Emily has been alert much of the day today. Curtis was even able to bring the new baby (recently named "McKenzie") in to the ICU for a visit. Emily hasn't seen McKenzie since shortly after her birth. She has been asking to see her for the past two days, mouthing the word "baby" to Curtis.
Emily's 3rd CAT scan from late last night came back with positive results. There appear to be no changes in swelling or bleeding. The doctors have said that this is as much as we can expect right now. The existing blood on her brain has nowhere to escape and brain swelling apparently takes weeks or longer to go down. So, as long as her CAT scans remain unchanged the doctors are happy.
Emily's platelet count was at 25,000 yesterday and today it's increased to 27,000. This is still far below the normal 200,000 but at least it's on its way up.
The doctors expressed concern today over her kidneys. They are not functioning as they should be. Although, this is something they are watching very closely they told Curtis it is not something that he should be overly worried about at this point.
When Emily had her first seizure on Sunday she bit her tongue badly. This may not seem like that big of a deal but it is causing her a lot of discomfort. When the nurses asked her about her pain she indicated that most of her current pain is from her tongue. It is swollen to the point that she needs a breathing tube. The doctors had considered removing the tube today but have since decided that isn't a good idea. They think her tongue is swollen so much that if they took the tube out they would never be able to get another back in, if needed. Emily’s communication has mainly been from head nods and writing words or short sentences.
Emily's blood pressure is much more stable now, but Curtis said the activity, excitement, and emotion of today had a very quick and negative impact on her blood pressure. They will have to be very careful with her over the next few days to make sure her blood pressure remains low. The concern is that too much of an increase in her blood pressure could lead to another seizure. Curtis indicated that once Emily is out of ICU and able to have visitors her blood pressure issues may still limit visitors to some degree.
All, in all, this was a very good day. With much more positive than negative. We are confident that through our and your continued faith and prayers this trend will continue.
Emily's 3rd CAT scan from late last night came back with positive results. There appear to be no changes in swelling or bleeding. The doctors have said that this is as much as we can expect right now. The existing blood on her brain has nowhere to escape and brain swelling apparently takes weeks or longer to go down. So, as long as her CAT scans remain unchanged the doctors are happy.
Emily's platelet count was at 25,000 yesterday and today it's increased to 27,000. This is still far below the normal 200,000 but at least it's on its way up.
The doctors expressed concern today over her kidneys. They are not functioning as they should be. Although, this is something they are watching very closely they told Curtis it is not something that he should be overly worried about at this point.
When Emily had her first seizure on Sunday she bit her tongue badly. This may not seem like that big of a deal but it is causing her a lot of discomfort. When the nurses asked her about her pain she indicated that most of her current pain is from her tongue. It is swollen to the point that she needs a breathing tube. The doctors had considered removing the tube today but have since decided that isn't a good idea. They think her tongue is swollen so much that if they took the tube out they would never be able to get another back in, if needed. Emily’s communication has mainly been from head nods and writing words or short sentences.
Emily's blood pressure is much more stable now, but Curtis said the activity, excitement, and emotion of today had a very quick and negative impact on her blood pressure. They will have to be very careful with her over the next few days to make sure her blood pressure remains low. The concern is that too much of an increase in her blood pressure could lead to another seizure. Curtis indicated that once Emily is out of ICU and able to have visitors her blood pressure issues may still limit visitors to some degree.
All, in all, this was a very good day. With much more positive than negative. We are confident that through our and your continued faith and prayers this trend will continue.
1 comment:
Thanks for creating this blog, Ang. Sounds like Emily is on the mend. That is great news. Bethany and I will continue praying for her recovery.
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