Baby Steps, But Steps They Be

Judi continued to rest and grow stronger today. We did make progress on several fronts though. The drain (EVD) was removed early this morning which indicates there is no longer a significant concern with pressure building up in her head due to swelling of the brain tissue. The PEG (stands for a long name meaning feeding tube in the stomach) was inserted and the final tubes were removed from her mouth and nose. Unfortunately, to perform the procedure they had to paralyze her again and administer a fairly healthy dose of drugs to ensure that she was comfortable throughout the procedure. It will take some time to work those out of her system again. Her alertness level continues to increase slowly, but it is clearly increasing. I have suspected that the tubes frightened her as they tried to reduce her sedation because she would become very agitated once she reached a certain point and would have to be sedated again to keep her key vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, etc.) under control. I am anxious to see how she responds as the drugs from today are eliminated from her system.

So, several small steps in the right direction and with your continued prayers and support I am sure her recovery will continue. Hang in there with us, there are still several large hurdles for her to cross, but those of you that know Judi well, also know she is not afraid of a challenge!