While Shirley has now been at Regional for three days, today being the first "business day" of her stay here, there has been a flurry of activity. The day has included initial assessments by Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, plus visits by the medical director.
The Speech Therapy session included another blue dye swallow test. Initial results were positive, but we've been told they watch her trachial suction for the full day and will then discuss their findings with her care team during tomorrow's rounds. At that time, they will determine if the test was a success and will advise us of next steps.
OT got her out of bed and into a wheel chair. She stood up with a little assistance and pivoted to the chair. Their goal was to have her up in the chair for 30 minutes, but in typical style, she stayed up for 80 minutes.
We enjoyed meeting Dr. Roper, the Medical Director. He has been at Regional for less then a year after a 20+ year career at Swedish Hospital. He is originally from Georgia and hasn't lost his drawl in his decades in the Northwest.
Currently, Shirley is in the midst of a metabolic test. A very sophisticated looking machine is hooked up to her respirator. It analyzes her exhalations and provides an assessment on her nutritional needs including percent of proteins, fats and carbs that she needs in her diet. I'm interested to see the results.
No comments:
Post a Comment