Dad was really engaged and alert in speech therapy this morning, they had him doing a lot of math problems. He added and multiplied several numbers together, all with decimal points. They gave him the option to use a calculator, which he declined in favor of doing them in his head. However, he got tired after that and wasn't as motivated in PT. He still did well with his exercises, but he made sure we all knew that he would rather be in bed with a heating pad on his neck. The neck pain/stiffness is still very much present. For those of you who don't know, neck pain/stiffness goes along with his brain infection. This happens when the meninges (the membranes that cover the brain) are irritated. When he first became ill, his neck was completely rigid and locked to the side. It was so stiff we couldn't even move it. As the days have gone by and the medication has taken effect, it has been improving. He has a good range of motion and better mobility with it now. But it still causes him a lot of discomfort.
Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I wanted to pass on that the speech therapists think it's a good idea (and I agree) to limit visiting during his speech therapy sessions. All of the cognitive exercises are a big mental drain, it takes all of his concentration on them. Since right now he's very sensitive to distraction, it's probably a better idea not to visit during those sessions (9-10am). But starting at 10am, please come on down and visit! The more friendly faces the better.
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