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Regina's Road to Recovery

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On May 20th, 2017, Regina Sipe Short, known affectionately as Gee, suffered an Intracerebral Hemorrhage that changed her life forever.  She was at home alone when it happened and unfortunately, a lot of time passed before she was found and able to receive treatment.  Praise be to God she is still with us today but the road has been long and challenging for her and her entire family.  Gee is a strong woman who continues to fight hard every day to stay present for all of us who love her so.

Rehabilitation


After two weeks in ICU, Regina was moved to Sardis Oaks Nursing Home for rehabilitation.  She has lost the use of her left side and her vision has been effected, seeing double and sometimes even triple.   She developed seizures and has lost the ability to swallow.  Her ability to speak is also quite a struggle.  Sardis Oaks had originally set goals for Regina for her rehabilitation.  Some of these goals were to help her to learn to sit on her own, transition from bed to wheelchair with assistance, and to perform simple hygiene tasks for herself.  Her speech therapy was very important because it would not only help with her ability to speak but it would also give her back the ability to swallow.  Without that, she will likely never eat or drink again.

They are currently switching her medications around to help with her brain function but it seems like the side effects are almost as troublesome as the reason she needed the medicine in the first place.  She began to have hallucinations, her emotions were all over the place, and her ability to focus on therapy was impossible.  Her neurologist changed her meds and by the time she leveled out she had lost a few weeks of valuable rehab time.


Now What?

Last Friday was a hard day for all of us. We were told by Sardis Oaks that the insurance company will no longer pay for Regina's rehab because she had not met the required goals for continued care.  From the start, we were told that because she was being fed through a peg tube she was guaranteed 100 days in rehab.  So there we sat with tears in our eyes and dumbfounded, wondering how it could be possible that after 59 days they had decided to stop treating her, rehabilitating her in any way, and were preparing us to take her home or to another long term facility!  How can they tell a family, late on a Friday afternoon, that beginning on Monday, we will be on our own.  She got less than what we expected in rehab and even more so because of the seizures, medication changes, and side effects,

THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CRAZY, RIGHT?!!!  The short notice along with the "it is what it is" attitude from the Insurance Co. and Sardis Oaks is shocking!

How can they give up on a 60 yr old woman who is mentally present and send her away with less than promised rehabilitation?  It just doesn't sound right.  Now that her medication is leveling out she needs the rehab more than ever but they are through.  The insurance will no longer pay.

With that being said,  we have no choice but to move Regina home and hope to continue her therapy to return some of her independence back to her.  Home health care will be assisting the family with her daily care and continuing therapy at the expense of the family.

The hardest part of being in need is admitting that you need help and this page is being started with that in mind.  We are slowly learning that when it comes to the welfare of a loved one, ego goes right out the window.  We are in need of many things right now, money being only a part of that.  We are looking for people who can help build ramps for the house and prepare a room for her living needs.  We need advice and suggestions from any of you who have been through this with a close friend or a loved one.  We are always grateful for love and prayers as we believe in the power of both.  And ... we look forward to a day when she is back home again and up for visitors to come by and say hello to her.  She misses her life terribly.


We are not going to just give up on Regina's recovery! She has made progress each day!  She is strong and has fought hard to get where she is today.  She is able to write words on a dry erase board and she thrills us every now and then when she gives us a big smile.  Her sense of humor, believe it or not, is still intact.  Her smile and laughter are what keep us going so please continue to pray for Regina's recovery.  Pray that the family finds the care that she needs and deserves.  And more than anything, pray for her ability to feel the outpouring of love that comes to her daily in many forms.  Thank you for your time and God Bless.


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(written by Gee on her dry erase board ... and then she did just that!)

 (Brother, Luke, asked Gee to write something on her message board.  So she did.  LOL)



(Good Morning wishes from Gee)
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Donations 

  • Alice Judd
    • $100 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Michelle Sipe Bolick
Organizer
Charlotte, NC
Charles Short
Beneficiary

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