Good Things:
-Sat her in a chair for 2 1/2 hours (when sitting, moves both legs equally)
-Maybe recognized John Wirt?
-Seems like tracking a little more
-Clot liquefying?
-More purposeful movements
Gave her medicine to help her sleep tonight
Good Things:
-Awake a lot more
-Focuses on sound longer
-Smiling
-Lifts left leg in air
-Bounces legs together
-Nurses saying she making more “real life” movements
-Dad said maybe she looked at pictures he brought in when he pointed to them
Still not responding to commands.
May try putting her in a chair tomorrow.
It would be helpful for my dad to be away from his surroundings. If you are going to dinner and want to invite him, he would appreciate it.
Mary Ziegler is leaving GA tomorrow. John Wirt is staying until Tuesday.
Today is my mom’s birthday.
Good Things:
-Maybe focusing more
-More alert
-Maybe tracking more
-Able to scratch head, ear
They are considering removing her neck collar/brace.
Good Things:
Discharge nurse said that she thinks Carolyn will be soon be able to leave the ICU (Somewhere from 1 week to 1 month)
She was relaxing/sleeping peacefully today
Becky made it safely back to Colorado. Mary Ziegler got there today and will be there till Monday
CAT scan: “touch better”
Infection: bacterial, still not sure what it is
Good Things:
-Looked at me and John, made eye contact. My dad doesn’t think she looked at him. Eyes not open as long as yesterday.
-Nurse said “Over the Hump”
-Doctor said moving so much, probably not need physical therapy
-Oxygen receiving at 28% – air is about 22%
Neuro exam: Not responding to commands.
Ordered ultrasound yesterday to check for blood clots in legs.
Right foot swollen.
We have learned there are 5 phrase answers from the doctors and nurses to all of our questions:
1-We don’t know
2-Everyone is different
3-You have to have patience
4-Patients sometime take 1 step forward, 2 steps back
5-One day at a time
Doctor said we don’t know how/when she will improve. She could stay as she is now, or improve to the point no one would know she had an accident. That was a little discouraging, but the nurse said 3 weeks is still early in the game. Research has shown that patients can keep improving for up to 2 years.
It would be helpful for my dad to get a break from thinking about all of this. If you’re going out to dinner and want to invite him, he’d appreciate it.
Thank you for all the cards! I’ve been reading them, and it helps to be encouraged when we’re feeling down. Yesterday wasn’t a great day, but today seemed much better!
Just to clear up any confusion, the railing broke out completely from the balcony and was in pieces. My dad found her lying on top of the pieces when he got home.
Good Things:
-Off sedation all day-Weaning off pain medicine in IV to pain patch
-Blood sugar was good. Using a sliding scale for insulin.
-Blood pressure good.
-Fever good – didn’t need Tylenol since yesterday morning about 4 am.
-Took restraints off arms.
-Eyes open at least 45 minutes and made eye contact with Becky and mom’s friend, Marly, 4/5 times each! Leg drops off bed, and she puts it back herself. Scratched her head. Kind of “smirks” a lot.
-Still breathing on her own.
Cat scan: Did another one this evening. Don’t know results yet.
Culture results show a new bacterial infection – so changed antibiotic. Might be MRSA.
Gave beta blocker to keep heart rate down a little. It has been around 105, and they want it between 60 & 100. Seems like good progress today!
New medications (anybody know about these?):
-Inderal (relaxation – not a sedative) (maybe anti anxiety?)
-Atavan
-Vancimicin (new antibiotic?)
Please keep praying!
Becky
Good Things:
-She has been breathing on her own since 8am Sunday. They took the ventilator out of the room. She is getting a little bit of oxygen through the tracheotomy. Her oxygen levels have been good, so they are starting to reduce the oxygen they are giving her.
-Opened her eyes at least 5 minutes for my dad.
Still has a low grade fever. Not sure if she has a respiratory infection or not. One nurse says “yes”, the respiratory specialists say “no” – just a lot of secretions. They took more cultures last night to see what the infection could be. They haven’t felt the need to give her Tylenol since 4am this morning.
Neuro exam: Moves. Opened eyes when nurse said “Carolyn”. Nurse thinks maybe my mom looked at her – not sure.
They are keeping her sedation between .5 and 1 – she is very squirmy. Later in the evening they increased pain medication, and she seemed to calm down.
I was there during most of the day. Her eyes would open, but she really didn’t make eye contact.
She had an air mattress, but was slippery and she kept getting slouched – so they put her back on the bed she had originally.
She used to have a bunch of IV’s. Then they put in a central line. Now she is back to a bunch of IV’s.
Her blood sugar is elevated to 177 (they like it between 80 & 110). So, they are regulating her insulin.
For those asking, these are her medications:
-Sedation – Versed
-Pain – Phentenol (sp?)
-Antiseizure – Dilantin (sp?) & Keppra
Please keep praying!
Becky
Good Things:
-She’s been breathing on her own (off the ventilator) since 8am yesterday morning.
-Nurse yesterday documented that he thinks she was tracking a bit with her eyes.
-Swelling in head/face, arms, hands is down. She is looking much better. (There is a picture of my mom and her business partner, Jil, in the room. Before, the nurses didn’t know which one she was in the picture. Now they can tell.)
-Kept eyes open for over 3 minutes.
Neuro exam: Opens eyes and moves. Does not respond to commands.
Still has a low grade fever. Has a respiratory infection they are treating with antibiotics. Also sent in cultures yesterday. Should find out the results and if she has any infections by Wednesday.
They are monitoring her blood sugar closely. It’s a little high and they are giving her insulin.
We started playing some music for her today. The nurses thought she might like that.
I think we (my dad and I) feel less nervous/scared/intense than before (since she is not as much in a life/death situation), but it’s so hard not knowing how/when this story will end.
Visitors: We’re taking a notebook today to leave in her room. Please sign it when you visit with the date so she can see later everyone that came to see her.
Good Things:
- She has been breathing without the ventilator since 8am (at the time this is being written – that’s 14 hours so far)
- She was off the sedation medicine earlier today. It’s now at 0.5.
Neuro exam: She is moving a lot but still not responding to commands. She opens her eyes for about 30 seconds at a time.
When I arrived 8:30pm, Carolyn was resting peacefully. My dad and I started talking to her. My dad was on the left side of the bed and I on the right. She opened her eyes and moved her head towards me when I spoke. We made eye contact for a few seconds. She moved the whole time we were there talking with her. Then we told her we were going home for the night to sleep and she could rest. She quit moving. I’m really hoping this means she can understand us!
-Becky
They are reducing her blood pressure medicine.
She is breathing with the ventilator, but she is doing most of the breathing on her own.
Mom has been breathing on her own all day (8 hours) and they just turned back on the machines for the night! They still have the tracheotomy in and the ventilator hooked up incase she needs it. They will monitor her for at least 24 hours, but this seems really good to us!
Neuro exam: She has opened her eyes and they were moving around some today although still not looking at anything. She is not yet responding to any commands. They reduced the sedation to .5 from 1 (Whatever that means).
Cat scan: None today. Probably no more unless she back slides. (They don’t want to expose her to more radiation.)
Neuro exam: Moves and opens eyes. Eyes do not track. She is still not responding to commands. She opened her eyes just to having her teeth brushed. She opened them 4 times during a 20 minute period on her own (about 30 seconds each time). Her eyes also moved when they were open. Seems like a baby step forward!
Good Things:
-She is looking much better. Outside swelling on face and around collar bone is going down.
-My dad picked up shampoo today to wash her hair.
-My dad said she looks more comfortable.
-Body looks to be physically healing well.
-Neuro surgeons said they are basically done with her.
-Probably stay in ICU one more week.
-They are taking small steps to reduce the sedation.
-She is breathing 90% on her own. She might be off the ventilator this Sunday.
-Her arms aren’t strapped down anymore.
Visitors: We still think it would be great for my mom to hear familiar voices.
It’s hard not knowing how her brain is healing.
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