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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Hopefully headed home

Yesterday brought good progress with Ativan tapered from 12  to 2 mg/day, the continuous EEG removed, and Susan feeling more alert. Late in the day we learned they’re considering discharge today, a most welcome report.

The attending neurologist feels comfortable her clinical seizures are under control even if she continues to have the small, unobservable ones. He also said not to be alarmed if she has one or two visible events during the day as long as they don’t lapse into a continual cycle. That’s good to know for the transition at home since life with seizures is a new experience for us.

Susan’s strength and will to improve amaze me. She always tries her hardest to get better; and I can see her even now pushing to be independent. Knowing her, I am not surprised by her initiative and would be concerned if she didn’t have it.

Then there’s her sense of humor, still intact. Yesterday, the attending physician gave her the routine brain quiz to check her status – “What is your name? When were you born? What is the date today? How many fingers am I holding up?” and so on. With seizures, drugs, and her usual aphasia, her answers this week ranged from disoriented to disconnected.

So I didn’t expect much when the doctor asked, “Where are you?” She rarely says “At the hospital” on the first try. Susan paused, smiled, and said, “I’m right here across from you!” Good one, honey. She laid that one on em' during a prior hospital stay, so she's still got it.

I won’t believe it until we have the discharge orders; but hopefully we’ll be out of here today.

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