By Lisa Ansay —
Taylor has several teams actively involved in his treatment and recovery: neorosurgical; critical care; infectious disease; endocrinology; respiratory; physical therapy; speech and occupational therapy. The only teams that have not visited him at least daily since he has been in ICU are the speech, occupational and physical therapy teams. They will begin working with him again tomorrow.
Neurology: They are thinking whatever they saw on the MRI that was either fluid or abscess, is actually more likely to be a resolving contusion from the trauma itself. YAY! praypraypray The ventricle drain has been pulling fluid successfully and relieving pressure, as well.
Critical Care: brought in endocrinology for consult on the sodium issue and bringing in an opthamologist to check on his eyes (potential detached retina in one and cranial nerve issue with the other. praypraypray
Infectious Disease: the meningitis has gone through a full course of antibiotics for treatment. An MRI will be performed in about ten days to see how it has resolved. The cerebritis will require more antibiotics as standard treatment. A picc line is going in tomorrow through intervention radiology to ensure its placement, and allow for the long-term antibiotic treatments. An ultra-sound was performed yesterday and he has no clotting in his legs, and only one superficial clot in his left arm so they can place another picc line. Clotting present means no picc. He pulled out the last one the first night in ICU.
Again, nothing has grown from any blood cultures or csf samples thus far so no infection has been found/confirmed. The cerebritis may just be inflammation without infection.
Endocrinology is investigating the sodium issue as a pituitary gland issue, and has determined there has been disruption of adrenals, thyroid, etc. Path forward for treatment includes more disgnostics which are time-series tests being run tonight. We should know more tomorrow. She is convinced that is why he is sooooo sleepy. He’s back on the provigil early-mornings too. That too will wake him.
His has body work multiple times daily (lately at his request – he’ll tug at your gown and lift his leg and point to it, pumping his foot in the air). And he is flippin’ strong! Legs and arms! When the repetitions are complete, he doesn’t want to stop.
Sooo much info today, but there has been much going on. I would like to finish by adding something about his eye(s). It has not been known how well he can see, if at all. He has nodded when you ask “can you see me?” at times. but other times he does not respond at all to that question. Last night I was sitting on his bed sort of chatting with him, and he kept looking over my right shoulder like I was in the way of something he was seeing behind me. When I looked, there was a nurse waaay down the hall behind the window where the nurses sit. It’s like an air-traffic controller or something – the nurses sit and watch the patient through a window, where they can see all the monitors along-side the patient, clearly. I asked “are you looking at Kelly back there?” and he did not reply. I held two fingers out on my right hand, kinda low, like when you wave to a fellow motorcycler while riding…and asked, “can you see my fingers? How many am I holding up?” He dug out his hand from beneath the blankets and held up STRONG two fingers and smiled.
That was the first time I knew for sure, he can see.
praypraypray….it’s soooo working….
love and hugs to all.
goodnight.
