Details from last week

Saturday, May 31

The family slept in on Saturday so that we could function that day. We got to the hospital just after noon. It was a day when there was little response from Doreen. She did not respond much to commands from the medical professionals, nor from us, to open her eyes or squeeze hands and she slept a lot. This is expected after brain surgery. The swelling often reaches a peak 2-5 days after surgery. The challenging issue Doreen faced on Saturday was high blood pressure. The hospital staff tried several strategies to try to lower her BP, but none was successful. This remained a concern all throughout the day.

The family was getting adjusted to what had occurred and began to think about possibilities, options, and many questions. The hospital staff has been wonderfully supportive and has dealt with the Myers clan and its assertiveness (how’s that for a nice word?) gracefully.

The family returned to North Manchester that evening, arriving around 10:30. Approximately 15 or 20 minutes after arriving in the home where they were staying, the hospital called to say, “Mrs. Myers is not doing very well right now. It would be good if you could return to the hospital.” This was a very distressing and unsettling experience. The family drove back very quickly, afraid of the worst. When they arrived, they found that Doreen’s heart rate was erratic and much too elevated, reminiscent of the situation she faced in Pennsylvania four years ago when she was diagnosed with a severe kidney infection and pneumonia. It seems that this may be a response of her circulatory system when she is experiencing a serious illness. It is a serious concern in Doreen’s current condition, because elevated blood pressure and high heart rates increase the likelihood of hemorrhage. A cardiologist was brought in and was doing everything in his power to stabilize her condition.

The family decided that one member (Karen) would stay with Doreen throughout the night to monitor her status and keep the family apprised of any new information. Karen stayed in her room all night to hold her hand, rub her feet and hands, get the nurses’ attention when needed and try to keep her from squirming out of her IVs, tubes and other devices. Her heart rate and blood pressure finally stabilized at 4:05 am. After that she was able to relax (as was the family).