"PICU Perspective"

This hospital gets to you. You can't help it. As one friend recently described it "The PICU Perspective". To me, its this realization of what matters most in life. And all of the silly materialistic things we can leave behind. Its this overwhelming feeling of gratitude. The unspoken bond you feel with other parents. The ever increasing faith you have in God. The anxiety of knowing that each day is uncertain. Its nights of never ending prayers. A river of tears. And sometimes the sorrow of letting go... We've met some amazing families in the PICU. Our thoughts and prayers are with them today and always.

Tests Before We Make Decisions

Yesterday it was decided that Brody would benefit from running a few tests prior to making a decision as to how we'll be feeding him at home. He will have a 24 hr Ph Probe placed on Friday. He will also need an upper GI test which means they will take him into radiology, put dye in his feeding tube and watch the course it takes as it digests. And if we opt for a surgically placed G Tube, he will likely go for surgery Monday. He may additionally require a Nissin which is basically just a procedure to block a portion of the GI tract at the bottom of the esophagus to ensure he won't have issues with acid reflux or vomiting. As for yesterday's Rehab consult, their great conclusion was, "lets watch and see what he does". Thank you much! Really going out on a limb there, arent' ya?! (Sorry, I get a little irritated with docs who insist on billing me hundreds of dollars for consults, but don't do a darn thing) But today, Physical Therapy did a better assesment and has come up with some ideas. Aside from the lack of a swallow reflex, we've learned of 2 other main areas of the body that have been impacted due to brain injury. 1) His muscle tone and 2) His sensitivity to physical stimulation. His muscle tone used to be low, meaning he was floppy and weak. Now it is about normal although he still doesn't move much. As for stimulation, he used to hate to be touched. Now he aknowledges he is being touched but doesn't seem to mind it at all. One suggestion PT has is to pick him up and hold him. This is a hard concept for Joss and I where Brody always hated to be held before. But now it may be an enjoyable experience for him--and us :)
At home, Joss has finally got all our belongings out of our old house. He said that's the easy part. Now he has to try to put everything away. He's had a lot of help from family and friends. Again, we're really grateful to all them for their ongoing support.

Beating all Odds and Moving Forward

Brody is back on his home ventilator and doing well. Today we are anticipating several consults from different specialties. Rehab and Physical Therapy will help us to know what things we can do to maximize his recovery. GI will assess and give us options for long term feeding. More than likely a "G Tube" which will go directly through the abdominal wall and into the stomach. The ICU is trying to get us set to go home soon, but GI said they may recommend a scope to check for any acid reflux before he leaves and he'll have to be off of certain meds for 72 hours prior to that. So we may still be a few days out but we're heading in the right direction. And I'm very pleased to see how comfortable he has seemed. He really looks quite peaceful.
Interesting Factoid: Its said that the survival rate for a full arrest is about 9%. Talk about defying all odds! What a trooper!
On the home front, Joss has been busy between work and getting our home moved from one place to another. He's had lots of help from the community and our family. We're so thankful to have them :) And Kaybri has been good to try to help Joss move the heavy furniture and has already picked out the room she wants. She's such a sweetie.

The Results are In

MRI results confirmed what we already knew in our hearts. The brain damage is real and most likely permanent. They said they are pleased that the damage is only in various sections of the brain and not widespread. However, they are unable to give us a clear idea of what the future may hold. They tell us that with regular rehab and physical therapy, he may improve slightly over the coming month and years. But for now, what you see is what you get. He isn't very active but does move extremities on occasion. He sleeps a lot but does wake to a semi-alert state and look around the room. He is drooling a bit. They had him do a "swallow study" and he failed it. He couldn't swallow well and the blue dye was soon sucked from his trachea--meaning that the part of the brain that controls his ability to swallow is damaged and that he will aspirate what he takes by mouth, putting that directly into the lungs. So he'll have to be tube fed for now, up the nose and down the throat directly into his intestines. They were glad to see he had a strong gag reflex and was able to cough which suggests he may regain his ability to eat by mouth. With his brain injury, there is a chance that the damaged parts of the brain may trigger seizures later on. So, we have MRI results but they don't tell us anything concrete. Only time will tell. As for the functions of his other major organ, they are slowly doing better and better. The docs actually told us that we may go home in a few days. . .
I'm pained to see Brody's overall health is diminishing. But I know that his soul has never been so alive. He has touched so many lives. He's here on this earth for us. To teach us to love and learn and never take a moment for granted. He's our guardian angel and we love him dearly!

Thank you to everyone for prayers and warm wishes. Its amazing to see how many lives our sweet angel boy has touched....
This morning Brody is still sleeping a lot. If his brain damage is reversible at all, sleep is going to be the best way to help it heal. The MRI results are still pending. It has to be a neuro-radiologist to read it and we hear they were short-handed this weekend. We anticipate results tomorrow. Heart, kidneys, liver, respiratory--they are all improving little by little with each passing day. I truly think having so much family and friends around him has contributed to what bit of recovery we have seen. And never underestimate the power of priesthood blessings.
If there is one think I can plead with all of you, learn as much first aid as you can. Although Brody has medical issues, we never saw this coming. Had it not been for us doing CPR, Brody would be only a memory. Also, its National Donate Life Month. I encourage you to consider signing up to become organ donors. Its said that one donor can save 7 lives. And most importantly, don't take life for granted. Log off now and go hug your kids!!