Fw: Daniel opens his eyes
Topic: Daniel

SeNT: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 6:51 PM
SubjeCT: Daniel opens his eyes


Yes, you read that correctly.
Yesterday the medical staff decided to lower the medication that was keeping Daniel in a deep coma (and allowing his brain to rest and control the swelling). The pressure had been much more stable over the past three days and they felt that this was a good sign that his swelling was not increasing. (They had been monitoring it closely and draining the cerebrospinal fluid frequently.)
This morning his nurse had a surpriSE: He opened his eyes. He's still on heavy doses of morphine and Ativan so he's anything but responsive. His eyes aren't focusing or moving, but he opens them when sounds in the room disturb him. The neurosurgeon came in a while later and removed the ICP sensor/drain from his head!
This afternoon while the nurse was changing the dressing on his head he actually moved his head slightly. And later he was moving his legs a bit and then one arm slightly. He even squeezed his mom's hand, though it was probably more reflexive than conscious.
We are ecstatic!!
Tomorrow they'll begin lowering the dosage of morphine. They'll do it slowly, adding Methadone to help avoid painful withdrawal symptoms.
This has been a huge day of changes for Daniel's condition. It reminds me of the excitement of his first steps as a toddlER: a great beginning on a long road.
We can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring....