Abby update - October 15

Hi dear friends,

 

Thank you all for your support in prayer over the past several days.  As of 8 p.m. Saturday night Abby is no longer on any sedation.  She is, however, still intubated just in case help is needed to clear her air passages from normal secretions.

 

The great news is that physically Abby is very stable and has tolerated the removal from sedation very well.  A CT-scan on Saturday showed that the initial bruising in her brain is resolving itself very well and no more swelling is apparent.  Thank God we made it through those dangers.

 

The news that requires a little more patience is, even though the doctors have been decreasing the sedatives in her bloodstream over the past several days, she still has not awakened.  Most of her movements are typical of the reflexes that those with head trauma show; however, the doctors assure us that we are simply on one rung of a ladder that will have to be climbed one step at a time.  Many patients require extra days or weeks to awaken, and therapy will help her body move from these reflexive movements to healthier, more purposeful movements.  We'd love to gaze into her eyes and have her respond right now, but we can also take the baby steps if we need to...

 

On Monday afternoon the doctors plan to take a couple of those steps forward by inserting a feeding tube directly into the stomach and performing a tracheatomy.  While surgery is involved, these are viewed as temporary measures that will allow us and the therapists to be much more interactive in stimulating Abby than is currently possible under the systems of various tubes.  Please do keep that surgery in your prayers.

 

I've been meaning to mention that I am sending emails from a temporary Yahoo account, so feel free to drop us a note at lalinam786762@yahoo.com.  I don't always get a response sent off, but we really do enjoy reading them.  Also, if you'd like a direct link to Abby's updates that doesn't require you to go through the school website, then you can link on http://abbylinam.com/.  I can't wait to tell her that she has her own domain name now!

 

Well, I'd better go and eat some of these homemade enchiladas at the Ronald McDonald kitchen (no cheeseburgers here!) before checking back in on Abby...

 

Love to you all,

 

Lee Ann, Gordon, Abby & Frank

 

 

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