nurses' station was a bit too noisy and congested.  It was time to take Caren for a ride.  I had a treat in mind for her - a very quiet place one of the PT gals had shown me.  Caren and I traveled to the far end of long-term care to a small living room setting near an aquarium.   The stillness was palpable.  Caren loved it!  One of the nurses who knew Caren supplied her with a deluxe version of a hospital tray table.  I set out her computer, phone, and paperwork.  We were ready to work.
     Then, sad reality steamrolled us.  Caren was making numerous calls to figure out her FMLA.  She'd been applying for short-term disability.   While she was doing that, I left briefly to p/u Benjamin.  I was back in approximately forty-five minutes to Caren in tears.  What had happened:  Apparently, two weeks ago Caren had talked with a woman about FMLA, and the woman was attempting to relay old information to Caren.  Also, Caren's boss, Sue, had texted Caren some pertinent phone numbers.  Caren had absolutely no memory of either incident, and could not recall either one.  She was scared and worried about her brain, and the severity and duration of her brain injury/acute concussion.  It makes me cry now, for I had no easy answers.  Gotta' love the internet.  I had been researching acute consussions but did not realize the severity or continued presence of amnesia.  I knew she didn't remember the crash, but did not realize how that amnesia would overlap and impact her life.
     When Benjamin and I stepped away from Caren, to go back to her room for something she needed, we talked about Mom's upset.  God bless Benjamin's heart!  He said, "Nana, at least she remember us, she remembers her family.  That is most important."  Buddy, yes it is!  When we returned to Caren, I shared that with her, which made her feel better.  Just writing about this particular incident makes me cry.
     Here's what I discovered on Medscape:  One definition of concussion is a condition in which there is a traumatically induced alteration in mental status, with or without an associated loss of consciousness (LOC).^[1] A broader definition is a traumatically induced physiologic disruption in brain function that is manifested by LOC, memory loss, alteration of mental state or personality, or focal neurologic deficits.  Also, Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a state of confusion that occurs immediately following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which the injured person is disoriented and unable to remember events that occur after the injury.  Longer periods of amnesia or loss of consciousness immediately after the injury may indicate longer recovery times from residual symptoms from concussion. (Wikipedia)
     These are things doctors and staff do not thoroughly explain.  Speech Therapy and others keep saying, "This is normal."   Gosh darn it!  It is not normal if compared to a person's 'former life' - as in 'before accident'!   Maybe a less frustrating explanation would be, ". . . typical for a traumatic brain injury."
     Nonetheless, all ya'll - all our prayer partners - let's particularly affirm and pray together, sending love and light specifically to this condition of the concussion called amnesia.  God does indeed answer the prayers of his righteous (right-use-of) - and we are all the righteous heirs of the One who holds the Universe.   Thank you!
     Jehovah-Nissi                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxgw6pbW59E