Sue called this morning at 5AM CA time & said they were taking Dad back into surgery because the second hematoma was getting bigger. She sent me a text at 7AM saying he was out of surgery, but that is all she knew. I called the Dr. at 8AM is this is the info I received.
After the 1st surgery Dad was in ICU fully sedated (which I learned is also termed a medically induced coma) & intubated. They would reduce the sedation enough to perform Neurology exams and look for responses (open eyes, move hands, feet, etc). Yesterday morning, this was all no worse than before the first surgery. Yesterday evening the neurology results had degraded to worse than before the first surgery. They did a CT scan and saw that there was blood on the left side causing pressure on the right side. This required immediate attention & thus the second surgery. They did not drill a hole in the first surgery, they removed a small portion of the skull. For the second surgery, they went back thru the same location. They said there was blood front to back on the left side & a little on the front right side. They were able to evacuate almost all of the blood on the left side as I think that is where they entered. They removed a small part of his brain on the left frontal lobe that was already destroyed from blood & trauma. The Dr. said this is a common procedure with these types of situations. This part of the brain controls ones ability to control reactions and/or express himself. As the Dr described it to me, it's like laughing loudly or softly & not being able to control which. Sue had said the other day that Dad would yawn loudly, I think this was the reason why. An ICP (Intracranial pressure) monitor has been placed. The Dr. said they thought all of the blood was from one vassal & they didn't think the bleeding was from different locations. She said they did not think it was actively bleeding now.
The plan is to keep him sedated the next 24-48 hours & monitor the ICP. They will also lower the sedation to perform neurology exams. If all remains nominal they will do another CT scan and decide if it is time to take him off sedation so he can breath on his own. The Dr. said they can use the intubation to help control the ICP, but they are not doing that now as it is not required.
The Dr said in the best case (which is what is going to happen!!) Dad will recover fully with some decreased strength on his right side and difficulty expressing himself. This will require the ICP to remain low and no more bleeding.
The Dr said if the ICP pressure goes up from edema (fluid trapped in tissue) and not from bleeding that there are therapeutically approaches to reduce the swelling caused by the edema that does not require surgery. The Dr said that if the ICP goes up from bleeding, the neruo surgeons would probably not operate again and this would be a very bad & potentially life threatening situation. So NO BLEEDING!
Then next 24-48 hours are very critical, so please continue to send Dad all the good thought & prayers you can!
In my mind, no news is good news, so don't let the lack of updates impact your positive thoughts!
Stacy - can you call your dad & update him for me, also ask him if Glenn is in the loop (I will try to call Glenn as well).
Best,
Steve
3 comments:
Oh Lynnette. We are sending love and prayers your way! Please let me know if there is anything we can do. ANYTHING!
oh and since I mentioned it on my blog several people have emailed me and said they checked out your blog and are praying for you and your dad as well. There are people all over the united states and China so you are not alone! I also put his name in at the Temple.
Ang,
I am so lucky to have you as a friend! Thank You!
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