Getting Better Every Day

Last night Kathy got a CT scan and everything looked good. She continues to have a lot of junk in her lungs that the breathing specialist works on four times a day to get up and out. She did not pass her physical therapist tests this afternoon so she must stay on the feeding tube until tomorrow. Overall her condition remains good physically, low brain pressure, decreased white cell count, moderate use of medication, good breathing, steady heartbeat and normal temperature. The only thing she is behind on is her right side catching up with her left side’s dexterity.

Her mental condition continues to improve with less sleeping, more concentration, good reflex to commands, ability to be cognizant of her visitors and what they say, speaking small sentences and good recall of her memories. She currently is under the care of a full time nurse, neurologist, internal medicine doctor, a physical therapist, breathing therapist, speech therapist, transition administrator and numerous others. She is in good hands.

Hopefully tomorrow the planned CT scan will allow Dr. Kureshi to remove her brain tube and passing tomorrow's speech therapist test will allow removal of her feeding tube-no more tubes! This landmark will allow her to transition out of CUI into general care. We had an interesting visit this afternoon from one of her original admitting doctors. She had a special attachment to Kathy because she had earlier in her life experienced a brain abscess exactly like hers. She told us that Kathy had gotten Staphylococci bacteria most likely from her mouth area and the size of the abscess was around 2 cm in size, growing left to right. She was glad to see Kathy have a miracle because she thought her swelling was so severe, she might not make it. She’s so exited and wants to later share her experiences with Kathy.

Again “A laymen’s description of a brain abscesses”:

“Brain abscesses commonly occur when bacteria or fungi infect part of the brain. Inflammation develops in response. Infected brain cells, white blood cells, and live and dead microorganisms collect in a limited area of the brain. This area becomes enclosed by a membrane that forms around it and creates a mass.”