Past Updates

Tuesday morning, December 05, 2006

I received a call early this morning from the head resident. They’re somewhat like college students, you only hear from them when they want money. Mark’s two front drains aren’t sufficiently draining the fluid from the lobes so he’s in surgery now to place a ventriculostomy tube (I’m not sure if they’re putting it in on one side or both) in his back lobe(s). This is a little more dangerous, but it’s the next step. They are still hopeful that once his cerebral spinal fluid is drained and there is less pressure on the brain, things will vastly improve. And from what I can see in the waiting room, they have lots of practice and success with these procedures. They expect the procedure to be completed around 10-11am. I will be at the hospital by noon so there won’t be an update until tonight.

I’m getting some returned emails, so if you know of anyone who isn’t receiving this, but would like to, please forward it on. In the meantime, we need to think about a blog.

Chris

Monday, December 4, 2006

This contact list has grown so much that I needed to add another group! It’s amazing how many people Mark can call his friend, and I hope you’re as proud as I am to be included. Keep sending me the emails. I’m sure Mark will enjoy reading them when he is better. They certainly make me feel good.

Mark didn’t have a good night last night and had six CAT scans between 8pm last night and 10am this morning. They’re still trying to control the fluid in his brain that is causing the pressure that’s making him sleepy but they weren’t successful using drugs. This morning around 10 they inserted a second drain in his brain. They both worked briefly then stopped due to the fact that the two frontal things (I can’t remember the name) were now dry. There are two more cavities in the back but placing tubes in those is more risky and has to be done in the OR. Fortunately, this evening the new drain began to drain again. Hopefully, some of the fluid from the back is migrating to the front and is being drained.

His fever was also beginning to climb again tonight. They’re waiting for the blood they drew yesterday to come back from the lab. But in the meantime, he is on antibiotics.

His neurosurgeon was very hopeful this morning that the new drain would bring him around he hoped that this evening would be a repeat of his progress of Saturday night. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be. He was following commands with a lot of persuasion. His right side is stronger than the left, which I take to mean his left side is weak. His nurse said he was hitting every bump in the road. He seems comfortable enough (considering everything he’s going through) and is not in any pain.

I’m sure he’s going to want to know who the hell ERNEST is. I’ll save that for tomorrow.

If anyone wants to add their email address to this update, please send me an email directly. It’s much easier for me to add your name directly from the email.

Chris

Sunday, December 3, 2006

It turns out that Mark’s medical self-intervention last night was not a good thing. When I called the hospital this morning they said he had again become very sleepy and difficult to arouse and would need the drain replaced. When I arrived at the hospital at 10am they were about to begin the procedure. He again needed general anesthesia and intubation. His head drained well but we were still not able to get him to wake up. He developed a fever of 103.9 and they did blood tests to see if they could find the reason for it. I think it’s a bladder infection since his urine is bright RED. They placed a cooling blanket on him and his temperature returned to normal later in the evening. At 8pm they sent him for another CAT scan and found no additional bleeding or changes and don’t know why he wouldn’t wake up. They increased his steroids to reduce the swelling in his brain. They continue to say he’s doing well. He was first placed under general anesthesia on Wednesday night and Saturday evening was the most wakeful I’ve seen him. Hopefully this is just a matter of time and we need a little more patience.

So, if there are any believers out there, maybe a few prayers wouldn’t hurt.

I will continue to send an update each evening when I return from the hospital.

Thank you all very much.

Chris

Saturday, December 3, 2006

Dick and I spent most of the day at Mark's bedside. Since Dick is leaving in the morning to return to California he was resigned to the fact that he may have to leave without seeing Mark actually awake during his entire visit. We were watching the Army Navy football game in his room, when his nurse asked us to step out while she assessed him for her shift change. When we returned only 15 minutes later Mark was more awake than we had ever seen him. The first thing he reached for was the TV remote control and began his usual routine of watching every show available for 5 minutes at a time. We don’t know what his nurse did, but it sure worked. His friend Alan and his wife Deb stopped in to visit and he knew who they were and even said their names. As the afternoon went on, Mark stayed awake and only nodded off occasionally. I called the hospital tonight around 11pm before I went to bed and the nurse said that Mark was even more awake and aware and had even pulled out the drainage tube from his head that was stitched to his scalp with multiple stitches. He even apologized to her and said that he had been bad. Unfortunately, he now has wrist restraints because they think that his catheter was the next thing to go! We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this wakefulness continues and is the beginning of a quick road to recovery.

I have a conference with his physician tomorrow and I hope to have even more good news to share.

It’s very comforting to know you’re all out there thinking and praying for Mark.

Chris


December 1, 2006

Mark is doing well neurologically, although he doesn’t arouse easily due to the swelling of his brain. We talked to a neurologist (at 15, this one was older than the last one) who said that he was doing extremely well neurologically and that the swelling, like any other bruise, would take a few days to go down. When Mark did wake up a few times last night, we found his short term memory to be markedly better and I think his double vision is vastly improved. All around, I think this is terrific progress. The best part of the night was when his case worker talked to me and his father, Dick, and told us to make plans for his departure from the hospital!!! She thinks they will recommend intensive inpatient rehab due to his young age. Of course, everything depends on his insurance company.

As a parent, I can only imagine the strain on his parents. How his dad is holding up so well amazes me. He’s hard a work every minute making sure Mark will have a seamless, worry free, and smooth recovery.

His mother Maggie, who lives in Nantucket is waiting for Mark’s discharge so she can be here to help him when he returns home. I know it must be very difficult for her not being here and we try to keep her updated often.

Mark was moved to an intermediate unit last night and will probably spend 4-5 days there until they discharge him to rehab. He’s in room 607 of the Jefferson Center for Neuroscience, at 9th & Walnut Sts. in downtown Philadelphia. When Mark is awake and able to have visitors, I will let you all know. In the meantime, as I have told a lot of you, please please feel free to call me at any time on either my cell 610.716.1791 or Mark’s cell which I always have with me.

I don’t know most of the folks who have emailed or called me, but I’m sure Mark will be very touched when he sees how many people are thinking and praying for him.

And as I found out last night, the prayers of even the unfaithful are sometimes answered.

We will keep you posted and thank you all again for your concern for our friend Mark.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

As some of you know, Mark is in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit of Jefferson Hospital. He had an incident on Wednesday of bleeding in his brain due to an Arteriovenous Malformation. He was taken to Lankanau Hospital, and from there they flew him to Jefferson. His major symptoms are double vision and extreme short term memory loss, along with a very odd personality change, sort of like a cross between Charlie Brown and Charlie Chaplin.He's being transferred to an intermediate unit today at the same hospital; it's far too soon to know a discharge date. Please feel free to call me on my cell: 610.716.1791 or Mark's cell: 904.687.9876 for an update. Thank you all for your support.Chris