Our little fighter!

12/31/08
Today is New Year's Eve and Brian is our little fighter! They took his vent out early this morning and he is breathing on his own. He is still very sick and in the ICU. All the doctors and nurses are amazed at how good he is doing. He is very congested in his throat, they think this is related to the paramedics having trouble finding an airway. They are treating him with antibiotics and his lower lungs are actually clear. He is still on oxygen and coughs frequently, he also opens his mouth wide for the nurses to suction him. This make the nurses chuckle, not everyone likes to have a tube put down their throat. He is trying hard to get better. The cardiologist said that his heart is holding up and they will treat it later when he moves upstairs to PCU. Today has been a very encouraging day for us. Dr. Bright Brian's neurologist said he continues to progress cognitively. He is able to say hi to the doctors and nurses. He is also able to squeeze fingers on command, pick his head off the pillow and move it from side to side, and even raise his eyebrows on command. It was awesome, mom and I went in to see him and he gave us a huge smile and was able to mumble out, "I love you too!" This brought tears to our eyes. Our Brian is in there. The doctor did say physically he is not moving as fast as they would like and this is abnormal but Brian is a rare case and that's what rehab is for. Just minutes ago the nurse told Brian we would really like to see you move your legs more and he put his knees up. We are so thankful to have so much support and emails back I read them out loud to mom and I plan on making a book for Brian. We are also so excited that Brian is our little miracle and is definitely not ready to go anywhere anytime soon.

12/30/08
Update is crazy good. Dr. Bright feels like he will have moderate to full recovery. The EEG and MRI showed no signs of damage. He does have physical deficits that might correct and might not (shakes). He is expected to be in ICU a few more days and the Progressive Care Unit (a week or two) and then a rehab facility (hopefully only a month). This will be a long road and not easy but they are more worried about his heart (cardiomyopathy caused by alcoholism) then his brain but we will fix that in time. They did mention a pacemaker placement to fix the problem. The doctor said that he has only seen one other patient that was down 19 minutes (not 20 like Brian) that has recovered. MOM SAVED HIS LIFE! And everyone should get certified in CPR. Dr. Bright also said that if he were to drop dead right now in a hospital, he would only have a 3 out of 10 chance of being revived. So Brian is a miracle. ALL EVERY ONE'S PRAYERS WORKED!
Thanks and we love you.
Nat