leenie g

Not sure how AGH plans the weaning process,

Andy, Andy Jr. and David spent quality time with Eileen tonight. Surprisingly, she had her voice. No button but she could talk! It had something to do with the new trach AGH put in yesterday allowed a little more air which gave her a voice back. And she talked and talked! For two hours! Her condition is still extremely critical. Amazingly, she is not in pain. Andy spoke to a rheumatory doctor earlier today about the steroids and the possibility of switching to cortisone. The mood though still somber is also cautiously optimistic. Eileen is not willing to give up.

Eileen went into cardiac arrest during the night and her lung collapsed again.

6:45 a.m. AGH doctor called Andy bright and early this morning. The decision is to make another attempt at moving the tube in the lung rather than immediate surgery. The urgency is to have the hole heal and to get rid of the pneumonia.

She is in ICU Room 486. But again no visitors other than immediate family and please call Andy first.

1:30 p.m. Andy and Andy Jr. are on their way to the hospital to talk to the doctor about surgery for the hole in Eileen’s lung. Even though it is not abscessed it is not healing. The other lung could start to have problems if they don’t take care of the first lung.

The choices were Cleveland Clinic, Allegheny General or UPMC Presby. The decision is Cleveland Clinic. The doctor is working on the transfer process now.

8:45 p.m. No beds at Cleveland Clinic. Waiting for transfer to Allegheny General. Andy, Andy Jr., Bryan and Rachel at Beaver Medical Center ICU with Eileen.

12:00 midnight. Eileen is at Allegheny General. Andy is on his way home.

On Friday afternoon Andy and Gina were incredulous when Eileen after coming back from a CT scan of her lung (which by the way showed no abscess), opened her eyes and picked her right arm up and waved at them. Then she took both arms and put them under her left ear like she wanted to go to sleep. Then she waved to them, blew them a kiss, and told them to go home.

This was a first time she has been able to move her arms since the seizures on July 6.

11:00 am – 12:00 noon, 2:00 – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 6:00 pm, 8:00 – 8:30 pm, please give me a call to co-ordinate the visits. A special thanks to every one for the prayers and comments. My cell phone # 724-882-0670.
Thanks
Andy

When Uncle Andy & I visited Leen this afternoon, I was shocked…by how GOOD she looked.

Uncle Andy walked in first, and she turned her head towards him and gave him a big smile. They talked for a while, then told her to “look who else is here” when she turned and saw me, she gave me this HUGE grin! Totally made my day! (although Uncle Andy was a bit jealous that she was more excited to see me than him!)

She “sang” happy birthday to me and told me she “could remember me THIS small and rocking me in her arms”.

When Nanny came in, Uncle Andy told her about how the new/replacement chest tube was working very well (her lung reinflated and the nurse said it looked really good) and Leen looked up, surprised “I have a chest tube?” Yes, you do. “Today?!” Yes, they did it this morning. “When? I don’t remember that!” I told her that’s good: they knocked her out–she wasn’t supposed to remember! She seemed totally surprised that she had no idea.

She was so proud to show us how she could move her right hands and arm, make a loose fist, and even bend her elbow to a 90 degree angle. (She could wiggle her left hand fingers, but its not as strong as the right side) She was shrugging her shoulders, lifting her head off the pillow a bit, and wiggling her legs/feet just to prove she’s not giving up. (She may almost be ready for a dry erase board to help with those words we can’t decipher!)

We were doing fairly well reading her lips, but there was one word we couldn’t figure out. After Uncle Andy made a few (wrong!) guesses, she was getting really frustrated and gave him this ‘look’ and kind of glared at him. He said “don’t you look at me like that!” She responded with a really mean face/grimace/growl, scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes and sorta bared her teeth at him…raised her arm, made a fist, and shook it at him! We howled! Hilarious! I so wish I took a picture! She’s still got her sense of humor!! The nurse also told us that Leen stuck her tongue out at her. Of course, the nurse was brushing her teeth and asked her to, but still…

Also, the nurses have been able to give her [very tiny amounts of] crushed ice. She loves this! She must have said “its wonderful!” a dozen times while I was there.

Uncle Andy bought her an ipod touch and he loaded all kinds of pictures of her grandbabies and music on it for her, and set it up so she can read the comments you are all leaving on this site as well. She loves hearing them.

As far as visitors, I know that the icu has very restricted visiting hours, and the nurse said today that they allow immediate family only. Talk to Uncle Andy if you think you may want to visit her and he’ll let you know if it will work out.

Anyway, I know everyone was quite scared after this mornings news, and I just wanted you to know that even though her situation is very very critical, she is not giving up. Her spirits were amazingly high. Heck, she even said the nurses here are wonderful! (and we all know what a compliment that is coming from Leenie!) I would say she almost seemed… Happy. Confident. As in: “I can beat this.”

5:00 p.m.

Eileen’s lung is not healing. There is a hole in her lung which is why it collapsed last Saturday. They are going to reposition the tube to see if this makes any difference. They are giving her more antibiotics.