Wed. Oct. 8th

From Teresa... Great news... Tami passed her swallow test, more or less. She gets to eat real food! Granted it has to be soft and cut up fine, but real none the less. The liquids have to still be thickened. (That goes for ice cream too, we asked.) The thickening agent is like putting " cream of wheat" in things, so some things just aren't worth it. As luck would have it , her very first meal in over a month was breaded cod. Tami hates fish and seafood. She will eat tuna fish but nothing else. So, she had the mashed potatoes, green beans, custard, and thickened cranberry juice. She still enjoyed it. Today she liked what she was offered. She needs to eat 1700 calories a day for three days to get the feeding tube removed. So we looked at the foods with the highest calorie count and focused on eating them first, and most. She reached her goal for today , two more days to go.

About her left side, she has more feeling in the left leg now and managed to get it to move slightly with a lot of effort and help and encouragement from Adam her physical therapist. It is really sore after her workouts and she has me put ice packs on it and needs a nap. It totally exhausts her. The left arm and hand has more feeling now but isn't moving on its own yet. Tami is getting better at helping us to maneuver her from bed to wheelchair and back.

Albert surprised her and brought her girls up tonight for a visit. Lilli was good with her but this time Ella was unsure about the whole situation. Aunt Rosemary came up and gave Tami a manicure and pedicure and put make up on her and a hat. Then she gave her a massage. Lilli wanted some too. It was fun. Anyway ...More later.. Teresa