Brian’s wife sent this email in the morning:
Brian is in critical condition and no longer in induced coma, but he is not awake or responding to commands. He sometimes moves the left side of his body and I think I felt him squeeze my hand today. CT this afternoon is worse than the past two and shows a major vein located at the motor strip where the frontal lobe meets the parietal has been affected by the bleeding that occurred during surgery Saturday night, causing some hypoxia. This bleed was treated with coagulants and therefore there is a clot located at this position. All other areas which showed vein tearing and bleeding are stable, which is good.
Two out of three docs called it a stroke, BUT, patients can recover from this. And if anyone can it is Brian. Unfortunately, because he is bleeding in this area they can’t treat him for a stroke. Also, after a stroke, there is swelling that takes place and usually appears Days 2 and 3. Tomorrow is Day 3 post-op, so we are not out of the woods with this area of bleeding yet. The goal is for tomorrow’s CT to be stable, but there is a chance it will worsen. Since he had bilateral craniotomies the swelling in this area will have some room, which is good, but I hope it doesn’t cause more hypoxia. Overall, the outcome of the surgery was a success because his ICP is stable and has been since Saturday. Once we hit a week and the ICP is still stable, it is likely the pressure will not get worse. All other vitals are also stable. The swelling in his face was less than last night, but his extremities are a slightly bigger. He is accepting tube feedings and he continues to try and pull out the ventilator tube.
My thought going to sleep tonight is that tomorrow’s CT will be stable. If you visit Brian, he can hear you, so please talk to him.
Also, if you are interested in helping to contribute funds for his medical care (I imagine freelancer journalists like myself have little/no health insurance, please follow this link.)
