8/12/06 Saturday 20 Days Post Accident

            Well you have started off with issues today.  Evidently your wires on your upper bracket of your teeth were loose.  The Oral/Maxillary surgeon went ahead and cut the wires.  The reasoning for this is to allow the Cardio/Thoracic surgeons to do a transesophageal ECHO (TEE) of your heart and aorta on Monday.  The TEE will definitively tell us if you have a clot or not in the aorta plus assess the pericardial effusion.  If all of this is negative then the Oral/Maxillary service will take you to surgery on Monday to tighten your brackets and wire you shut again.

            You are once again very sleepy, not very interactive and that’s okay.  You need good rest for healing.  I have been able to stay in you room today between visitation hours.  This has allowed you to be loose from your arm and leg restraints.  The problem you are faced with when you are loose is your first instinct when you have to go to the bathroom is to get up and head to the bathroom.  You also still have moments of confusion and have the tendency to still pull on cords and wires.

            The other problem facing you, which doesn’t have anything to do with restraints, is your abdominal incision.  The incision is having difficult healing (closing) due to your strong coughing spells and you lifting up your bottom to move in bed.  Each of these movements/activities uses your abdominal muscles, which causes your incision to stretch open.  You are learning to try and support your abdomen with a pillow but you don’t use it consistently.

8/12/06 Saturday Days End Report

            The day started out slow for your confusion was present.  But as the day went on your clarity emerged.

            You were placed in the neuro chair for about an hour or so as you were pretty insistent on being put back in bed.

            The day gave you opportunity for good rest.

            At one point you had a revealing conversation (in writing) with Christine.  You asked her is she had found a place for the two of you to live – she responded with no, remember we are going back to school and you have a place already?  You asked her when you were going to have children – she responded with, not for a long time we need to be married first – and you responded with a hand gesture signaling alright.  When dad asked you later if you proposed to Christine you responded with a hand gesture signaling “sort of”.                    

            Dad, Christine, and I are all in an agreement – we will wait until you are completely coherent – for that question to be asked again.  You have got a wonderful gal!

            My prayer for you is to again reach a restful sleep, allow your body and mind to heal and recover.  I pray you reach more clarity each day.  I also pray with great fervor the TEE on Monday will give us a definite answer regarding the aorta and that the answer is NO to a clot/leak/tear.

            We love you!  MOM