Thursday, April 4, 2013

Thursday, April 4

Wonderful progress. Elder Babcock was speaking clearly: “I have to get out of bed now. I'll wet the bed. You do not understand how awful it is. Jane, I want to get up. Do not push me down. I cannot hear you.”

We answer, “It’s okay.”

He replies: “It’s not okay.”

I explain: “You are a baby. You have a diaper.”

He insists: “I don’t want to wet the bed. I have to get out of bed now. A body has needs.”

I started using a blackboard app on the iPad to ask questions. He turned on his left side to stop hip pain. He was able to cooperate with the physical therapist when he was not angry with us. He said: I love you. He thanked Luanna for coming. The therapist let him sit on the edge of the bed. Later he thought the reason he couldn't sit up was because he was tied down. I showed him the straps were not connected. He really tried, but was unable to sit up without assistance. But it was easy to help him sit once he was up.

Elder Babcock asked me, “What day is it?”

The doctors were talking about a change of rooms, out of ICU. I have learned that a person does not move their muscles with just their muscles.  It is the brain that moves muscles. Meningitis affects this connection. The therapists came regularly. No news on the lumbar puncture. I think they said it was better.

My daughter Luanna wrote:

Talking with the mission president today, I told him that all of us are grateful for his faith and that I knew he would take good care of our parents. He is a strong wonderful mission president. (As you have already learned)

He visited the hostel today and reserved mom's room through April.

She expressed her appreciation for the Internet research that the family had done and for information on meningitis that they had sent to us and continued:

I went on an outing today with the Elders who came to be at the hospital. They helped me get to the "Mapuchi" market. There are a lot of Mapuchi Indian items sold there. Very interesting to see.

Luanna at the market                                     

Elder Santos and Elder White