Meals for the Byrnsides

Many of you have been asking how you can help.  I have a deal for you!  The kids are used to Angie being home to cook scratch meals on a regular basis and as many of you have expressed a desire to help provide dinner, we think that would be a great burden removed from the family at this time.  What I would love to see is if we can provide meals for them for at least the next 2-3 weeks.  Alex and Emily are quite robust eaters but Angie prefers not to eat meat with the bones intact.  There are no food allergies to worry about in this family.  So, if you are interested in providing meals, please comment on this post with your name, your meal, and the date you'll be bringing it.  That way, everyone can peruse the comments list to make sure they aren't overlapping menu items or dates.

Another Transition

Today's CT scan showed a slight improvement in swelling. Dave may be moving to Health South tomorrow to start more aggressive therapy. Alex and Emily are going to see him Tuesday, so he is looking forward to that. The family is working on a plan to let David enjoy visitors without having everyone show up at once - we will keep you posted. The family also says thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers and offers to help. They are very grateful.

Regular Room

Angie's report for the morning is that Dave is doing a lot better and they are moving him to a regular room sometime today.

Pain Control Better

Dave's pain control was better today, he finally seems to be resting comfortably. He still complains about the headache, but not as much as he had been.  His eyes are open and he's talking more in full sentences instead of one-word answers.  The oxygen mask he was on yesterday was replaced with a nasal tube today because his oxygen needs are decreasing.  They gave him a percussion bed last night to massage the lungs and loosen the mucus in his lungs.  It apparently shakes like an earthquake for 20 minutes, but is effective at its job.  The physical and occupational therapists were in today and sat him up on the side of the bed and they also stood him up for just a few seconds.  They also gave the family exercises to do with him while they are in visiting.

Pain Control

Condition:  Critical

David's had a rough day and his doctors didn't feel that he was stable enough to undergo the esophageal echocardiogram.  It has been rescheduled for tomorrow.  He is also in severe pain despite the medical team's best efforts at pain control.  Please pray that they can get this resolved.

Room 979A

David was moved into a step-down unit first thing this morning after an agitated but otherwise uneventful night.  He is now in Room 979A on the neuro floor.  This is a wonderful piece of the path to his recovery, but he remains in critical condition.  He still cannot have anything to eat or drink.  And as he still has congestion, only the immediate family is allowed to visit him at this time.

A transesophageal echocardiogram is scheduled for 1pm today in order to check for blood clots in David's heart.  The carotid arteries have already been checked and found clear of clots.  He has developed some heart arrhythmias because of the low-grade fever he had, and while that is fairly typical, it isn't something the medical team likes to see and is being monitered closely.  Physical therapy is coming to evaluate him today.

Swallow Test Passed

David passed the swallow test. 

Morning Update

David had an okay night, Marilyn says.  He's still asking for something to drink and since they're doing the swallow test this morning, hopefully he'll get his "big drink" later today.  They are also doing a test to see if there are any clots in his heart and physical therapy will be in to see him today.  They do not yet have the results of the 4am CT scan.

Last Update of the Day

Dave is alert and cracking jokes but still pretty worn out.  He's really thirsty but isn't allowed to drink because they aren't sure he knows how to swallow anymore and can't risk him aspirating the water and getting pneumonia at this stage.  Marilyn says the post-op CT scan didn't show much change and the next CT scan is scheduled for 4am. 

Dave is off the Ventilator

I just received a text message from Marilyn, David's mother. He is now off the ventilator and responsive. Milestone #1 is down, we can now start praying for him to reach Milestone #2!

Visitations Limited

SICU is now limiting visits with Dave to the immediate family, but anyone wanting to show support for Angie and the family is welcome to come sit in the waiting room with them.

Dave's Out of Surgery

The reason for the surgery was that the clot on the right hemisphere of Dave's brain was starting to flow over to the left hemisphere.  In order to prevent damage to the right hemisphere, the surgeons removed half of his skull.  It will remain out for about 2 weeks.  They still don't know why he's getting the clots but are working to figure it out.  This is crucial, because until they stop new clots from forming, they can't administer anymore TPA, it will just cause hemorraging. David is in SICU (fifth floor of Ruby) now and will likely remain there for the next several days until they can move him to the neuro unit on the ninth floor.  They induced a full medical paralysis for the surgery that will recede as he recovers.


Here are the things Dave needs to accomplish over the next several days:


Milestone #1:  breathing on his own again, hoping he'll get there in the next hour
MIlestone #2:  left side paralysis from the stroke damage should begin to recede by 24 hours
Milestone #3:  blood flow should begin to return to normal within the right side of the brain and overall swelling should start receding by 72 hours; that will not, however, change the damage that's already been done to the left side of his brain

Surgery Scheduled

This morning's CT scan shows some additional swelling, so a craniotomy has been scheduled for ~10am to prevent any additional damage to David's brain.  The surgery is a 2-3 hour procedure and recovery will be another 2-3 hours.  This means that Dave will not be able to receive visitors until well after 3pm this afternoon.  I will post another blog when I know that he's out of surgery and awake.

The Backstory

David Byrnside had a major stroke Saturday night as he was returning from the grocery store.  Angie called to check on his return and, hearing his speech difficulty, asked the police to find and help him.  The paramedics arrived and transported him to UHC in Bridgeport.  Once they ascertained that he had indeed had a stroke, Dave was life-flighted to Ruby Hospital for the blood clot in his brain.  He has near total paralysis on the left side but can speak, answer questions, and crack jokes.  An initial CAT scan was done as soon as Dave was brought to the Emergency Department at Ruby.  Another was done at 9am and a third was done at 5pm.  TPA, a clot-busting drug, was administered.  The 9am scan showed deterioration in his condition but the 5pm scan showed little change.  They have therefore decided a craniotomy is not necessary at this time to relieve the pressure on his brain from the swelling and he will remain under close scrutiny in the SICU (Surgery Intensive Care Unit) overnight.
We don't yet know exactly what Dave and his family will face going forward, but we do know he's looking at a great deal of time in rehabilitation.  His parents, brother, and Angie's sister Michelle (and her family) have come up to help out, but we don't know how long they'll be able to be here.  The purpose of this blog is to have a central location for updates so that Angie can focus on the needs of Dave and her children, rather than keeping the various circles of anxious friends, family, and coworkers apprised of the situation.  In addition to status reports on Dave's condition, the blog will post ways in which its readers can help once specific needs have been identified.

Pax dei nobiscum,
Karen Shumway