Thursday, 5/30:
Dad was taken off Diprivan (sedation) early in the morning and was doing well during his first real chance to"wake-up." His vitals were improving and his oxygen levels were getting close to where they need to be. They removed some tubes still left from surgery and Karl was becoming more responsive to commands (blink, move feet etc.) He still wasn't making eye contact or tracking, and was still on the breathing tube.
The doctor ordered a brain CT scan, which showed several little "spots" that they thought might indicate mini-strokes. Not ideal results.
We did have one special moment with Karl late Thursday that touched our hearts. He was able to weakly mouth the words "I love you." Wow. We then knew he was aware his family was with him and that we did have some relatively good brain activity. We have HOPE.
Friday, 5/31:
Karl's neurologist confirmed there were in fact several strokes that occurred during the surgery. The deep hypothermic state (during his surgery) can loosen up any debris within the blood stream/aorta and was probably the cause. These strokes were small and sprinkled throughout the brain. It's still too early to know if they have caused any permanent cognitive effects and/or what areas are effected. The good side is they were not all in one location- this would have undoubtedly caused damage.
An EEG was also performed to detect any abnormal brain activity or seizures. That came back clear (!)
Karl became more aware of his surroundings and was able to communicate a little. He still had the breathing and feeding tubes and was not very comfortable with either of these. He did try to mouth out some words and pucker his lips when we kisses his cheek. Doctors were talking about trying to remove his vent on Monday if he was strong enough.
At this point, the waiting game was back on. Still cheering for our Karl.
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