8-5-2021 Weekly progress update from Linda's team

(Tricia) 

8-5-2021 - Sadly, I have been unable to visit Linda for the last two days, because I have come down with what I hope is the flu. Fever, coughing, sore throat--all symptoms a person absolutely does not want to have during a pandemic! Even though I've been vaccinated and my exposure to the public has been limited, I can take no chances. I went out yesterday and picked up a COVID test and sent it off to the lab. I cannot resume visits with Linda until I am symptom-free and receive negative results.

Marilyn has graciously been going to visit Linda both mornings and evenings while I'm sick, but I'm eager to recover so that she is not taking on so much all by herself. In any other situation, Ed would go in the evenings without me, but we don't want to risk anything in case he has picked this bug up from me.

Meanwhile, today is Thursday, the day each week that Linda's medical and therapy team meet to report on her progress; afterward, NHC's social worker gives me a call to let me know what was shared in the meeting. In this afternoon's conversation, she told me that the physical therapists now have Linda walking 15 to 20 feet using a wheeled walker, and she has been making incremental progress relearning tasks such as dressing. In addition, tomorrow will be the first day that Linda receives no nutrition via her feeding tube, but that's only if she eats enough calories with her meals. She still cannot get up from a chair or bed on her own and her cognition is shaky, but all in all, the team feels that she still is on upward trajectory. 

I could not have picked a worse time to get sick. I very much hope to be able to see her again soon!


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