- Word-finding difficulties & substitutions
Jane's expressive aphasia varies in degree. Sometimes it's not noticeable at all. Yesterday at the neurosurgeon's office, she didn't seem to miss a single word. But at other times, she has used the word "ticket" to mean a little paper item, "mirror" for the moon and other bright objects, "button" for something round, and "paid" or "pay" for a wide assortment of verbs. - Holding onto a thought
She sometimes seems to stick to one subject at a time, not moving on to another subject as quickly as others around her. Very tenacious. - Alert and oriented
Jane does well in answering the "orientation" questions the medical folks pose: Who's the president, what's the date, where are you, who's this person over here, why are you here... etc. - Equal grips and muscle tone
She can squeeze your hands equally, press with her feet, stick out her tongue straight, and follow the other neuro checks without missing a beat. - Sleeping
Jane's nighttime sleeplessness is not as severe as it had been for the previous several months. - Eating
Her appetite is decreased. Not particularly hungry much of the time.
In no particular order (taken from a list at brainhospice.com)
Cognitive/Personality/Speech
Basically cheery and alert with a "taking care of business" attitude
Word-finding difficulties
Appetite sporadic
Talks about tying up loose
Brings up unfinished business
May begin sentences but not be able to finish them
May say things that don't make sense, jumbled sentences
May hum to herself little melodic hums
Slight confusion
Harder to sustain a conversation
May say some odd things that make you think "Where did that come from?"
Asks about the next treatments or appointments
Likely to nap (this is a long-time daytime behavior)
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