Wednesday, November 12th

Cindy being goofy at Lake  Quinault

Hello Everyone,

Cindy had her CAT scan bright and early this morning and the results indicated that her brain is absorbing the cerebrospinal fluid as it should. There was a little swelling of the ventricles, but evidently that's to be expected.  The drain didn't come out today since they want to see if the ventricles continue to swell or not.  If they do, she'll need a permanent shunt under the skin to the abdominal cavity so the fluid can be absorbed there.  She'll go in for another CAT scan at about 5:00 in the morning and if there's nothing unexpected, the drain will be removed.  If she doesn't need the permanent shunt, the procedure will be done right in her room in the ICU.  If the shunt is needed, she'll have to have surgery, of course.  Let's hope the latter is not the case.  After that, she'll probably go to a regular room by Friday and may come home early next week.  (They won't even close the hole in her skull.  It just gets sutured over and it will heal on its own over time.)

She gets more "with it" every day.  Her niece, Brooke, flew in from Iowa today and came to visit Cindy with her sister Courtney and their Mom (Colleen) around 12:30.  Cindy was really alert and talkative and they chatted for some time.  When I came back about 5:00 with more matzo ball soup, she was still very lucid and we discussed everything that has happened as she ate it (commenting all the while on how good it was).  She's beginning to remember the ordeal from our talks about it, but doesn't really remember it, per se.  I took some pictures of the house over to her when I went this morning in hopes of jogging her memory about it a little.  Tonight, she seemed to be recalling much more about the place and even a little about her new kitchen.  

Colleen, Ernie, and Brooke came back about 8:00 and the five of us talked about all sorts of things.  Cindy conversed just fine except for the occasion comment that her memory is shot.  She seems to really understand what's going on now, although she still "forgets".  We were kidding her again tonight that she has to remember that she forgets and she understands what we mean.  She was asking the nurse perfectly reasonable questions about what's next on the agenda, etc. and joking with her about life in the ICU.  She seems more or less normal except for the big gaps in her memory.  All-in-all, very encouraging.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and let's hope her recovery is nearly complete.