Sunday, November 9th

Cindy at the Jardin in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Hello Everyone,

Cindy had another good day today.  She put away a breakfast big enough for two people and was awake and "chipper" all morning.  I taped some sheets of paper below the TV with information on them like where she is, why she's there, what the date is, etc. as the speech therapist suggested yesterday.  The idea is that they will serve as a constant reminder for her and we won't have to tell her the same things over and over again.  Her parents came by late in the morning, as usual, and stayed until 3:00 when Colleen and Ernie came by.  I spent the afternoon at home putting some finishing touches on the kitchen (touching up paint, etc.).  She stayed alert and talkative all day but Colleen and Ernie said she rattled on about things she really isn't doing and people she's not really seeing.  It's amazing how much she's managing to do without leaving her bed!  Her memory is still pretty scrambled but little bits seem to be making their way back.

Her cerebrospinal fluid is beginning to clear up.  After starting out yellow this morning, it only turned a very pale pink as the day wore on. The doctor on call in the ICU came by while I was there tonight and said things are "perfect" except for the slight fever and high white cell count...indications of an infection.  He said they're beginning to think one of her medications is causing the problem so they've begun juggling them a bit to see if that helps.  They continue to take cultures, though, especially of the cerebrospinal fluid, since an infection at the shunt entry or in the brain would be very serious indeed.

After she ate a big dinner, she nodded of almost immediately.  It was almost nine by then, so I went ahead and took off so she could sleep.

Thanks for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers.