Saturday, July 9, 2005

Saturday 7-9-05, Zack’s ICP reading is at 18-19. His white blood count is at 16, which is a concern that his body is really fighting infection. He is badly swollen on the right side of his face from the surgery. His right eye is swollen shut. The right side of his head is shaved and you can see the staples holding the scalp over his brain. There is no scull on that side so his brain has swelled making his head oddly shaped. I am noticing the cuts on his face now but am told they are all superficial. He is sedated with a fast acting drug by continuous IV drip. His nurse today is Mary and she explains everything that they have to do. They turn that drip off every hour to access his condition. This involves shining a flashlight in his eyes to see if his pupils dilate. He doesn’t like this and will move his head away. Because his right eye is swollen they have to pry it open but both eyes are responding which is rocking good news. Then they have to pinch him near his armpit to get a reaction. This is done on both sides. They continue to pinch him telling him to come and get them and make them stop. He has consistently reached his hand up to where they are pinching him. This is very good. Although he is not conscious he is responding to pain. His ICP drops to 16 at times. Each little movement is a blessing.
We met Larry today. A 21 year old who was in the same situation Zack is in only 21 months ago from a motorcycle accident. He walked into the hospital. He is back at school at Uof L and doing fine. We also met Mark. He was also in a motorcycle accident with a severe brain injury. Now he is walking and talking and has a great sense of humor. He brought us information from the Brain Injury Association. Mark and Larry give us great encouragement and hope.
The prayers of so many people lift us up. I don’t know how long we will be waiting for Zack to wake up but we are not waiting alone. Always Zack’s friends are here waiting with us, anxious for their 5 minutes with him. Our family and close friends carry us through each hour. Making sure I eat…being there for Scott when he breaks down. God cares for us. Not giving us more than we can bear. The doctor tells us that it is “very strange” that his CAT Scan today showed no change…the bruise has not grown. They can’t explain it. We know the healing power of prayer. He is placed carefully in the hands of God.
On the lighter side, we have been fighting these little ants for weeks in our kitchen at home and can’t get rid of them. This morning when I woke up and went downstairs I saw the food that Scott had left out on the counter and knew the ants would be having a field day. No ants, not one anywhere in sight. God knew that I had enough going on and that I could not bear those ants another day. He took care of them for me. Thank you Lord!