Weekend Update

The accidents last week really set Sam back a bit. Her speech and sharpness is just not where it was before her concussion and 10 staples in her head. Ms. Clark, my favorite nurses' aid and the person who has really looked after Sam, just returned from vacation a few days ago and even she said to me tonight that this is not the Sam that she left three weeks ago. After she saw how upset she made me with her comment, she then said that Sam will work through it of course, but it really put into words what I have been feeling over the last week. Sam now gets tired around 3:00 in the afternoon, which did not happen before her falls. In the name of protecting Sam they have put a helmet on her, but in fact, every time I visit, Sam has been sweating profusely and is terribly uncomfortable with her helmet. I feel like she is really overheating and everyone now is too afraid to take her helmet off. In fact she can't even have her glasses on with the helmet, because it cuts into her face, so she seems to be going around her days- not seeing. I will need to address all of these concerns with the various people at the facility tomorrow. On the upside, Sam seems to be remembering a lot and still comes out with some statements that are pure Sam. Also, after the large stuffed SpongeBob Squarepants arrived last week (thanks Brett and Debby), I played for Sam this weekend a number of SpongeBob episodes for her on the DVD player. Believe it or not she remembered almost all of the characters on SpongeBob and also said she remembered the episodes. Knowing that Sam watched SpongeBob when she was well thousands of times I am not surprised, but was still pleased to see her so excited by the show. All in all , we spent a nice weekend together, but Sam definitely has lost some ground both mentally and physically since her falls. She said it herself just a little while ago..."how do you feel I asked her?"..."vulnerable" she said. She couldn't have been more on the mark.