Last Surgery in the Books

Judi had her surgery today to replace the bone flap removed back in April. Her surgeon said all went well and there were no surprises. Using his words: "It was a boring surgery." She was placed on the ventilator long enough to perform the surgery and then immediately taken off after she was stable. She never missed a beat and has been breathing on her own every since. Over the next few days we will be monitoring the fluid restoration to the new cavity and the brain position as it is allowed to return to its natural position. The possibility exists that we may have to close off the shunt for a period of time to allow the fluid to buildup in her head, but that does not involve another head surgery if it becomes necessary.

Hopefully this is the last surgery Judi will have to go through. I have been reminded countless times throughout this journey what a truly special lady I am married to. She has been through more than we could ever describe in words here and has consistently shown she is made of the "right stuff." Unfortunately, she has a lot of work in front of her to complete her recovery. We'll have a better idea of what's next over the next few days and weeks as she recovers from the last couple of surgeries. The initial focus will be to get her off the trach completely and back to eating/drinking normally. During this process, we will be able to see if she is ready for acute rehab (traditionally defined as three hours per day) or if she just needs to come home and rest for a while.

Once we have her out of ICU here and on the way to recovery, I know she would love to visit with the members of "Team Judi." We'll have to make sure we don't overload her so I'll come up with some way to make sure we have the appropriate controls for visiting in place. Please keep us in your prayers as we head down the next leg of the recovery path and thanx again for the tremendous support you have already given us.

Steve