Saturday night update
Hi everyone, it is about 10:00 and I (Matthew) am at home with the kids. Jessica's parents came over at about 9:00 this morning so that I could go to the hospital. Jessica was very glad to see me. She sounded a lot better than the night before, but again very very sleepy. Several times during my visit with her, she nodded off to sleep in the middle of conversations. I won't hold it against her. At about 11:30, her nurse Shannon and the PT helped her to the toilet, and then they walked her over to a chair to sit upright in for a while. She ate a little lunch, some crackers and applesauce and bread, and drank some slightly sweet tea (impossible to dissolve sugar in cold tea). All of this less than 24 hours after brain surgery!
At 1:00 Dr. Zomorodi stopped in for a visit. He told me he was extremely pleased, and in all honesty surprised, to see the she could move her left eye. When he told me yesterday that she would have some trouble with it, I heard what he said, but didn't really understand what he meant. He told me today that he thought the eye would more or less be paralyzed today. Let me just say that you would've never known there was a concern by looking at her today, both eyes are working as they always have. Dr. Zomorodi also removed her bandage. He said she would really start to swell with the bandage off, so we'll see if she proves him wrong again (but I'm going to place my bet on the swelling). And like they said, the incision is completely behind the hairline, except it goes all the way down to right in front of her left ear lobe. But I have a scar in front of my right ear, so that just gives us one more thing in common right? And I got to count the staples...27. Wow!
At 2:30 we moved to her new room. She was glad to get back on the toilet and then back in a bed. It was obvious that she needed some sleep, so I stayed until about 3:00 so I could go home and let her parents come visit her.
At about 7:30 Jessica called home to talk to me and the kids and tell us all goodnight. I think hearing the voices of Danica, Zach, and Elliott could've been the best medicine she received all day. Gramma (Jessica's mom) will be sleeping in her room with her tonight. Jessica sounded even better tonight than earlier today, but she did say she was still in some pain. Hopefully dinner made her feel even better, which, from what I understand, came from Wendy's!
Let me finish this post by proclaiming how great and wonderful GOD, who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, truly is. Jessica and I know hundreds of people and family we consider to be our friends and are very important parts of our lives. Many of you share the same faith that we do, but we also understand that many of you do not, and some maybe even deny the existence of GOD. Let me assure you that whether we believe or choose not to believe, it doesn't change the fact that God is real, and He is as relevant and personable today as He ever was and ever will be. Not that I needed to see His hand in this ordeal to increase my faith in Him, but God has clearly been all over this situation from the very beginning. Why did Jessica begin having these migraines, which most doctors we've spoken to believe are unrelated to the aneurysm? What made the neurologist decide to have the MRI/MRA performed, after only three migraines? Why was the first neurosurgeon we were supposed to see away for a 3-week vacation when this all started? Why did the neurosurgeon we eventually saw first refer us to another surgeon named Dr. Fukushima, and why did he have to be in Japan at the time this was going on for us (which made us have to wait nearly a month to see him)? What made us decide to call Duke for yet another opinion? Even after requesting to see a specific doctor at Duke, why did they decide to schedule us to see Dr. Zomorodi instead, and two days before our appointment with Dr. Fukushima? Why do we happen to live in a place that has two of the best neurosurgeons in the world? Why did they agree to perform Jessica's surgery? Why did Jessica's aneurysm have to be in a very difficult spot in her head to get to? Why did we decide to get this done now as opposed to waiting a couple of years? Why did Jessica shock Dr. Zomorodi when she looked at him with a left eye that worked perfectly? Why did she only stay in ICU for 20 hours when everyone told us to expect a minimum of 24 hours?
At 1:00 Dr. Zomorodi stopped in for a visit. He told me he was extremely pleased, and in all honesty surprised, to see the she could move her left eye. When he told me yesterday that she would have some trouble with it, I heard what he said, but didn't really understand what he meant. He told me today that he thought the eye would more or less be paralyzed today. Let me just say that you would've never known there was a concern by looking at her today, both eyes are working as they always have. Dr. Zomorodi also removed her bandage. He said she would really start to swell with the bandage off, so we'll see if she proves him wrong again (but I'm going to place my bet on the swelling). And like they said, the incision is completely behind the hairline, except it goes all the way down to right in front of her left ear lobe. But I have a scar in front of my right ear, so that just gives us one more thing in common right? And I got to count the staples...27. Wow!
At 2:30 we moved to her new room. She was glad to get back on the toilet and then back in a bed. It was obvious that she needed some sleep, so I stayed until about 3:00 so I could go home and let her parents come visit her.
At about 7:30 Jessica called home to talk to me and the kids and tell us all goodnight. I think hearing the voices of Danica, Zach, and Elliott could've been the best medicine she received all day. Gramma (Jessica's mom) will be sleeping in her room with her tonight. Jessica sounded even better tonight than earlier today, but she did say she was still in some pain. Hopefully dinner made her feel even better, which, from what I understand, came from Wendy's!
Let me finish this post by proclaiming how great and wonderful GOD, who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, truly is. Jessica and I know hundreds of people and family we consider to be our friends and are very important parts of our lives. Many of you share the same faith that we do, but we also understand that many of you do not, and some maybe even deny the existence of GOD. Let me assure you that whether we believe or choose not to believe, it doesn't change the fact that God is real, and He is as relevant and personable today as He ever was and ever will be. Not that I needed to see His hand in this ordeal to increase my faith in Him, but God has clearly been all over this situation from the very beginning. Why did Jessica begin having these migraines, which most doctors we've spoken to believe are unrelated to the aneurysm? What made the neurologist decide to have the MRI/MRA performed, after only three migraines? Why was the first neurosurgeon we were supposed to see away for a 3-week vacation when this all started? Why did the neurosurgeon we eventually saw first refer us to another surgeon named Dr. Fukushima, and why did he have to be in Japan at the time this was going on for us (which made us have to wait nearly a month to see him)? What made us decide to call Duke for yet another opinion? Even after requesting to see a specific doctor at Duke, why did they decide to schedule us to see Dr. Zomorodi instead, and two days before our appointment with Dr. Fukushima? Why do we happen to live in a place that has two of the best neurosurgeons in the world? Why did they agree to perform Jessica's surgery? Why did Jessica's aneurysm have to be in a very difficult spot in her head to get to? Why did we decide to get this done now as opposed to waiting a couple of years? Why did Jessica shock Dr. Zomorodi when she looked at him with a left eye that worked perfectly? Why did she only stay in ICU for 20 hours when everyone told us to expect a minimum of 24 hours?
I KNOW! Because the GOD spoken of in the Holy Bible - the One that created everything that has ever existed and will exist, who everyday tells the sun when to rise and when to set, who feeds the birds and clothes the flowers, who sacrificed Himself for the sake of a humanity that turned its back on Him - loves and cares for the ones that love Him, even though they do not deserve nor can they earn that sort of compassion. I am ridiculously humbled by the fact that He, in His sovereignty, loved me enough to deliver my wife and mother of my children from premature death and then through a very difficult surgery, not only without complication, but even better than the surgeons expected. Not to say she is completely out of danger, but as I have been saying to everyone I have spoken to about this, "God, in His grace, has carried us all the way to this point. I'd be foolish to think He will not carry us the rest of the way."
That said, please keep praying, that God's will for us is that Jessica continues to heal quickly without taking any steps backwards. She is still at risk for infection, seizure, and mini-stroke, so it is still important that during the next few days Jessica gets plenty of rest and TLC. Thank you so much for your prayers and well-wishes! Each of you mean so much to us, and we are truly honored to be able to share this experience with you!
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