The Good, the bad and the ugly...ok no ugly

Ok fine, no bad either - really! I just got off the phone with Millie.... all I can say is WOW! Mily CAN see out of her right eye and is beginning to open it just a little on her own. :) She watched part of an Indiana Jones movie - a sign that she can hold attention for some period of time - another big milestone for a patient post neuro injury. I think she has an ICU psychosis (it's a terrible name); it just means she's has lost her sense of when day is day and night is night because hospitals always have the lights on - how could one possibly know what time or day it is?? I urged Millie to open the drapes during the day - her room has a nice window that's next to her bed - and have the staff be thoughtful about using too much light at night. This will help her circadian rhythm reset and will decrease the agitation she's experiencing as well. She is communicating better, but no attempts at speech yet. She is showing awareness of others' needs by doing things like covering her mom with a blanket they were sharing :)) I'm so so so happy with this progress, I hardly have words. Another really good thing is that she is trying to get up. Now, that's a potential bad also because she could really hurt herself if she managed to wiggle out of bed alone. Anyway, she pushed her left leg with her right out of bed, then swung her right arm over to the left side of the bed and was going for the handrail to pull herself up to sit. Now, this is great - but as a nurse it freaks me out - the risk for injury is HUGE! Please pray for her to stay safe while she continues to heal and maybe a little prayer for me not to have a panic attack worrying about what might happen (I've said before I know too much and worry too much). She is in room 516 on the 5th floor of the hospital and would LOVE cards, mylar balloons (latex balloons aren't allowed) and more emails of course. The hospital will allow her to have flowers.....however - Mily has a tracheostomy. It is an open tube that extends into her lungs and does not close off. Flowers are gorgeous, but can come with itty bitty bugs we can't see and can give off pollens. Either one of these in a trach = big ick = possible pneumonia = longer hospital stay and unnecessary complication for Mily. That's my soapbox item - I'm done. She can have all the flowers she wants a little later please. She is coping well, less emotional, more lucid little by little. <3 B