Here's my son-in-law's latest report. We could have used him as a medicial writer, don't you think? I've got a doctor's appointment this morning and I'll be going to the hospital today. But things are definitely looking up thanks to City Hospital folks and all the prayers.
Tom
The report from John Krack, Carol's husband, who calls her Carrie:
She’s still unconscious, but has taken several baby steps in the right direction the last several days. She’s now opening her eyes a lot, usually in response to voice. Her eyeballs are not
tracking movement yet, and I’m not sure if she’s able to focus, but she definitely looks toward me when I talk to her. She’s blinking normally, and sometimes opens her eyes wider than normal. She’s not yet responding to commands like “squeeze my finger” or “raise a finger.”Today her movements were somewhat subdued because they gave her a little morphine to slow her respirations when testing her ability to breathe on her own. She didn’t last long in the tests yesterday (breathing rate jumped way up) but she went for 2 hours today before they terminated the test on schedule! Her breaths were shallow, but she had good O2 saturation and an acceptable breathing rate. And she was breathing through a tube about 3/8” or 1/2” in diameter, which is like trying to inhale through a large straw. So she did good. They’ll keep the tube in, though, until she awakens enough to maintain her own airway, as unresponsive patients cannot be trusted to do so on their own. Yesterday, without the sedation, she was moving her arms and legs and upper body, stretching and yawning as if trying to wake up.
They put an EEG on her yesterday, and let it run overnight. I could watch the screen as she blinked her eyes and moved, and saw the waveforms get very agitated as they tracked the impulses controlling the muscles. The neurologist told me today that they haven’t had a chance to review the whole thing, but early indications are that she’s not having seizures, which was the main concern. They’ve been trying to do an MRI all day today, but it kept getting pushed back due to other emergencies coming in. I expect they’ll do it this evening. This should give a good picture of swelling and any other damage.
And finally, the best news yet. Just before I left this evening I mentioned something to her, and asked her to nod her head if that was OK. And she nodded! A small nod, but a definite movement nonetheless. I tried it again, and she nodded again. And a third time. So it looks like she’s starting to have some awareness, and we might be able to start some basic communication. And it’s particularly encouraging that she’s showing strong signs of being able to hear, since deafness is the most common impairment from meningitis.
The hospital staff is great, and they’re taking very good care of her. Tomorrow they’re going to give her coffee! (Through the feeding tube, of course.)
Your cards are pouring in. Seven on Saturday and 19 today. I’m showing and reading them to her, and will let her read them all when she wakes up. I think she'll be pretty overwhelmed. Thank you.
Thanks again for all your prayers, well-wishes, support, offers to help, cards, and emails. Hopefully soon we’ll be able to report that she’s awake and talking. I told her today that people need more scrubbies, so she has to get better and get to work.
John
Click on the headline for an earlier post on Caroline Jean Moore Krack, daughter of Tom and Dot Moore, a Minnesota teacher's aide retiree who is in Akron City Hospital with meningitis. John and Caroline Krack have been married for 30 years.
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