September 18 Update 1

So this is another busy day for Kirk. We finally got his MRI early this morning. He was just getting settled back in when I got here this morning. There were no surprises on his MRI so that is good. I was able to look at it and you can clearly see where the clot is and how large it is. The vein that is blocked is the largest in the brain.  They were also able to clear his neck with the MRI. There is no impact to the spinal cord. I could also clearly see the contusions in his brain that we already knew about.

Kirk has been up and down today. As we reduce sedation and move him more his heart rate goes up and down and so does his comfort. He has also been vomiting some but his abdominal X-Ray is still clear. It is very difficult to see him uncomfortable but these are all the things that are going to get him better.

He is opening his eyes more but still not on command, only either spontaneously or to pain. He does also move his head around but also not toward sound or command. He is producing a lot of secretions through his breathing tube which makes him uncomfortable. A wound care specialist is going to come look at his bed sores to make sure they don't need any surgical intervention. We are trying to clamp his ICP monitor again to see if we can get 24 stable low hours to get that out. Only after it is removed can we treat the clot.

So something else will happen today that we have been waiting for. And it could seem like a step in the wrong direction and I never imagined I could want this to happen. But Kirk will get the tracheostomy and permanent feeding tube today at 1 pm. This absolutely will make him more comfortable over the long run and allow him to be healthier. It will protect his airway, protect his vocal chords, and allow better access to suctioning and caring for his lungs. When they do this they will take another good look at his lungs, suction everything out and get cultures. The two procedures together will take about an hour and I will put another update up when they are done.