01/31/2007
Thomas remains in the coma but is somewhat responsive, he will blink twice and tries to squeeze a hand when asked. He has pneumonia but the doctor is putting the bone flap back in his skull on Friday so he will be able to sit up, which should help.
01/27/2007
The swelling is going back down but Thomas continues to have a fever and now they think he might have pneumonia. Hopefully the last dose of antibiotics will kick all of his infections and then he can have the bone flap put back in his skull.
01/24/2007
On Monday the doctor had to remove some of the fluid from the shunt to test for infection. Something clogged the shunt and it hasn't been working properly for the last three days. After the doctor got it working, the swelling started to go down within a few hours, we are hoping tomorrow it will be better.
01/23/2007
The swelling on Thomas' brain has gone back up. It had gone down significantly but because the doctors were concerned about his back, they had him laying flat the last two days. The swelling has made him slip back to where he was a couple weeks ago, in a severe coma, so this is a set back. He is still running a fever and they are treating him for several infections. We are hoping that with prayers, faith and good care, the swelling will go down again in a few days.
01/22/2007
Thomas' fever is most likely due to a UTI that spread into his blood stream. He is being checked to make sure the infection has not spread to his heart or brain. He must like being back at the hospital, today he was really alert and was watching the nurses as they tended to him. When his mom asked for a kiss, Thomas made a kissing motion with his mouth! He is still in a coma but has been upgraded to a moderate coma level. Please continue to pray for Thomas and his family.
01/21/2007
Thomas was admitted to Sharp Memorial Hospital last night. He was running a high fever and the care center couldn't get it under control. They believe he has an infection but they aren't sure where. It could be in his lungs but his x-rays are pretty clear so at least it's not pneumonia. It could also be in the brain so they will be doing a battery of tests over the next couple days.
01/18/2007
Thomas had a pretty good day. He had a CT Scan at Grossmont Hospital and did really well. He is still in the coma but was alert most of the day with a few cat naps. He seems to be tracking movement with his eyes and possibly following some commands when asked to open his eyes or blink two times. When Thomas was still at Sharp, he was moving his right pinky and index finger but hadn't moved them since he was moved to Chase. Today he started moving his pinky finger again. These are all encouraging signs and we are very anxious to hear the results of the CT scan on Monday.
01/15/2007
The swelling on Thomas' right side has gone down about a half an inch. He is still not responding but he has strong vitals. He was put back on full support of the ventilator when they moved him to Chase Care Center last week. He does breath above the vent most of the time which will make it easier to be weaned again. He will be going in for a CT scan on the 18th and has a doctor's appointment on the 22nd, hopefully we will know more then (pray for good news). Thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts.
01/11/2007
There hasn't been much change in Thomas' condition. He is still in a coma and the swelling hasn't gone down. The nurses measured his head when he came in on Tuesday but there hasn't been any change yet.
01/09/2007
Thomas was moved to the Chase Care Center in El Cajon. He remains in a coma.
01/07/2007
The shunt is working and all is going well. Thomas is still unresponsive but he is opening his eyes more. He was weaned from the ventilator but will still have the trach to support his oxygen and boosting his breaths.
The doctor thinks he is more alert and when the swelling goes down, he will probably start waking up. We are all praying.
01/05/2007
The shunt was put in successfully. He will get a CT scan and x-ray tomorrow to make sure it is working properly.
01/04/2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS! He is still in a coma and yesterday a CT scan came back showing too much fluid in his brain. His doctor performed a ventriculostomy, which is a drain tube and ICP monitor inserted in his brain to relieve the pressure. Tomorrow he is going for a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, which is a pump attached to a catheter placed in his head and a tube will travel from the catheter into his stomach where the fluid will be absorbed.
01/02/2007
Thomas is still in a coma and they are now feeding him protein/nutritional liquid through the tube in his stomach, 24/7. They installed the feeding tube and a filter to catch any blood clots that might be in his system and prevent them from reaching his heart or lungs.
They've removed the bolt from his head (it registered the Inner Cranial Pressure/ICP). His ICP has remained at a fairly constant level lately (elevated above normal, but not as crucially high as it had been when he was first brought into the emergency room 2+ weeks ago). He's still on a respirator, but they performed a tracheotomy the other night so the breathing tube is in his neck, not in his mouth, which is a big comfort improvement for him. And, you can see his face now. There's still some swelling on the right side of his skull, but the bruising is gone and his skin color has improved dramatically.
These are small, but very important victories in the progress of his recovery. Once again I thank everyone for their prayers and ask that you continue praying for Thomas's full recovery and for strength for his family as they move through these very difficult days.
