Friday, April 15th, we called the family after we received the news and felt they should know so they could make arrangements to come and see you. Dad and I were supposed to go to a family wedding on Saturday but cancelled.
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Saturday, April 16th, 2005 and there were many visitors that day. Friends, family and people from Hartwyck whom we have bonded with over the past few months.
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Sunday, April 17th, and many more family members are coming to see you. You still have not opened your eyes and are very guarded.
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Monday, April 18th, today is Melissa’s birthday and Mom is going to work to fill out papers for a leave of absence. I need to be with you until we are sure of your condition and what lies ahead.
The remainder of the week was a wait and see. You were tolerating the feed thus far and getting antibiotics and fluids. You are still very sick and not responding but for the most part stable. On Friday, April 22nd they took you down for another MRI and the results were worse.They are having much difficulty with your veins and drawing blood and IV’s. You are on your 4th pictline and even now they are not sure it will hold up.
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Tuesday, April 26th, they did an MRI to map your brain for surgery. You were scheduled for surgery on the 28th of April.
Mom arrived at 6 a.m., you were scheduled for surgery at 9. Dad and I took you to the holding area and waited with you until 10 a.m. You were taken to the OR and the surgery took 4 ½ hours.
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One of the things they told us was they were trying a new technique and piece of equipment during your surgery. A device with a camera on the end of it that has the ability of extracting fluid and puss. There were quite a few people watching and observing and it was video taped for future use. During the procedure they extracted viles of puss in the ventricals that was keeping fluid from passing through.
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The surgery was a success and now we prayed for your recovery. They had no way of knowing the severity of the damage to your brain. You could recover and be better or lose some of what you had gained.
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Friday, April 29th, 2005 you had a small seizure which they said is not uncommon after brain surgery. The rest of the day you slept and were very quiet.
The weekend visitors came to see you, family and friends. The Caruso’s come every weekend from Sussex to spend time and visit. They are such good people and good friends.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
April, 2005
April 14th, 2005 and it was decided to have you go to JFK hospital and meet with Dr. Medina. He is a gastro specialist and he wanted to evaluate you because of the excessive vomiting. He ran routine tests and then decided to have a cat scan done of your head. We had been in the emergency room from 2 p.m until midnight. We first went to cat scan and then they took you to the Pediatrics wing. I went home at 2 a.m. to get some sleep but woke early and came back to see you. I was informed that there was a problem with the cat scan and they called in a Neurologist. I then called Dad to come to the hospital because I felt it was serious and I did not want to be there alone.
Dr. Mitchell came in at 5 p.m. and informed us of the seriousness of the situation. He said you had fluid on the brain and if they did not put a drain in as soon as possible you could die. They had you rushed to ICU and had the room set up for them to put a drain in your forehead to relieve the pressure. I just remember how weak you were and unresponsive. You had lost all your strength and ability to move or speak.
April 15th, 2005 and you were not responding to the decrease in pressure. Most of the time when pressure is relieved the patient becomes responsive and will open their eyes. You did not and there was much concern. It was decided at 3 p.m. you would go to cat scan and MRI and have further testing. They said it would take approximately 3 hours and we should go get something to eat and then go to the waiting room.
At 6 p.m. the nurse came in and escorted us to a conference room where we met with Dr. Mitchell. He informed us it was very serious and you may not make it through. There was a very massive infection and blockage in the ventricals. They were doing everything they could and had you on massive doses of antibiotic. I cried so hard and Dad was very upset as well. We had to think about a DNR, we believed in our hearts that if it was meant you would not recover and live your life as a vegetable we did not want you to be resuscitated.
I truly believed it was in God’s hands and all I could do was pray and be there for you. I decided to take a leave of absence from work and came every day to be with you and make sure you were well taken care of. The days were long and very scary at times. You had a team of Doctors working together to get you well.
Dr. Mitchell came in at 5 p.m. and informed us of the seriousness of the situation. He said you had fluid on the brain and if they did not put a drain in as soon as possible you could die. They had you rushed to ICU and had the room set up for them to put a drain in your forehead to relieve the pressure. I just remember how weak you were and unresponsive. You had lost all your strength and ability to move or speak.
April 15th, 2005 and you were not responding to the decrease in pressure. Most of the time when pressure is relieved the patient becomes responsive and will open their eyes. You did not and there was much concern. It was decided at 3 p.m. you would go to cat scan and MRI and have further testing. They said it would take approximately 3 hours and we should go get something to eat and then go to the waiting room.
At 6 p.m. the nurse came in and escorted us to a conference room where we met with Dr. Mitchell. He informed us it was very serious and you may not make it through. There was a very massive infection and blockage in the ventricals. They were doing everything they could and had you on massive doses of antibiotic. I cried so hard and Dad was very upset as well. We had to think about a DNR, we believed in our hearts that if it was meant you would not recover and live your life as a vegetable we did not want you to be resuscitated.
I truly believed it was in God’s hands and all I could do was pray and be there for you. I decided to take a leave of absence from work and came every day to be with you and make sure you were well taken care of. The days were long and very scary at times. You had a team of Doctors working together to get you well.
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