Thank you all for your comments thus far. They are really encouraging and will be given to mom. Yesterday afternoon mom was moved from the ICU to a regular room. Though we don't speak with the doctors as often as we would like, it is certainly good news that they feel good enough to move her out of ICU. The thing we are most concerned about now is that mom continues to have periodic severe headaches, like migraines. They are medicating the headaches now, but we really need those to be resolved whether it's through treating the spasms or something else. Thanks again for your involvement in our lives. Your verses for the day are Romans 8:37-39. Love and blessings to all of you.
Paul
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Update as of 4/27/07
Mom is making good progress. She is able to move all of her limbs with some strength. All of her breathing, feeding and other tubes have been removed and she is eating, drinking, and talking. She is still in some general pain and some head pain, and they are treating her pain with medication. The doctors are treating her vasospasm condition with steroids which may be having some side effects such as visions, anxiety, etc. There hasn't really been any news or changes from the doctors in the last two days. When I have been there, mom is awake, alert, recognizes us and has pretty good awareness and memory of who everyone is and other things in her life. Her short-term memory, such as today and the last few days, may not be particularly good right now. As with all of these issues, things remain somewhat unpredictable. We are very grateful for her progress thus far and look forward to more in the coming days.
Thank you all for your continuing concern and prayers, as well as the help many of you are providing with our work, kids, and other life stuff. Your verse for the day is Philippians 4:4-7. Look it up - you'll be blessed.
Thank you all for your continuing concern and prayers, as well as the help many of you are providing with our work, kids, and other life stuff. Your verse for the day is Philippians 4:4-7. Look it up - you'll be blessed.
Background and Status as of 4/25/07
A little personal background first - If you didn't know, my mom's name is Brenda Westbrook. She is 58 years old. My dad, Lee Westbrook, is 59 years old and retired from TXU Electric about 3 weeks ago. My sister, Mary Nanny, works as an RN at Harris downtown in labor and delivery but spent about a year in the Neuro ICU. With this background, she has been an incredible help to us and the medical personnel.
Last Thursday (4/19), my mom suffered a brain bleed of unknown cause, which was preceded by a few weeks of sporadic migraine headaches. Dr. Diana Wilson performed brain surgery last Friday in which she removed the blood, found and removed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which could have contributed to or caused the initial bleed, cauterized any bleeding areas, and removed a portion of the skull to permit some cerebral swelling. Yesterday (4/24), another doctor performed an arteriogram (much like an angiogram), in which they discovered that the bleeding issues and malformations had been well taken care of. However, they detected something called diffuse cerebral vasospasms, which means that vessels throughout her brain are spasming. The down sides of this are (1) potential restriction of overall blood supply, and (2) pain similar to a migraine. They are perplexed about this issue, because it is not typically associated with her other issues, and they are attempting various treatments at this time. There is not a surgical treatment. The treatments they are trying will take several days, and she will remain mostly sedated and tubed, with restricted visiting hours and us not wanting to agitate her condition unnecessarily. The spams could be the result of a specific condition called vasculitis, or they could just be spasms. They are testing trying to figure this out.
So, the long and short of it is that we are in a holding pattern seeing whether the current treatments will be effective for the new issues. There are a number of things the doctors are pleased with, and they are continuing to work to eliminate each issue. Mom will likely remain in Neuro ICU for at least 2-3 weeks. It seems every part of these conditions can change fairly quickly. I and my family appreciate your concern and your prayers throughout this time. Fortunately, my family doesn't merely believe in God - we believe God, and we are content that all of us, including mom, are resting in His compassionate, sufficient grace.
Last Thursday (4/19), my mom suffered a brain bleed of unknown cause, which was preceded by a few weeks of sporadic migraine headaches. Dr. Diana Wilson performed brain surgery last Friday in which she removed the blood, found and removed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which could have contributed to or caused the initial bleed, cauterized any bleeding areas, and removed a portion of the skull to permit some cerebral swelling. Yesterday (4/24), another doctor performed an arteriogram (much like an angiogram), in which they discovered that the bleeding issues and malformations had been well taken care of. However, they detected something called diffuse cerebral vasospasms, which means that vessels throughout her brain are spasming. The down sides of this are (1) potential restriction of overall blood supply, and (2) pain similar to a migraine. They are perplexed about this issue, because it is not typically associated with her other issues, and they are attempting various treatments at this time. There is not a surgical treatment. The treatments they are trying will take several days, and she will remain mostly sedated and tubed, with restricted visiting hours and us not wanting to agitate her condition unnecessarily. The spams could be the result of a specific condition called vasculitis, or they could just be spasms. They are testing trying to figure this out.
So, the long and short of it is that we are in a holding pattern seeing whether the current treatments will be effective for the new issues. There are a number of things the doctors are pleased with, and they are continuing to work to eliminate each issue. Mom will likely remain in Neuro ICU for at least 2-3 weeks. It seems every part of these conditions can change fairly quickly. I and my family appreciate your concern and your prayers throughout this time. Fortunately, my family doesn't merely believe in God - we believe God, and we are content that all of us, including mom, are resting in His compassionate, sufficient grace.
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