Saturday, November 13, 2004

ICU and Recovery ??

Clark is started on a drug to reduce swelling in the brain. Dr. Lica the neurosurgeon comes into the room. He has just moved here from Texas and has been at this hospital for a week. He turns out to be a great doctor...
Clark is moved to ICU and the waiting begins. Dr. Lica tell us that he bled about 3 tablespoons into the left temporal lobe. He wants to monitor Clark, because he is borderline for surgery. He hopes that he will stabilize and it won't be necessary, usually with a cerebral hemorrhage it will stabilize in about 6 hours. They will take another catscan and wait an see. I spend Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night at the hospital in the family waiting room and the days with Clark. The only major side affect Clark seems to have is Aphasia. I am very concerned how will I communicate with Clark, he thinks the words come out correctly, but they don't. They make no sense. A door is a clock, time is a dog, freeway is Dracula. Monday, Dr. Lica gives us the good news that Clark should fully recover and doesn't even need therapy! Just give it time, the bleeding that occurred should dissipate and the aphasia should go away. Clark is sitting up,watching TV, and giving the nurses a hard time. The nurses feel he should be released, but Dr. Lica says I want you to stay in ICU until Thursday. If everything is okay then, we will release you. I talk to Clark and since the doctor feels he will totally recover, we decide that I should go to work on Tuesday and I will spend the night at my mothers. She is located much closer to hospital then Clark and I. So, on Tuesday after work I go and visit Clark, he is being his usual "bad patient", he keeps removing his monitors and Jude the nurse gets very upset with him, which in turn Clark gets very upset with her. I am afraid Clark will jump up and leave. (he has done that several times in hospital settings and I know that very well). Anyway, everything calms down, so I go to my mothers for the night. My mother and I talk, while I have a glass of wine and I voice my concern on Clark's aphasia and we talk about my step-father and step-sister, who also had strokes this year. 9PM roles around, so I take my anti-depressant that helps me sleep.... I am sleeping....11:45PM, the phone rings??? I immediately wake up and hear my mother talking on the phone, "I will get her right away". Oh no, what is wrong? I take the phone and an ICU nurse named Katie says, "your husband is having seizures, we can't get them to stop". I ask "Is it okay if I come down?" She says "yes, of course you can. I am in a panic ... What has gone wrong...? The night turns out to be very long.....

1 comment:

Melaina RN, PHN, MS, CNS, ACHPN said...

And just when things were sounding not so bad. Wow.