Team Schones Recovery Conditions Update

Quick update: His intercranial pressure is down from the 40s to about 9. (10.30.12 @9:36 pm)
I’m currently sitting next to his bed unable to take my eyes off of him. I would do anything for him and it kills me to see him like this (again) but I know he will pull through. Just like he always does. He currently has 2 tubes hooked to his head. He has a ventric drain that drains the fluids and an ICP which measures intercranial pressure inside his head. This seems to be the most important part of everything he is hooked up to. It’s very important to keep the pressure off his brain so that it can recover. The fluid has been draining successfully for the entire time he has been in the hospital (which has been about 48 hours). His urine is draining successfully and he’s taking the food very well. The nurse expects him to have a bowel movement before long. Overall, his vital signs look OK so far. It will be a few days before we know how he’s reacting. At this point in time, the nurses are doing everything they can to keep him stable. He is also hooked up to a machine with 3 drugs being fed to him. One is Propofol (keeps him sedated) then there’s morphine (stops the pain), and Sodium Chloride (which I’m too tired to remember right now – ok so apparently his sodium was low) He’s being fed through a tube – The nurse likes to joke that he’s eating steak and eggs. The machines I’ve just listed are on the left side of his bed. On the other side are two machines with screens. One is a breathing machine that is controlling his breath and the other has readouts for Pleth, Resp, and EEG. Pleth is oxygen saturation. Resp. stands for respiration rate, and EEG measures brain waves. They’re trying to keep his brain waves below 45. When it was up to 70 earlier today, they said he could possibly have heard us talking but not likely. (I’m going to do some research on brain waves now – just found a new pastime).
OK, enough for now. I’m going to sleep. It’s 2:34am and Jake has just been re positioned. His vitals are looking good. And so is the nurse helping him 😉