9/20 - Day 2

9/20 - So yesterday Joe was brought into the hospital at about 8:00 a.m. after suffering a brain injury at home.  Tannie found him in the kitchen and gave him CPR as she called 911.  They rode by ambulance   to San Juan Regional Medical Center where we have been since.

They don't really know the extent of the damage to his brain at this point.  Currently he has been:
1.  Intubated (put on the respirator).
2.  Placed on blood pressure meds to help keep his blood pressure up.
3.  Placed on sedation meds to keep him in a coma so his brain can heal itself.
4.  Lowered his body temperature to keep brain cells from dying and help with the swelling in his brain (he was taken down to 91.0 at one point).

When they put the intubation tube in they inadvertently nicked the lung and over time the lung collapsed.  They had to put in a chest tube to reinflate the lung and after readjusting it again today it has been working great.  The doctor says his lungs are working fine now and that is not a worry.

So today they have been slowly warming him up (about a 10-16 hour process) and checking his brain activity as he does this.  They have done a CAT scan tonight to see if the swelling in his brain has gone down at all.  We won't find out the results on this until probably later tonight or tomorrow morning.

So it is a wait-and-see process.  In my life it is a very interesting time as you go through the roller coaster of emotions.  One minute you are sobbing and hanging onto others for support, and the next you are laughing with those people who have come to offer their condolences.  It is hard to explain and unless you go through it you really can't empathize - you can sympathize but not empathize.

A few things I have learned in this time is how we really are loved.  Joe is really loved by people you often don't think about, but when the chips are down you are reminded, en masse, of those who love you.  Words like "thank you" and "we love you" can't really portray the deep and tender feelings having friends surround you at this time invokes in you.

I'll sign off now.  It is 11:29 and the day is swiftly coming to an end.

P.S.  We got the results from the CAT scan back and the doctor says it is normal.  What does that mean?  Good question.  The original CAT scan was determined to possibly have a small amount of swelling but the results also could have been chalked up to a "young brain".  (I don't think I'll ever be diagnosed with that again!).  Anyway, good night!