Monday June 8, 2009
Day 41

Addendum to first post for June 8

Sorry for the delay in updating this morning's post.

The cause of the nausea and vomiting that caused the
move back to the SICU was diagnosed as a mild ileus.
Ileus is a condition where the bowel (intestine) doesn't
work correctly, this means the bowel doesn't contract
normally to force fluids and food (liquid nutrients in
Daniel's case) down the gut canal. In Daniel's case it is
some inactivity of the bowel, not an obstruction. There
are several possible causes of ileus, it is suspected that
this was brought about from continued use of medications
following the surgery. The main treatment of this condition
is to rest the intestine until it becomes active again. This
is accomplished by keeping the stomach empty. This helps
treat the nausea and vomiting. They stopped the nutrient
feeding for most of the day, but have gradually started to
reintroduce small quantities of this. The vomiting has
stopped and he is breathing easier and resting. He is tired
from the whole episode as you'd expect.
Another blood culture will be checked to head off any
infections. Blood sugar levels are at textbook levels, no
insulin needed.
The labored breathing last night and early this morning
was related to the vomiting and now that has been cleared
up. He is breathing on his own and they are giving him an
assist with the ventilator.

The problem of controlling the amount of cerebro-spinal
fluid around the brain has been corrected. The neuro-
surgeon has been able to fine tune the existing shunt and
consequently will not need to replace it surgically.
It is a given that once the level of fluid is brought into line,
Daniel's brain will not be subjected to variations in pressure,
the ventricles will return to normal size. Daniel's
chances for regaining consciousnes will increase.

This is another challenge Daniel has endured and he appears
to have weathered this storm. For us, it is testing our
ability and strength to deal with the daily peaks and valleys.
But, it was said earlier, it is going to be a long journey and
we are up to the task at hand. With the super attentive care
he is receiving here and the promptness of treatment needed,
it is reassuring that Daniel is in the best possible environment.

One must marvel at the technological applications of chemistry,
physics, engineering, optics, imaging, electronics, micro-processors,
etc. to the field of medical sciences.

Take care of one another............