Friday, November 14th

Cindy at a recent get-together with friends

Hello Everyone,

Well, the big day finally arrived.  At about 3:00 this afternoon, Cindy was moved out of the ICU.  They gave her another CAT scan early this morning and determined that her brain appears to be absorbing the cerebrospinal fluid as it should.  She ate a big breakfast and right after I arrived (followed shortly by Colleen and Brooke), the nurse bundled her up, put her in a wheelchair, and took her outside for some fresh air. It was a beautiful day and she enjoyed it immensely.  No sooner than we had returned to the ICU, her Mom and Dad showed up.  At that point, the neurosurgeon's assistant had given the preliminary OK that she was good to go, but we had to wait for Dr. Gore to look at the CAT scan and give final approval.  When that finally came, they bundled her up, put her back in the wheelchair, and proceeded outside again en route to her new room (they went outside just for fun).  She'll get another CAT scan on Monday to be sure everything is OK and to establish if she'll need a permanent shunt.  The big scandal of the day, though, was the fact that in her sleep last night, she yanked out the big honking catheter in her arm!  Can't leave her alone for a minute!

Although, technically, she can have more visitors now, she'd like for everyone to hold off until late Saturday or Sunday so she can, hopefully, take a shower and wash her hair.  They wouldn't let her do that today and it's not really clear if they'll let her tomorrow.  I think they want the hole in her head to heal a little before she gets it wet.  In short, she's not "keen to be seen" until she can get cleaned up a bit.

Should you go see her, I think you'll find the Cindy you know, but don't be surprised if she tells you she was in Colorado Springs yesterday, or met your mother for lunch on Tuesday (in Chicago!) or some nutty thing like that.  Her brain is still playing tricks on her.  You can take her flowers now, too, if you like.  She's in room 926 at St. Vincent's and her phone number is (503) 216-3926.  The nurse tonight said they're pretty loose about visiting hours.  If you'd like, give her a call and see if she's ready for visitors.

Once again, thank you for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers and keep up the good work!