Each Tuesday mom's care team meets to assess her progress and to revise her care plan. They also try to give a tentative discharge date when they meet. Currently mom's target date for discharge is May 8th. This is subject to change depending on how she improves. It is entirely likely that she could go home earlier or later than this tentative date. The care team will revise this target date if needed. Bob now must get their home ready since it will be quite some time before she will be able to negotiate stairs and accomplish other activities of daily living.

Much happened today. Mom only has one tube now--her PEG feeding tube which is well hidden. Today her PIC line (IV line) and catheter were removed. She walked about 78 feet with a walker and two assistants. In the afternoon she only had one assistant and did not go quite as far. She does about 25 % of the work to dress herself. She is still only allowed to have water and ice chips based on how she is doing with her swallow studies.

One of her big challenges is that her days and nights are mixed up. She stays awake much of the night and is often sleepy during the day. They are making some changes to her medications in an effort to correct this problem.

They are changing her formula to a formula which is higher in protein and fiber. The type of formula that is given through her PEG tube varies in order to meet her nutritional needs. In other words, her nutrition needs vary based on her condition. For example, during the early time in the ICU she needed one type of formula and needs a different one now that she is in rehab. In the next several days, they will likely change her from continuous feeds (getting a certain amount every hour) to bolus feeds (getting larger amounts at a time to mimic a meal schedule).

Lastly, I should mention that mom's current challenges are quite typical of someone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. However, her MS may cause her to take longer to recover.