Navigating the Unkown
December 9, 2008
Neurological Update
Overall, this is a waiting game for the neuroogical assessment. Our technology is amazing, but yet we have no clear answers on how the trauma impacted his brain. They are performing all the standard protocols, UCLA is a great place to be. We continue to relay our information to our far-away friends that are in the field. CT scans are still coming back clean. This is a positive sign, although no real indication of anything specific. The EEG graphs show a burst-suppression pattern, essentially, a period of activity and then non-activity. Too early to tell, but this is not the type of pattern we want. He is on so much medication, some of which can produce this pattern, so it is not entirely alarming. The impression is that the first 48 hours is a resting / stabilizing period. The unknown is extraordinarily frustrating and to hear from professionals, doesn’t seem to help, but it is the current reality.
The Mass
We are finding a little more about this. We have heard some say it is about 11cm, extraordinary that he has lived and performed so well with this mass growing inside him and pushing his organs around. Apparently there is a lot of space in the respiratory area that allows for such growth. Bone marrow results from yesterday show nothing. That is a mystery to me, yet they are still very certain it is either lymphoma or leukemia. Later today they will try to take a sample and hopefully get more answers.
They have kept Cody’s temperature around 89 degrees F. This IV icing may help in the healing process. Since we are hitting the 2-day mark, they are now going to slowly warm him up. They will bring him up to normal temperature over the next 20 hours. As they bring up the temperature, they will be able to pull-back on some of the meds and hopefully we will see some better response. We are still very hopeful. Cody has music playing and family around, talking to him, massaging him, encouraging him, joking him. Brandon sent him a talking Napolean Dynamite.
Can he hear us? We assume and hope so. Some patients will come out of this and remember everything that was said, while others will remember nothing. Cody is still unconscious.
Brandon and Tanner continue their positive fight, sending thoughts and prayers and telling Cody stories to keep us all smiling. We are pushing them to try to live their normal lives. They need to stay busy, positive and healthy.
Thanks for all your support.