Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Quick addendum to Chapter 21

Dave was released from the hospital on Sunday.  The CT scan on Saturday showed more fluid accumulation since the Friday surgery - but just a small amount.  CT Sunday morning showed the same accumulation - no increase in volume.  There is no clear indication of where we go from here.  Dave's brain has a midline shift to the right - 4mm compared to 14 mm with the previous subdural hematomas.  His brain has still not expanded to fill the space in the left side of his brain, and there appears to be a small pocket of air.  We have a follow up CT scan in nine days, and will see the neurosurgeon at that time.  Two weeks from today we have our six month checkup with our neurologist.  By then, I hope to have a picture of what the near future looks like.  I want to know how much the brain atrophy from the FTD is contributing to this continued bleed, and how these last few weeks and the current state of his brain might exacerbate his FTD.  Maybe it will be stable by next week.  I can only hope!  But I have a feeling there will be no clear answers. 

This recovery for Dave is tougher - he has some pain because of the location of the latest burr hole - his seizure medication has been changed to Keppra from Dilantin.  He's pretty sleepy throughout the day.  Moving very slowly.  Watching everything he does so as not to exert any undue pressure on the brain - no bending over, no lifting or pushing or pulling.  Just sitting.  Better today then yesterday, but still seeming about three steps back from where he was. 

Plan to post in two weeks after the visit with the neurologist, who I'm hoping will pull all this together for us so we can have a roadmap for the next month or two, bumpy as it might be, and filled with detours! 

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