.friday.may.1.2009

Friday morning my mama was rushed to the hospital with what was thought to be a brain aneurysm. In the ER, a shunt was inserted into her head to relieve the pressure and a breathing tube was also inserted because she was having difficulty breathing on her own. At one point, her blood pressure was dangerously high and her heart rate dropped to 27 and they thought she wasn’t going to survive BUT she pulled through…a CT scan was performed and they couldn’t see any evidence of a ruptured aneurysm, so the report said she experienced a SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE.

Her breathing tube has been removed and she is now breathing on her own and is responsive to us. The Doctors and Nurses have explained that she is still in critical condition and there is still a high possibility that bleeding can occur again…We won’t know exactly what kind of damage has been done until the brain swelling goes down, which they say will be about a week or so. BUT, the good news is…she’s talking to us and I can see “her old self”…for example, she opened her eyes and saw me and said, “you didn’t come all the way home from the river just for me, did you?”…only my mom would say that!!!

Last night before I left the hospital, the nurse asked her a series of questions (year, month, do you know where you are) and she got them all right. She also asked her to raise each arm and leg and hold it for 10 seconds, which she passed with flying colors. She is also aware that she is very sick and has ‘liquid in her brain’ as she called it. The nurses told me she is doing remarkably well considering what she went through and one nurse who was with her in the ER said it’s a miracle she woke up from what he saw yesterday morning…my dear mama is a fighter and always has been so I know she isn’t going to give up and she will come out of this!
She went in for another CT Scan this morning and I’ll be able to talk to the Neurologist later on today, so I’ll make sure to keep you all updated on her status. I’m staying optimistic and positive but also know there is a long road to recovery, so I ask you to please keep my mama in your thoughts and prayers and remember to keep your loved ones close…