Recovery Continues

Just a quick update...Will has now been moved out of the P-ICU and into the Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, which is a good sign that he is recovering well.  We were so happy to see everyone and they were happy to see us.

All of the wires, tubes, and needles that were connected to Will are gone, except for one IV in his foot just in case he needs something quick.  This was great because it meant we could put clothes on him, and it also makes it so much easier to hold and comfort him.  He has progressed from Morphine through IV to Codeine orally.  He has been drinking apple juice, but hasn't been able to eat much other than a few Cheerios and a few spoonfuls of Chocolate pudding.  He actually walked a few steps from Kelly to Dan earlier tonight, and we were happy to see that he has the ability and the strength to do so.  Also, since he is out of P-ICU, they take vitals every 4 hours instead of every hour on him.  He never likes getting vitals taken.

Will's Post-Op MRI

The post-op MRI came back great.  All remaining brain tissue looks healthy, and there is no sign of stroke, hemorrhage, etc...just a little post-operative swelling.  The MRI image now shows the section of brain which has been removed and it just looks like a dark empty space.  The surgeons were very pleased with what it showed, and they feel that everything that needed to be removed was removed.  In the end, they had to take his entire left temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, but doctors are optimistic that Will should be able to regain all function using his right side.

Now that the drain has been removed from his head, and they are beginning to taper off the anti-inflammatory drugs, the swelling could get pretty bad.  Our nurse cautioned us that day 3 could be the worst day for swelling because of the timing of these things.  We are already seeing the swelling moving forward across Will's temple and towards his left eye.  We'll see how he is in the morning.

As of right now he has been laying in bed cuddled up with Kelly, sleeping mostly.  He wakes occasionally and looks around, whimpers a little bit and goes back to sleep.  We'll see what tomorrow brings, but as of now everything is still going as planned!