Thursday, March 20, 2008

Not A Great Day

Just heard from Vicky's husband; news is not great. She has brain damage from lack of oxygen, she has blood clots in both legs and she has an infection of some kind that is causing a fever in the 100-101 range.

I had been thinking about the brain damage thing; don't know why. I do know that in some of the darkest moments the CO2 level in her blood was very high. Brains don't need CO2; they need oxygen. The brain damage may be why she is not responding to people now that she is awake. According to Neil the doctors think this can be fixed in therapy; I take that to mean that they can teach another part of her brain to do what the damaged part did. Don't know for sure.

The blood clots have me worried too. Her lungs could not handle having those clots move upward in her body. She is on heparin (Creamy Silver: I guess some people can get it) to clear the clots.

There is some good news: she is making more urine, the new way they are doing dialysis (three times a week for four hours each time) is working; she seems to be trying to form words but with the vent she cannot speak; and when the nurses were re-arranging pillows to move her into another position, she lifted her right arm to help them.

Tomorrow her son Mike is bringing grandbaby Max up to see her. If anything will impact her it will be seeing Max. She adores him.

So don't stop praying. It's not over yet.

2 comments:

Creamy Silver said...

This is why I can't get Heparin right now, because people like her need it so much more. I was told that the amounts that are available are being reserved for those in the hospital and with severe cardiac (and other) conditions.

I will happily pass her my share, and I'm still praying.

dykewife said...

i got heparin shots when i was in for my hernia repair (twice, oh the saga). i would have gladly sent mine to you creamy silver. believe me!

i haven't stopped sending reiki. i hope that your sister's lack of response is a temporary thing and that things make more of a turnaround for her.