Surprise ! Surprise !
Bill watched TV today for about 20 minutes a story on FOX about Alkida in America.
He dosed in & out but for sure watching TV.
Head turned to the left and eyes looking left at the TV.
You GO ..... Bill !
Slight fever today...Dr. Blais still running cultures to look for infection as a cause for fever. So far nothing is growing. That is good news.
Some question about diabetes....giving him insulin at this time.
Dr. Blais wants to know where Greg bought the ball. He enjoys throwing it around with Bill.
But today the book ruled....thumbing those pages.....was very popular today.
Alert and awake more today than in a long time. Early notes were very clear. Faded as the day turned to night. Squeezed the ball in the left hand several times today. Yea !
Dr. Mc Cullough checked his lungs doing OK
Dr Eiserwirth said blood pressure higher than he would like to see it.
All in a Bill had a very good day.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Saturday March 29
The pace in the regular room...is much slower. Doctors Eiserwirth, Johnston and Murray came in today to check on Bill. All state he is doing well but it is the beginning of a long term recovery process. Slight fever today. Blood pressure a little higher.
Bill pulled the tube off of his feeding tube twice last night. So the right hand was tied this morning and the doctors ordered...feedings three times daily directly into the PEG. No more drip feedings around the clock.
He slept soundly from about 10:00AM until 5:00PM. Only aroused slightly for the doctors. Then I asked if he could sit up in the Ortho chair. They use a lift to move him into a similar chair...not as comfortable looking as the one in ICU. It took almost 2 hours to get the team to get him in the chair. He stayed awake the whole two hours he was in the chair. Wanted to write a lot but it was mostly about some Faux Greaux that our neighbor shot in the back yard. What ever !!
Brad, Jennifer & Megan stopped by to visit today. Bill was not feeling too well at that time and pretty much slept.
Bonnie & Eric also came by to visit...Eric made Bill a World's Coolest Uncle get well card for all of the neices and nephews to sign. Bill pretty much slept that visit also.
Babes, Beth, Ross & Olivia also came by to visit. Bill was up in the chair at that time. He was more alert and did do some writing for Babes...mostly about his butt hurts.
Hope you get a more comfortable mattress tomorrow and have a good night, honey.
The pace in the regular room...is much slower. Doctors Eiserwirth, Johnston and Murray came in today to check on Bill. All state he is doing well but it is the beginning of a long term recovery process. Slight fever today. Blood pressure a little higher.
Bill pulled the tube off of his feeding tube twice last night. So the right hand was tied this morning and the doctors ordered...feedings three times daily directly into the PEG. No more drip feedings around the clock.
He slept soundly from about 10:00AM until 5:00PM. Only aroused slightly for the doctors. Then I asked if he could sit up in the Ortho chair. They use a lift to move him into a similar chair...not as comfortable looking as the one in ICU. It took almost 2 hours to get the team to get him in the chair. He stayed awake the whole two hours he was in the chair. Wanted to write a lot but it was mostly about some Faux Greaux that our neighbor shot in the back yard. What ever !!
Brad, Jennifer & Megan stopped by to visit today. Bill was not feeling too well at that time and pretty much slept.
Bonnie & Eric also came by to visit...Eric made Bill a World's Coolest Uncle get well card for all of the neices and nephews to sign. Bill pretty much slept that visit also.
Babes, Beth, Ross & Olivia also came by to visit. Bill was up in the chair at that time. He was more alert and did do some writing for Babes...mostly about his butt hurts.
Hope you get a more comfortable mattress tomorrow and have a good night, honey.
Friday March 28 10:00 AM
Bill is still breathing on his own and doing well. Watching a little TV but not really interested. He now sits up three times a day in a Ortho chair for one hour each time. This seems to be really helping him regain strength.
1:00 PM
Nurse Ellen says he is on the waiting list to be moved out of ICU. I ask will it be by the four o'clock visit....she says maybe by Monday.
3:34PM
Nurse Ellen calls Bill has a room (683) and will be moved in soon. Great news.
5:30PM
Bill seems tired from the move. Does not want to write or play.
However he squeezes the doctor Eiserwirth's hand with his left hand. Doctor also sees slight movement in the left foot. I cannot say that I have seen any as yet.
7:30PM
Bonnie, Mike, Lauren and Ryan came to visit. Bill is suddenly rested and wants to play.
They brought a CD player with ear phones and a Tower of Power CD. He seemed to enjoy the music. But oddly seemed also to hear every word we were saying. He was throwing the ball to all of us. Fanning himself with the Alien frisby. Responding with head movements to any questions.
Bill is still breathing on his own and doing well. Watching a little TV but not really interested. He now sits up three times a day in a Ortho chair for one hour each time. This seems to be really helping him regain strength.
1:00 PM
Nurse Ellen says he is on the waiting list to be moved out of ICU. I ask will it be by the four o'clock visit....she says maybe by Monday.
3:34PM
Nurse Ellen calls Bill has a room (683) and will be moved in soon. Great news.
5:30PM
Bill seems tired from the move. Does not want to write or play.
However he squeezes the doctor Eiserwirth's hand with his left hand. Doctor also sees slight movement in the left foot. I cannot say that I have seen any as yet.
7:30PM
Bonnie, Mike, Lauren and Ryan came to visit. Bill is suddenly rested and wants to play.
They brought a CD player with ear phones and a Tower of Power CD. He seemed to enjoy the music. But oddly seemed also to hear every word we were saying. He was throwing the ball to all of us. Fanning himself with the Alien frisby. Responding with head movements to any questions.
Thursday March 27 10:00 AM
Bill is sitting up but fussy, lots of writing but mostly silly stuff. This morning the nurse said Bill wrote her a note asking for his granddaughter Abby. He told the nurse that Abby is coming and she is a nurse.
1:00 PM Surprise Surprise !!
Bill is off the ventilator. Still has the trac in case he needs it during sleep. But in now breathing on his own.
Bill got a shave and a hair wash today. He now looks years younger. That has to feel so clean and fresh after two weeks of beard and adhesive tape on his face.
Waiting for doctors....update. I see a lot of improvement.
Bill is sitting up but fussy, lots of writing but mostly silly stuff. This morning the nurse said Bill wrote her a note asking for his granddaughter Abby. He told the nurse that Abby is coming and she is a nurse.
1:00 PM Surprise Surprise !!
Bill is off the ventilator. Still has the trac in case he needs it during sleep. But in now breathing on his own.
Bill got a shave and a hair wash today. He now looks years younger. That has to feel so clean and fresh after two weeks of beard and adhesive tape on his face.
Waiting for doctors....update. I see a lot of improvement.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 26th - 1:00PM
This morning has seen some major excitement!
First, the medical stuff, though. There's not much new to report since yesterday; we still haven't seen or heard any results from the CT scan that they took yesterday. If we stick with the "no news is good news" theory, then the results are positive. But, they've not reinserted the ventriculostomy tube; so, his brain must be able to regulate the pressure by itself. The physical therapist is scheduled to come by today and help him with his exercises, which have been revised to be more aggressive, as of this morning. The nurse said that the doctor, "wants to see how much he can take." It doesn't sound particularly pleasant, but seems like a positive indicator, to me.
How's he doing? Well, when my mom and I got to the hospital this morning, he was sitting in a chair. It wasn't like a lounge chair or a Lay-Z-Boy - it was clearly a hospital apparatus. But, he was upright and out of the bed. The TV was on and he appeared to be watching it. But, when we tried to talk to him, he wasn't very responsive. My mom tried to put herself in his apparent field of view; but, he just moved to see the TV around her. Then, he asked for the pen and paper - he wanted to write. And, he wrote, "TV says 'D. B. Cooper?" When I looked, Fox News was running the story of the kids that might have found D. B. Cooper's parachute - he was watching and reading the TV screen! He woke up a bit after that and wrote us a few other notes - something was vibrating (we never figured out what) and something about an "L.S.U., V.I.P" that didn't mean anything to either of us. He's still really enjoying rolling the ball around. He even managed to mouthe, "I love you" to my mom. It was a really, really good visit. We must have worn him out, because at the 1:00 visit, he really didn't wake up much for my mom, Sandra and I. But, after two weeks of lying down, he was probably worn out.
First, the medical stuff, though. There's not much new to report since yesterday; we still haven't seen or heard any results from the CT scan that they took yesterday. If we stick with the "no news is good news" theory, then the results are positive. But, they've not reinserted the ventriculostomy tube; so, his brain must be able to regulate the pressure by itself. The physical therapist is scheduled to come by today and help him with his exercises, which have been revised to be more aggressive, as of this morning. The nurse said that the doctor, "wants to see how much he can take." It doesn't sound particularly pleasant, but seems like a positive indicator, to me.
How's he doing? Well, when my mom and I got to the hospital this morning, he was sitting in a chair. It wasn't like a lounge chair or a Lay-Z-Boy - it was clearly a hospital apparatus. But, he was upright and out of the bed. The TV was on and he appeared to be watching it. But, when we tried to talk to him, he wasn't very responsive. My mom tried to put herself in his apparent field of view; but, he just moved to see the TV around her. Then, he asked for the pen and paper - he wanted to write. And, he wrote, "TV says 'D. B. Cooper?" When I looked, Fox News was running the story of the kids that might have found D. B. Cooper's parachute - he was watching and reading the TV screen! He woke up a bit after that and wrote us a few other notes - something was vibrating (we never figured out what) and something about an "L.S.U., V.I.P" that didn't mean anything to either of us. He's still really enjoying rolling the ball around. He even managed to mouthe, "I love you" to my mom. It was a really, really good visit. We must have worn him out, because at the 1:00 visit, he really didn't wake up much for my mom, Sandra and I. But, after two weeks of lying down, he was probably worn out.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 25th
Let's see ... what's changed since last we spoke ...
First, the medical stuff. He's gotten a tracheostomy, which means that the breathing tube that was in his mouth has been removed and replaced by a similar aparatus that enters in the front of his neck. It doesn't sound pleasant; but, he looks much more comfortable. That tube in his mouth always looked uncomfortable. They've also removed all tubes from his nose; the arterial catheter in his neck and, even, removed the ventriculoscopy tube from his head. From mid-neck up, he looks relatively normal. He's got a beard, 'cause they haven't shaved him since he was admitted. They talk about shaving him almost every day; but, every day, he's got more beard than the day before. He's not getting any more sedation medicine. He's getting a full day's worth of calories, now; he had lost 15 lbs, but has gained back some of that. He's still running a fever, but it's low - 99.6 - 102.1, today. And, the big medical news of the day - they've lowered his oxygen concentration on the respirator to 40% (from 60%) and the assisted repiratory rate to 6 breaths per minute. He's breathing about 12-16 breaths per minute; but, the machine is only helping with 6 of those. So, he's moving towards getting off of the respirator. So, lots of new medical news.
How's he doing? Well, he's still very lethargic. If we see him for a total of two hours in a day (there's four, 30-minute visits), he probably is awake for only about 20-30 minutes of the visits. The nurses say that he's rousable all day and that when they wake him up, he's responsive. And, for us, when he is awake, he is pretty responsive. He's getting better at opening his eyes and getting better at looking at things; but, that's still one of the most obvious struggles. He nods pretty frequently and will still write us the occassional message. His handwriting has deteriorated pretty badly and there's lots of messages that we can't read, at all. The ones that we can read, though, show that he's still in there and his spirits remain strong and positive.
Highlights from the past few days - when I asked him what he thought about all day, he said, "food, girls" (we interpret "girls" to mean, "the girls," as in Abby, Shelby, Maggie, Victoria, Macy and Marley). I stopped at Target and got him one of those squishy balls with the rubber hair on it and he loved that. He was really working his right hand and arm, bouncing it off of his belly and rolling it back and forth up the bed.
He had a CT scan today and, hopefully, we'll know those results tomorrow. And, hopefully, they'll show that the pressure in his head is leveled off or reducing. But, between being moved for the CT scan, doing lots more breathing on his own, and all the playing with his new ball, he was so tired for the last visit of the day, that he really didn't wake up at all. So, hopefully, he wore himself out and will get a good night sleep. And, hopefully, so will the rest of us.
First, the medical stuff. He's gotten a tracheostomy, which means that the breathing tube that was in his mouth has been removed and replaced by a similar aparatus that enters in the front of his neck. It doesn't sound pleasant; but, he looks much more comfortable. That tube in his mouth always looked uncomfortable. They've also removed all tubes from his nose; the arterial catheter in his neck and, even, removed the ventriculoscopy tube from his head. From mid-neck up, he looks relatively normal. He's got a beard, 'cause they haven't shaved him since he was admitted. They talk about shaving him almost every day; but, every day, he's got more beard than the day before. He's not getting any more sedation medicine. He's getting a full day's worth of calories, now; he had lost 15 lbs, but has gained back some of that. He's still running a fever, but it's low - 99.6 - 102.1, today. And, the big medical news of the day - they've lowered his oxygen concentration on the respirator to 40% (from 60%) and the assisted repiratory rate to 6 breaths per minute. He's breathing about 12-16 breaths per minute; but, the machine is only helping with 6 of those. So, he's moving towards getting off of the respirator. So, lots of new medical news.
How's he doing? Well, he's still very lethargic. If we see him for a total of two hours in a day (there's four, 30-minute visits), he probably is awake for only about 20-30 minutes of the visits. The nurses say that he's rousable all day and that when they wake him up, he's responsive. And, for us, when he is awake, he is pretty responsive. He's getting better at opening his eyes and getting better at looking at things; but, that's still one of the most obvious struggles. He nods pretty frequently and will still write us the occassional message. His handwriting has deteriorated pretty badly and there's lots of messages that we can't read, at all. The ones that we can read, though, show that he's still in there and his spirits remain strong and positive.
Highlights from the past few days - when I asked him what he thought about all day, he said, "food, girls" (we interpret "girls" to mean, "the girls," as in Abby, Shelby, Maggie, Victoria, Macy and Marley). I stopped at Target and got him one of those squishy balls with the rubber hair on it and he loved that. He was really working his right hand and arm, bouncing it off of his belly and rolling it back and forth up the bed.
He had a CT scan today and, hopefully, we'll know those results tomorrow. And, hopefully, they'll show that the pressure in his head is leveled off or reducing. But, between being moved for the CT scan, doing lots more breathing on his own, and all the playing with his new ball, he was so tired for the last visit of the day, that he really didn't wake up at all. So, hopefully, he wore himself out and will get a good night sleep. And, hopefully, so will the rest of us.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thursday and Friday, March 21st
He's doing very well, all things considering. Even Dr. Doom has found some hope. Today, as Lori and Abby were leaving the room, he managed to raise his hand near his mouth and blow them a kiss.
Let's see, what else ... he's writing lots these days and almost all of it makes sense, although he does seem to have moments when he's not quite understanding or making complete sense. His sedation is minimal and he's usually awake when folks visit. He's in good spirits, as always.
There's still little to no control or movement on his left side; almost all of his activity is with his right side. He opens his eyes frequently and, since they removed his arterial catheter, can move his head, slightly, from left to right. They took a CT scan on Thursday and the results show that the swelling hasn't increased, nor has he had any additional bleeding. For the time being, he's on the road to recovery - although, everyone has consistently said that it will be a very long road. Most estimates put his recovery at or longer than 12 months. He's going to need lots of encouragement in the months that come, since it's going to be a long, hard fight back.
His fever seems to be, for the most part, under control. Interestingly enough, the doctors are now saying that his lethargy wasn't due to swelling in his brain, but the fever. Now that that's under control, he's much more alert (that and he's getting ever less sedation).
He's very aware of where he is, why he's there and what's got to happen to get through recovery.
He's also dropped ~13 pounds since he was admitted, which is good news, since his weight has been a persistent complaint of the doctors.
Let's see, what else ... he's writing lots these days and almost all of it makes sense, although he does seem to have moments when he's not quite understanding or making complete sense. His sedation is minimal and he's usually awake when folks visit. He's in good spirits, as always.
There's still little to no control or movement on his left side; almost all of his activity is with his right side. He opens his eyes frequently and, since they removed his arterial catheter, can move his head, slightly, from left to right. They took a CT scan on Thursday and the results show that the swelling hasn't increased, nor has he had any additional bleeding. For the time being, he's on the road to recovery - although, everyone has consistently said that it will be a very long road. Most estimates put his recovery at or longer than 12 months. He's going to need lots of encouragement in the months that come, since it's going to be a long, hard fight back.
His fever seems to be, for the most part, under control. Interestingly enough, the doctors are now saying that his lethargy wasn't due to swelling in his brain, but the fever. Now that that's under control, he's much more alert (that and he's getting ever less sedation).
He's very aware of where he is, why he's there and what's got to happen to get through recovery.
He's also dropped ~13 pounds since he was admitted, which is good news, since his weight has been a persistent complaint of the doctors.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19th - 9:00PM
I hate roller coasters. Did I ever tell you that?
I've held off from updating today because it's been such a wonderful day, today. All day, he seemed to be more awake and aware than previous days. He was playful and full of humor. He even played, "Slaps" with Lori - and, he even got her once! Lori was always bad at slaps, but not that bad. He seemed a little confused earlier in the day, as he thought his brother Mike was Mike Caruso, whom he'd worked with years earlier. He also wanted a gallon of sweet tea and "the girl who went to Mt. Carmel." We're still not sure who he's talking about there. He was able to focus and move his eyes and recognize how many fingers someone was holding up. He's still got a fever, though, and we've heard that they suspect that he does have pneumonia. His CSF fluid looks more clear today. So, just as yesterday appeared to be bad on all fronts, today seems to be all good.
Of course, alot of the doom and gloom from yesterday was because of the conversation with the doctor and not from our interpretation of my dad's state. So, it's possible that the doctor is right and my dad's apparent progress is an abberation. I hate roller coasters ...
Please hang in there and keep the prayers coming.
I've held off from updating today because it's been such a wonderful day, today. All day, he seemed to be more awake and aware than previous days. He was playful and full of humor. He even played, "Slaps" with Lori - and, he even got her once! Lori was always bad at slaps, but not that bad. He seemed a little confused earlier in the day, as he thought his brother Mike was Mike Caruso, whom he'd worked with years earlier. He also wanted a gallon of sweet tea and "the girl who went to Mt. Carmel." We're still not sure who he's talking about there. He was able to focus and move his eyes and recognize how many fingers someone was holding up. He's still got a fever, though, and we've heard that they suspect that he does have pneumonia. His CSF fluid looks more clear today. So, just as yesterday appeared to be bad on all fronts, today seems to be all good.
Of course, alot of the doom and gloom from yesterday was because of the conversation with the doctor and not from our interpretation of my dad's state. So, it's possible that the doctor is right and my dad's apparent progress is an abberation. I hate roller coasters ...
Please hang in there and keep the prayers coming.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18th - 10:00PM
We got a dose of reality tonight and it isn't pleasant. We spoke to the surgeon for the first time since Friday and, it turns out, his previous position of "no news is good news" isn't entirely accurate. After having what seemed to be a very good day, the medical staff asked us not to rouse my dad because all the excitement earlier had spiked some of his vitals. On top of that, he's getting harder, in general, to wake up. The doctor explained that the clot in my dad's brain is "very large" and that the swelling is not going down, as expected. The pressure within his brain continues to build. Also, his fever spiked today to 103.6, which has raised concerns, again, about pneumonia. They put him back on the cooling blanket, fans and gave him Tylenol to get it under control. His left foot now has a boot on it, to hold it straight as it has turned in on it's own. His CSF fluid is no longer as clear as it was. Bad news, on all fronts.
They've also said that any potential recovery would be very long-term, the feeding tube in his nose and the breathing tube in his mouth should both be replaced with longer-term options. So, it looks like he'll be getting a feeding tube in his stomach and a tracheostomy for his respirator. The surgeon also says that we need to be making a plan for long-term care because his progress is not sufficient to have him recover at the hospital.
They've also said that any potential recovery would be very long-term, the feeding tube in his nose and the breathing tube in his mouth should both be replaced with longer-term options. So, it looks like he'll be getting a feeding tube in his stomach and a tracheostomy for his respirator. The surgeon also says that we need to be making a plan for long-term care because his progress is not sufficient to have him recover at the hospital.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday, March 18th – 1:00PM
He’s still heavily sedated, today, which is actually good because it shows that his vitals are holding. They’ve lowered the sedation to about half of what it was yesterday and the good news is that he’s not getting upset or stressing with the additional consciousness. His favorite doctor, Dr. Persich, has visited and let us know that they’re going to put a feeding tube into his stomach. He’s been getting Ensure through a tube in his nose for a few days. But, they’re saying that the nasal feeding tube isn’t a long term solution and that with the way things are looking, he should be getting fed through a tube that goes to his stomach. The physical therapist also visited today and was encouraged by what she sees. She says that she sees movement on his left side and thinks he might be rehabilitable to a point that he could handle steps. He opened eyes today and was able to move his eyes well enough to look at Maw Maw, Lori, and Kyle and was able to recognize everyone; but, he wasn’t able to move his head enough to look around the room. We haven’t seen the neuro-surgeon since Friday – and, as he said, no news is good news, so we’re not missing him.
My mom’s decided to start eating better. With the hurry to get up there in the morning, the distraction all day and late night getting home, it’s been easy to forget to eat right. So, today, she’s started making sure that she’s getting more frequent and more nutritious meals.
My mom’s decided to start eating better. With the hurry to get up there in the morning, the distraction all day and late night getting home, it’s been easy to forget to eat right. So, today, she’s started making sure that she’s getting more frequent and more nutritious meals.
Monday, March 17th – 4:30PM
Today’s been a great day. My mom’s gotten some reassurance around some of the insurance questions and they hospital has brought on an assistant to the neuro-surgeon that should help facilitate communication. She says that the fluid that is draining through the ventriculoscopy is getting more and more clear. This indicates that the blood is being removed and no new blood is entering the fluid. They’ve been able to reduce the oxygen concentration to 60% and he’s still maintaining sufficient blood oxygen, which is a great relief. Over time, they’re going to try to get him down to the 21% that the rest of us breathe in the atmosphere. He’s not opening his eyes today and not really responding much. They’ve upped his sedation, due to stronger vitals, though; so, we’re not really concerned by that.
My mom is holding up well, but I think we’re all ready for the wild swings in daily progress – both up and down – to stop.
My mom is holding up well, but I think we’re all ready for the wild swings in daily progress – both up and down – to stop.
Sunday, March 16th – 8:00PM
Bill was back to himself a bit more this evening. He still has trouble opening his eyes and, when he does open them, he doesn’t seem to be able to move them or focus well. But, reactions in his face show us that he’s seeing and recognizing peoples’ faces. He was able to squeeze hands and, for the first time since Friday, indicated that he wanted to write. Danny and his family stopped by for a visit and my dad was joking with Danny by writing messages for him to get out and who was the ugliest and who was the smartest. He also wrote to Lori, “I love you, too.” The talk with the surgeon confirmed that the latest CT scan results show that the bleeding has stopped. The ventriculostomy seems to be successful and has allowed the doctors to regulate the pressure in his skull. But, today’s challenge seems to be with his lung function. Apparently, the only way that they’re able to get sufficient oxygen in his blood is to have him breathing 100% oxygen. They’re going to do another MRI and chest x-ray to see what might be impairing his lung function. His fever is still climbing and hovers in the 102’s. But, the good news is that the Infectious Disease team still hasn’t found any infections. At this point, everyone is attributing the fever to the blood in his brain or, potentially, pressure on the part of the brain that regulates temperature.
Sunday, March 16th – 4:00PM
My dad’s resting heavily this afternoon. The nurse came in and roused him a bit and she gave him a “thumbs up.” He was communicating via hand squeezes and caressing my mom’s hand. He opened his eyes to see my mom; but, he struggled to focus and keep them open. His fever is back, around 101.6. But, all other vitals look fantastic – his blood pressure is exemplary, his heart rate is relaxed and his blood oxygen is 100%. The ventriculostomy catheter has drained only minimally. He looks good, though, his color is as normal as it’s been and seems to have found a comfortable and different position laying on his side in the bed. His room is still pretty chilly to help fight the fever; but, they don’t have the fan pointed right at him and he’s not on the chilling blanket any longer. They’ve just given him some Tylenol and expect for his fever to drop a bit, as a result.
Sunday, March 16th – 6:00AM
We had a scare last night. The phone rang at ~3AM at my parents’ house. It was the surgeon on duty and he wanted for us to give approval to do a ventriculostomy. A ventriculostomy puts a hole with a drain where the doctors could allow some of his cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF) to drain and relieve the pressure in his head. Throughout the day, we’ve learned that they suspect that the blood in his brain is interfering with the normal drainage of CSF. Apparently, every day, our brains make CSF to refresh and replace some of the fluid that’s already in there. In my dad’s case, he wasn’t draining the fluid that was being replaced and just accumulating more and more CSF, which was increasing the pressure in his head.
We rushed to the hospital where they were still prepping my dad for surgery. It took them all of about 15 minutes to insert the catheter and allow him to relieve that pressure by draining some CSF fluid. The impact was almost immediate. Within two hours, his temperature had dropped more than 1.5 degrees and he was much less lethargic.
We rushed to the hospital where they were still prepping my dad for surgery. It took them all of about 15 minutes to insert the catheter and allow him to relieve that pressure by draining some CSF fluid. The impact was almost immediate. Within two hours, his temperature had dropped more than 1.5 degrees and he was much less lethargic.
Saturday, March 15th – 8:00PM
Today, it seems that the fever is the main concern. They’ve got my dad on a chilling blanket that’s circulating 39 degree water under him to try and bring his temperature down. It spiked to 102.8 in the past 24 hours and they’re trying to bring it under control. The Infectious Disease doctors still don’t see any infection or reason for the fever in the blood cultures.
Friday, March 14th – 8:00PM
He’s had lots of visitors today – thank you all for coming. My dad seems to have good spirits, despite the situation. He doesn’t open his eyes and his left arm and leg don’t seem to respond. But, he continues to make everyone laugh by insisting that we bring him a Coke. He even wrote, “Don’t come back without a Coke” and to “shit on the Dr.” when we told him that the doctors wouldn’t let us give him a Coke. But, this evening hasn’t been all fun and games. The doctor says that he’s running a fever and that might indicate an infection. They’re concerned about any infection because it could really impact his ability to recover and focus on repairing the damage in his brain. They’re calling in the Infectious Disease team to start running blood cultures to see if they can find any reason for the fever. The doctor also let us know that between the 2nd and 3rd CT scans the increase in volume in blood is minimal and it appears that he’s no longer bleeding in his brain.
Friday, March 14th – 1:00PM
His color looks better than any previous visit. Previously, he was either pale or very, very red. As my mom and I spoke to him, trying to just let him know that we were there and that he was going to be OK, my mom picked up his hand and said, “I love you.” My dad squeezed her hand tightly. At that moment, I knew what joy was – it was on my mom’s face, it was in the air and it was in my heart. Once we knew he was so aware, we were able to ask him “yes and no” questions and learn that his butt was uncomfortable and he needed to be shifted in bed and was otherwise comfortable. Then, he made his hand in a shape to hold a pen and moved his right hand at the wrist – he wanted to write something. My mom quickly got him a pen and paper. He scribbled, “I WANT A CUP WITH COKE + ICE + A STRAW.” As we all rejoiced in his awareness, faculty and the irony of what he wanted, he made the motion again that he wanted to write something. My mom put the paper under his hand and he wrote, “HURRY!” We all laughed so hard. It was a wonderful moment. We went and asked the nurse if he could have some Coke and she said that he couldn’t but that they could sponge his mouth to moisten it. He asked for the pen, just after they sponged his mouth, and wrote, “WHERE’S THE COKE?” So, today has taken a much more pleasant turn. We still have some apprehension, as they’ve run some unexpected tests – chest x-ray and an unscheduled CT scan (they’d told us that it’d be 4-5 days before they did another CT scan). So, we’re not sure if they’re looking for unexpected good or unexpected bad. We should hear from the doctor this evening.
Friday, March 14th – 10:00AM
He’s sleeping soundly this morning. They’re sedating him, pretty heavily, now, because of the intubation. If you know my dad, you know that he wouldn’t appreciate having a breathing tube down his throat. So, we all felt it best if they kept him very sedated while the tube is in. He looks better, aside from the tube and how it’s pulling on his mouth. His color is better, he seems much more stable and looks like he’s resting well. He did that stretching thing a few times, which was surprising, as they had told us that he would probably stop that once he was on the respirator.
Thursday, March 13th – 8:00PM
We finally talked to the doctor. He says that the CT scan shows that the bleeding has continued and the volume of blood had increased. This was the second CT scan – he had one when he was admitted – so, they don’t know if the bleeding had slowed. They only know that it had continued between the first and second scans. The doctor says that the vitamin K should have reversed the effects of the Coumadin; but, the Plavix may take as long as a week to metabolize out of his system. We had to decide tonight to put my dad on a respirator. According to the surgeon, his sleep apnea is really complicating his ability to heal. The sleep apnea causes his blood pressure to spike and drop, as his body dealt with periods of no breathing. The fluctuations in blood pressure make it more difficult for his body to form a clot and stop further bleeding. On top of that, the apnea impairs his oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, which impairs his body’s ability to heal, in general. The surgeon says that we should do this now, rather than wait for an emergency to arise. So, my mom, Lori and I didn’t hesitate to give permission to intubate him.
Thursday, March 13th – 4:00PM
He’s not talking any more, although he tries. He’s very sleepy and to get him to respond, the nurses say that we need to rouse him. He wakes pretty easily and will respond by shaking his head or hand signals. But, as soon as we stop talking to him and keeping him alert, he goes back to sleep. They’re saying that this is normal, because of the pressure in his head and the medicines that they’re giving him. His face is very red and looks very swollen, especially around his neck.
Thursday, March 13th – 10:00AM
We got to see him, this morning, in the ICU. His speech isn’t very clear, at all. His neck and jowls are very swollen. He looks like he’s struggling and every couple of minutes tenses up, as though he were trying to stretch and arch his back. When he does this, his face turns VERY red and it’s just plain scary. He’s connected to lots of machines and has IVs all over the place. He’s moving all four limbs and complaining about his mouth being dry.
Thursday, March 13th - ~3:30AM
The phone rang with instructions for loved ones to come, immediately, to New Orleans. Results from CT scans show that a blood vessel in my dad’s brain had ruptured and he was bleeding within his brain. The stroke is caused by the pressure within his brain from the bleeding. With the extensive blood thinners and anti-coagulants that he takes (ironically, to prevent another stroke), he’s at a serious risk of continuing to bleed. The doctor’s are moving quickly and aggressively to reverse the effects of these medicines by giving him vitamin K and platelet transfusions. On the phone, I can hear my dad talking in the background and telling people, “don’t tell my son anything!” He never likes to call and worry Lori and I. He is alert and aware. He’s able to move all four limbs, talk and is very much himself.
Wednesday, March 12th – ~11:00PM
My mom and dad had sat down to watch a movie, in their usual favorite places – my mom on the sofa and my dad on the floor. Just as the movie was starting, my mom noticed my dad struggling to reach for something on the sofa. Shortly thereafter, he slumped forward and when my mom asked if he was OK, his speech was very slurred. He asked for some help getting up, but my mom was unable to get him up and he was unable to move with any strength or coordination. My mom recognized the symptoms of a stroke and immediately called 911. My dad was rushed to East Jefferson Hospital and admitted to the ICU.
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