Abby update - October 30

It must have been Monday around here, because Abby had a ton of work to do today. First, the physical therapists had her bear weight on her leg(s) for the first time--using her right leg (without the fractured ankle) to help her transfer from the therapy mat back to the chair. Of course, she was well-supported, but they were pleased with her ability to use some of her muscles to support herself. Standing itself is such an important part of rehabilitation, so we were pleased that she was able to take that "step" today. Then, in between the morning and the afternoon therapy sessions, she was whisked away to perform a swallowing trial. It was pretty cool to watch the barium-laced food make its way through her mouth and into her esophagus on "real-time" x-ray. The doctors and therapists were so pleased with the results that she was able to have mashed potatoes and gravy for supper! She only ate a bit, and the doctors want another week or so before trusting her with thin liquids, but, still, I've got to think that she was happy to have some real food again! Another neat development was that they put a special cap on her trach tube in preparation for seeing if she was ready for swallowing. That cap actually encourages her to do breathing through her mouth or nose, rather than the trach, and, as a result, we were able to hear her make some sounds for the first time. It touched my heart--I hadn't realized how much I'd missed just hearing her make any sound...

The doctors still do have some worries about her recurring low-grade fever and are being very thorough in examining possible sources. One concern arises from the fact that she sustained basal skull fractures in the bones between the brain and the sphenoid sinus. When last week's MRI showed some evidence of sinusitis, the doctors felt that they really needed to know the status of those fractures and whether there could still be any communication between the sinuses and the fluids of the brain (such a connection could make her susceptible to meningitis). For this reason, they've scheduled a CT-scan for Abby (probably on Wednesday). The MRI also showed that some pockets of fluid exist in the brain (although they don't seem to be causing significant pressure to existing brain tissue). Anyway, the results of both scans will be referred to her pediatric neuro-surgeon in Austin for his assessment. Please pray with us that those fractures are healing well and that the surgeon will feel comfortable that all these issues will resolve themselves. The good news is that, at 3 1/2 weeks, the MRI did not detect any evidence of loss of brain tissue, as might show up at this point if any areas had been damaged severely and lost blood supply. Instead, we still seem to be dealing mainly with some areas of shearing and bruising, both of which can hopefully be repaired.

All this brain-talk is pretty heavy stuff, we know, and sometimes it hits us pretty hard (I've learned to NOT go online and read brain injury references at night if I want to sleep); however, the optimism and faith of her doctors continue to give us optimism and hope. Her rehab doctor said today "She's in there, I know." We just have to keep fighting to help her get out...

Thanks for staying in the fight with us...
Lee Ann & Gordon, Abby & Frank