ICU Update

I left the hospital at 7:00pm last night to go home and see our baby and get some sleep (I was getting delirious).

I got a call from the ICU at 2:30am giving me an update. Sara had another seizure last night that was difficult to break. After that seizure, Sara was intubated to protect her airway in the event of subsequent seizures. She was also placed on heavy sedatives and anti-seizure meds to keep her comfortable and to prevent more seizures. This required them to put her on a ventilator. I had been getting my much needed sleep until that call.

It was difficult to see Sara this morning on all of her "life-support" equipment. We still believe that this is just a temporary state as they decide on a final diagnosis/treatment plan.

The tests that still remain to be done include a full body scan for any DVT (deep vein thrombosis). After that, they are going to do another scan of her heart. There is concern (among the docs) that a clot could have passed through a hole in her heart and ended up near her brain. I don't think this is a factor based on her clear echocardiogram a few weeks ago.

The OBs are still trying to rule out eclampsia as the cause of the seizures. Sara typically has very low blood pressure (100/50). When she was admitted, her blood pressure was 150/90. The docs are currently collecting urine to do a 24-hour screen for protein and other electrolytes which will allow them to confirm or rule-out eclampsia.

The Neurologists are leaning towards Sara having Posterior Reversible Encephalopothy Syndrome (PRES). Another discussion talked about Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopothy Syndrome (RPLS). I'm not going to describe them here...you can google them if interested. Key words are REVERSIBLE. This is why I'm a little anxious about getting a diagnosis and treatment started. The anti-seizure and sedatives are keeping her blood pressure down which is needed to prevent future seizures.

I just had a discussion with one of her doctors about continuing to run different tests vs. getting treatement started. He assured me that they are treating her as they continue to search for an exact diagnosis. I was glad to hear that.

Most of the test results should be back by the end of today and hopefully we can get the correct treatment started soon.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive during our latest trial. The outpouring of love and support is amazing.

Continue to pray for a correct/timely diagnosis for Sara's condition and healing for her mind and body.