Saturday, November 4th

I finally have a few mintues to get on a computer so I will update you, as much as I can… The power cord to my computer broke and the internet cafe, at the hospital, does not have internet right not.. so that is why I have not been doing more posting. Plus I don’t want to leave Kerrie and when i do it is generally to sleep a few hours.  Please continue to check the gallery for updates from our family members, and WE will try to do a better job of calling our family so they can update all of you.

Kerrie continues to show improvement in her alertness ( when they don’t have her completely drugged) and some dexterity in her left hand. She has DEFINATE sensation in her right arm, hand leg and foot but it still not able to move them..  both of her pupils have almost returned to normal size, but she stilld oes not have vision in the left eye. Because it is has been so long, it is looking more and more like this is permanent damage. The doctors told us it was.. but we are learning that each team is going to give us a different answer. Nuerology told us she was permanently paralyzed the right side and then another Department team said “Who told you that?”…

She is still unable to speak and we are not alway sure she knows who we are. SOmetimes we just get a blank confused stare, other times we ask her is she knows who we are and she just gives us a look like “are you idiots?”

Yesterday she told me her vision was very, very blurry in her right eye, but later in the day it seemed to clear up and she said it wasn’t blurry. In the morning she remembered whatching tv shows when we were little, in the afternoon she said she didn’t remember them… as the doctors said, she waxes and wanes.

When I say she “says” something she does this with hand squeezes. We ask questions and she squeezes our hand if the answer is yes. She gets so frustrated trying to speak and today, during one of her coherent moments, she had tears running down her face because she was so sad, frustrated.. and probably scared. All mom could do was hug her.

The doctors told us, yesterday, that her most recent MRI shows the infection/clot is getting larger… even though she seems to be showing some improvement. Today they said they aren’t sure if it’s an infection… an inflamation…a clot.. they just don’t know and they don’t have answers as to why nothing is working.

One department said they wanted to do a biopsy on her facial muscles to confirm if what they think has happened to paralyze the left side of her face is correct.. but they said it would not change their course of treatment. Because it would not change treatment and would only be another diagonstic measure we refused this. She goes through so many painful procedures every day that we are not going to put her through one more if there is not a good reason. She already has to have her throat suctioned multiple times a day, they are looknig at suctioning her lungs becasue she has so much mucus and stuff in her lungs and throat and she has her nasal passages suctions a few times a week. All of these are very painful for her.. so weill not do another thing that is not necessary.

They have also talked to us about doing a brain biopsy, which we are considering. They feel they may find something that would change their course of treatment and they are putting together more information for us on the risks vs. the benefits. If there will be no benefits and it will not change course of treatment we will not allow it. If this is done, it will most likely be done on Monday. We will let everyone know.

For now, all we can do is pray.. that’s what they doctors keep telling us. They are doing everything they can, but sometimes they are at a loss too..