Nurse v. Daughter (3)

     Today has been a full day of visual and auditory hallucinations, delusion and somnolence (sleeping deeply). In response to that the "nurse" in me would say, "The bats are flying free tonight" because we all know that medical personnel have a very warped sense of humor. It is how we deal with the stresses of our work. The "daughter" is feeling disappointed in the step backwards. 
     The "nurse" is trying to find a pattern or a reason for this intermittent problem that Mom seems to be experiencing. The "daughter" is hoping that a staff member would be able to provide some information and reassurance about this. Yeah- not so much.
     As the "nurse" I am able to reassure my clients and their families how this is normal when the body is healing from something as devastating as a stroke. It is very different when you are the passenger on this emotional roller coaster. I go home at night thankful for the progress made that day, only to come back the next day to see most of the progress  from the day before lost.
     The brain is an organ that does what it wants, when it wants. It is not like a muscle that gets a little stronger every day when you work at it regularly. It laughs at us when we try to make sense of it. Knowing and understanding this does not make this process easier.
     As I sat with my Mom and sister last night we laughed and teased each other and just had a good time in general. We  all take comfort in the fact that she has not lost her sense of humor. In the same sentence Mom began talking about the woman who was standing behind her. There was no woman behind her. She also has memories that occurred 15-20 years ago that are coming back and she believes that they are present day events. Not all of the memories are pleasant and this is causing her some stress. We all take a deep breath as we try to convince her that my brother is not in the next room shooting his "potato gun" (which is something he did one holiday about 15 years ago). We will need to thank him for that memory.
     From the nurse in me: these are not unusual occurrences. The brain is healing, trying to rewire things around the injury. There will be more things that a family can expect to be surprised with.
From the "daughter": I am anxious to see more consistent progress and be done with the confusion.