Much to look forward to
As he smiled at me from a distance, he slumped off of the couch and onto the floor. Luckily, it was a gradual fall; he was not hurt. I literally watched it happen in surrealistic slow motion; now you see him, now you don’t!
The night passed without incident. Both Manuela and Elizabeth showed up at 8:00, on schedule. I explained the predicament to Manuela, and she understands. I hope that Elizabeth can hold down this fort; too much disarray is unnerving to me at this time.
I wasn’t called by the new care giver last night (as peggy promised), so I asked Elizabeth if she would stay if she doesn’t appear at 2:00 P.M. as planned. She readily agreed; one less worry on my plate. I would have had to cancel my class (which begins at 2:00), so I was relieved not to have to make arrangements on the spur of the moment (not that my students would mind a freebie, but I’d like to complete the semester to the best of my ability). I asked Elizabeth to demonstrate for the new care giver, if she shows up, how to assist Gilly in descending and mounting the stairs safely. This is my key concern when a new person enters the scene.
Laverne called me at 10:00 this morning to inform me that she’d be at the house for 2:00. She explained that she was unable to call last night; she spent the night at the Jewish with a client and only received Peggy’s message this morning. I quickly filled her in on some details and mentioned that Elizabeth would show her how to manage the stair situation.
I arrived home to a quiet, relaxed scene. Laverne is genuinely lovely. She’s 2/3 of the way through her nursing diploma; an evening student at Vanier College. She joined us for tea and I got to know her a bit. My instincts sent me a powerful message; I asked if she has other days free. She’s by far the sharpest knife in the drawer I’ve seen yet. Unfortunately, she’s all booked up (hardly surprising). I asked her to let me know if anything changes. For now, we’ll have to settle for Tuesdays from 2:00 to 5:00.
Gilly’s condition seems much the same as it was yesterday, which I find somewhat discouraging. I was under the impression that he would continue to improve each day on Decadron, and that the pace would eventually pick up. I did a reality check and came to the conclusion that this is a pipe dream. Dr. Kavan told me a long time ago that injury to the brain can cause immediate, detrimental effects, whereas healing tends to be painstakingly slow. It stands to reason, then that if the Decadron is indeed reducing the swelling, the damage done will not repair itself anywhere nearly as quickly as it developed in the first place.
I just noticed that Elizabeth left her shoes and comfortable housedress here. This is a good sign that she expects to return tomorrow. I’m happy, because Yaron and I leave at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I’m in no shape to catch another curve ball thrown at me at that hour.
The night passed without incident. Both Manuela and Elizabeth showed up at 8:00, on schedule. I explained the predicament to Manuela, and she understands. I hope that Elizabeth can hold down this fort; too much disarray is unnerving to me at this time.
I wasn’t called by the new care giver last night (as peggy promised), so I asked Elizabeth if she would stay if she doesn’t appear at 2:00 P.M. as planned. She readily agreed; one less worry on my plate. I would have had to cancel my class (which begins at 2:00), so I was relieved not to have to make arrangements on the spur of the moment (not that my students would mind a freebie, but I’d like to complete the semester to the best of my ability). I asked Elizabeth to demonstrate for the new care giver, if she shows up, how to assist Gilly in descending and mounting the stairs safely. This is my key concern when a new person enters the scene.
Laverne called me at 10:00 this morning to inform me that she’d be at the house for 2:00. She explained that she was unable to call last night; she spent the night at the Jewish with a client and only received Peggy’s message this morning. I quickly filled her in on some details and mentioned that Elizabeth would show her how to manage the stair situation.
I arrived home to a quiet, relaxed scene. Laverne is genuinely lovely. She’s 2/3 of the way through her nursing diploma; an evening student at Vanier College. She joined us for tea and I got to know her a bit. My instincts sent me a powerful message; I asked if she has other days free. She’s by far the sharpest knife in the drawer I’ve seen yet. Unfortunately, she’s all booked up (hardly surprising). I asked her to let me know if anything changes. For now, we’ll have to settle for Tuesdays from 2:00 to 5:00.
Gilly’s condition seems much the same as it was yesterday, which I find somewhat discouraging. I was under the impression that he would continue to improve each day on Decadron, and that the pace would eventually pick up. I did a reality check and came to the conclusion that this is a pipe dream. Dr. Kavan told me a long time ago that injury to the brain can cause immediate, detrimental effects, whereas healing tends to be painstakingly slow. It stands to reason, then that if the Decadron is indeed reducing the swelling, the damage done will not repair itself anywhere nearly as quickly as it developed in the first place.
I just noticed that Elizabeth left her shoes and comfortable housedress here. This is a good sign that she expects to return tomorrow. I’m happy, because Yaron and I leave at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I’m in no shape to catch another curve ball thrown at me at that hour.
posted by Gilly at 8:54 PM
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