Well folks, it's day 13

Mily went to surgery today for placement of a jtube (previously called a peg in earlier posts). It is a feeding tube that allows nutrition to be put directly into her jejunum (beginning of the small intestine). It's a temporary measure to ensure that she maintains adequate caloric intake while unable to have regular foods. The procedure went very well. While in surgery, Millie was taken out for some 'mom' time by Melissa. She got a fresh mani/pedi and haircut while out - I know I want to see pics of her new look! Anyway, back on topic - Mily's head CT from this morning shows no changes; that means it's stable from the last scan. This is good news because it means she has no new swelling or bleeding, but it would be better news if the scan showed improvement as it remains somewhat abnormal. Long story short, she has some persistent swelling within her brain that needs more time. I may have been remiss in many other posts - Mily has a drain coming from her brain called a ventriculostomy. It's purpose is to drain off excess cerebrospinal fluid and/or blood from the brain. The drainage from it has tapered off over the last few days and removal of it is planned for tomorrow. This is a big step; it means that Mily's brain has 'cleansed' itself of the blood from the tissue (mostly) and that she is no longer making too much fluid (which she was and is normal in brain injury). Her vital signs are all stable as well. She is currently still on sedation medications; they are planning on weaning them down and allowing her to progress slowly to wakefulness in the next few days. Please pray for our sweet girl more now than ever. When patients wake up after a trial like this, it can be frightening and very overwhelming as they have no memory of how they got where they are. Medications that keep a person calm also sedate so they would not be indicated for her during this time. A couple of posts ago, I discussed pulmonary embolism and it's treatment. The medical team now believes Mily is ready to receive the medication needed to break this clot down. The type she has is rather serious and it has really been a risk vs benefit judgment about how it should be treated. Bottom line - it is still a very big deal and has not gone away. Please continue to focus energy on healing for her brain and left sided function, and clot busting in her lungs. Those are her major obstacles right now. As for your letters, calls, emails, blog posts and big love - it is all being shared with Mily. Her family is so very grateful to see how much love there is out there. I hear the wall in her hospital room still isn't covered with emails completely yet - so c'mon y'all!
Much love to all, B