6/15: Mom underwent surgery today to remove her feeding tube from her nose and place it directly into her stomach. This is to prevent her nose from ulcerating. She sailed through the surgery and was even opening her eyes shortly after she returned. Yesterday she was very quiet and motionless, most likely due to recovering from her seizures. She was much more active today, moving her feet and opening her eyes prior to the surgery. Today my aunt and uncle said their goodbyes as they are returning to the states tomorrow and it’s back to just my brother and I. I think she was doing quite well today, we will hope for more improvements tomorrow. The doctor said something about doing an ECG test on her to monitor her brainwaves. We are hoping for a positive result. She had a really sweet roommate until today when he moved down the hall but we visited with him and finally found someone to translate what he was telling us when he was in the room. He said she looks much better today and he kept an eye on her for us when we weren’t able to be there with her. He said he prays for us every day. I will say the people of Braga Portugal are absolutely incredible and have welcomed us with open arms and hearts!❤️.
Feeding Tube
June 7th, 2023
Update 6/7: We have very good news to share today!! Mom was taken from the Neuro Critical Ward and is now just in the Neuro Ward. She is no longer hooked up to machines that constantly beep. She only has a feeding tube, a port for medications and a catheter. Visitation hours aren’t so strict anymore and we are so grateful to spend more time with her. For those keeping track of her journey, that was 17 days in ICU, 5 days in Neuro Critical and now she is entering the next level of care where they will start to do rehabilitation. Little by little she is improving. No huge improvements in the last couple of days with her state, but we still have many miles to travel on this road. That woman is the strongest woman I have ever known. We met with the surgeon who decided to do the craniotomy surgery yesterday and we found out the only thing that saved her life was the fact that her pupils were not fixed. He took a chance on her at her age and we are so grateful he gave her a chance to live. Her midline is back to center and her brain as of the latest CT scan is normal. It was a very emotional but happy meeting. He was excited to hear that she had started to respond and immediately went up to evaluate her and signed the orders for her move. Her coma scale was a 4 when we got here and he said she now averages about an 8. She is our miracle!❤️