skatesindreams
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Adding my thoughts and support to all those already here.
Well, here we are. Today is Day 365.
A whole year has gone by while my beautiful wife has fought to return to us... we've had ups, downs, periods of consolidation, and times of crisis. We've maintained hope, grappled with uncertainty, and held the dike against fear. We've been supported by friends nearby, sustained by friends from afar, and occasionally been oh, so isolated and apart.
But never alone. Thank you for that.
Today, Lee continues to fight back; she has been unresponsive since the last surgery to remove her shunt; Her infection is clearing, the swelling and pressure are abating, and she continues to try to return to us. An MRI yesterday showed no stroke or obvious physical damage, and she is currently in for a CT scan to check the progress of normalizing her brain.; they're considering adjusting her EVD (External Ventricular Drain) to help her better maintain intra-cranial pressures. She seemed more awake and alert this morning, showing involuntary movements, so that's promising... but I might be imagining those things, too. Her Neuro team tells me that - for a normal person- getting the shunt removed takes time to recover from. So does a shunt infection of the type she has. So do antibiotic effects, so does sustained and repeated cranial pressures, so does ... and Lee has had all of those things.
Short answer is, they don't have a timeline for her recovery; she is a complex case. We could have told them that.
They are, as they continue to gather data, continuing the planned course... infectious disease team wants the antibiotic course to run another week, and then they will evaluate and decide when the shunt can be put back in, so for now she stays in ICU, with 1-1 specialized care.
Tomorrow, a new year begins. Thanks for hanging in with us.