Day 23

1/24/08

Today, Laurie joined her heavenly Father and savior Jesus Christ.  She is now watching over us all, free of pain and sickness.  Laurie and her family appreciate all of the cards, thoughts, prayers, and love that she received during the past three weeks.  

There will be a memorial, reception, and celebration of her life at on Sunday 2/3/2008 at 2:30.  We invite all who knew and loved Laurie to attend

Covenant Presbyterian Church

2881 Canton Road

Marietta, GA  30066

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to:

HOW Place Inc.

PO Box 2459

Acworth, GA  30102

Monies contributed in Laurie's name will be used in the construction of a new meeting place for Laurie's AA group.  This group was one of Laurie's great passions and made the last 2+ years of her life a joy for her and her family.

For those who still want to send flowers, we would appreciate that they arrive the Friday and Saturday before the service so we can bring them to the reception.  Please send them to us at:

3069 Saddleback Mountain Road

Marietta, GA  30062

Day 22

1/23/08

H A P P Y     B I R T H D A Y     L A U R I E ! ! ! ! !

We will have the actual party when Laurie is awake and can enjoy visiting with family and friends.

Laurie had an uneventful night.  They lowered her oxygen to 30% and took her off of sedation in the morning.  The only medication she is receiving by drip is the blood pressure medicine which helps to control her heart rate.

They are going to attempt to insert a PIC line again, this time in radiology.  Hopefully this time the procedure will be successful.  She may also do another CT scan to check her progress.

Amy visited with Laurie in the morning.  Nina, Julie, and Marie also came by to read to Laurie.  They brought a big birthday cake and a prayer chain.  We hung the chain on the door in the back of Laurie's room.  Brad brought greeting cards that had been send to the house to read to her.  He also brought emails from Laurie's brothers, Mark and J.C.  These will be read to her throughout the day by visitors.

The doctors talked to us after the CT scan and the news was devastating.  Laurie had suffered many strokes over the last 48 hours and over 80% of her brain was affected.  It was explained that the affected areas of her brain were starting to swell which could cause cardiac arrest.  Even if there was no swelling Laurie would never be conscious enough to know of our presence.  They told us she probably had no more than 24 hours.  Laurie requested to be an organ donor, so they are keeping her on life support at this time.

We appreciate all of the visitors that came to pray for the Laurie and the family and give us their support.  Thanks also to the callers and texters that sent there love and support.  Laurie was touched by so many people and she has touched so many others.  I thank her for giving me over 28 years of love and companionship, and four beautiful children, whom she will now watch over from above.  We are also blessed to be a part of the Mac Rae family and for the love of her parents, brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, nieces, and friends on the west coast.  We will always love you and be part of your family.

Day 21

1/22/08

Last night, the nurses put Laurie back on the blood pressure medicine Esmolol because her heart rate increased. They stopped the pain medication drip this morning, so Laurie is now using the 72 hour patch for pain control. She remains on the sedation medication Propofol.

Tomorrow is Laurie's "belly button" birthday, so please write comments on this blog for her, or send emails to ljbaden123@yahoo.com or jbbaden@gmail.com. We will have a reading of the comments and emails in the evening. There is also a big card at the hospital to sign which we will also read.

Anyone is welcome to come up to the hospital tomorrow and see Laurie and read a card to her or just talk to her! We believe she really enjoys being read to! it appears to relax her! We hope to see you tomorrow!

Day 20

1/21/08

This morning, they started Laurie breathing on her own again with assistance from the ventilator.  Her breathing is a little heavy, but because her carbon dioxide levels are remaining low, they are going to let her continue to breathe on her own.  She is receiving 40% oxygen from the ventilator.

Laurie was taken off of the blood pressure medicine and they removed the EEG leads from her head.  Now that there is nothing on her head, they were able to shampoo her hair.

Tonight at 10pm, they are going to cut her pain medication drip in half, and then tomorrow at 10am they will stop it all together.  They have already placed a 72 hour narcotic patch on her to take over pain management.  They continue to wean her of of the sedation, monitoring her vital signs for agitation as it is decreased.

The doctors and nurses have talked about Laurie's next level of care.  If she can get to the point where she can breathe on her own and does not need continuous medications, she will be able to be moved to long term care.  This is great news that Laurie is recovering.

Day 19

1/20/08

Last night, Laurie's breathing became short and rapid as she tried to do it on her own.  This was kind of like hyper ventilating, so her carbon dioxide levels increased.  The nurse decided to sedate her again to let her rest because she was just working to hard.  They are now completely ventilating Laurie to help her rest.

Laurie was taken down to have another CT Scan.  Nothing changed since the scan a couple of days ago.  This shows she is not getting worse which keeps us in a positive mood.

They are still slowly taking her off of sedation, reducing her oxygen supplement, and reducing her medications.

We all appreciate Doris Marcus and her daughter Casi for buying dinner for us.  We also loved the gift bag full of goodies.  Doris is Jessica's boss at Ott & Company.

Day 18

1/19/08

We arrived at the hospital today to find that Laurie had had a CT scan without contrast dye.  We believe this was to determine if she will get a permanent drain placed in her head.  The nurse also told us that they had clamped the EVD to see if her body could manage the intracranial pressure.  The had also increased her oxygen to 100% which was keeping her Licox oxygen level at 20 (20 and above is good).  By noon they had lowered the incoming oxygen to 90%.  All of her other vital signs are good.

We talked to the doctor today.  They are planning to take out the EVD and all of the Licox leads from her head because she is able to manage the intercranial pressure on her own.  The are starting to wean her off of all medications and sedations to see how her body will mange to take care of itself.  We were reassured that her heart has not shown any ill effects being at elevated heart rate and pressure.  Laurie is over the hump of concerns of vasospasms.  This is a step forward in her recovery.

The doctors removed the EVD and Licox connections.  Laurie is no longer wearing her party hat.  The only leads coming off of her head are for the EKG machine monitoring her brain waves.

Both of her feet were responding to pinching.  Her arms are posturing which is a result of her strokes a week ago.  Her right eye remains half open.  We wonder if she sees movement while she is sedated.

Later in the day, Laurie received 2 units of blood to give her more hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the brain.

Day 17

1/18/08

Today the nurse increased the oxygen level that Laurie was receiving to keep the oxygen level up in her brain from 50% to 70%. She also increased the External Ventricular Drain (EVD), which is the rate that blood and fluid is drained out of Laurie's cranium.

This morning a nurse practitioner tried to install a new intravenous PIC Line, used to withdraw blood and inject medications needed by Laurie. It can be used over and over for a long period of time and it will keep them from trying to find a vein over and over. However, since she is so full of fluids, her veins were narrowed and they could not insert a ware into her vein. They will consult and determine what to do next.

Her vital signs remain in a good range. Her right eye is opened slightly, but not far enough to see anything.

While Laurette and Katie were in Laurie's room, they took her off of sedation and tested her limbs for a response.  Both of her feet responded.  Her arms responded, but they are not sure if that is from pinching or if her body is just posturing.

Thanks Laurette for taking me out to dinner.  It was a nice break for me.

Laurie had several visitors today that read to her and some noted an apparent response from her. We also appreciated the pizza from Jim.

Day 16

1/17/08

Laurie's status today is about the same as yesterday.  She is receiving 50% oxygen and her oxygen level in the brain is 30.  Her heart rate is about 80 and they are still keeping her blood pressure elevated.  They have lowered her sedation a little, and she feels warmer to the touch than last night.

There are no procedures scheduled for today.

Laurie had lots of visitors reading to and praying with her.  We also prayed in the waiting room.  Thanks to Donna and BJ for the food.  Also, thanks to Jeff for being here almost every evening with Jessica and Craig to visit and play games.

When Brad was saying goodnight to Laurie, she seemed to respond when he said "I love you".  She half opened her right eye and appeared to mouth 3 words back.

Day 15

1/16/08

Today has started out as a good day for Laurie.

Laurie's oxygen level in her brain was at 40 in the morning.  The nurse had lowered the oxygen she was receiving through her breathing tube from 100% to 90%.  Her TCD (Transcranial Doppler) levels were still high, but had decreased a little which is also good news.  The TCD level is related to the vasospasms, and the lower the better.

The nurse reminded us that Laurie has a long road ahead.

Later in the afternoon, the oxygen level was down to 25.  This is still a good number and is lower because she is now receiving 50% oxygen through the breathing tube.

A special thanks to Pastor Ken for stopping by to visit and pray with Laurie.  Sorry nobody was around when he stopped by.  Laurie also had visits from Chuck and his family, Patti, and Susan.

Day 14

1/15/08

Laurie's oxygen level to the brain appeared to be fluctuating downwards, so the doctor ordered another CT scan with contrast dye.  The CT scan would see what has changed since the last scan and determine if the oxygen probe had shifted and was giving proper readings.  After the scan, they determined that the probe was probably not working properly.  Also, the probe over the part of Laurie's brain that had suffered a stroke.  The doctor placed a new probe back over a part of her brain that was still active and we waited to get new readings.

Jessica notified us late that night that the oxygen sensor was reading 40, which is a very good and encouraging number.

I know Laurie also enjoyed Nina's visit and readings.  The family also really enjoyed Nina and Terry's card.  We love you too!!   We also love all the well wishers, family, and friends that are praying and visiting with Laurie.

Day 13

1/14/08
Another day of rest for Laurie. The nurses just monitored her and kept her sedated and cool. Her heart rate fluctuated between 85 and 115 (the lower number being better for her).

We have noticed a lowering of her heart rate and a change in her breathing when friends and family read scripture or just talk to her. I want to believe that this means that she is hearing us and is comforted that so many people love her and care for her. So many people are praying for Laurie, and I know she senses this through her connection with God.

Craig and I enjoyed visiting with our HOW friends that visited and called.

Day 12

1/13/08

No real change in Laurie's condition today.  Her heart rate remains high, between 100 and 105. She is receiving a drug to keep her blood pressure elevated to push oxygen to her brain.   They are still keeping her sedated and cool to minimize brain activity and swelling.  She received a chest x-ray this morning, and when they took her off sedation, her heart rate went over 140, and the oxygen level in the brain went down.  So they immediately put her back on sedation and left her sedated for the rest of the day.

Laurie and the family had many visitors today.  We appreciated all of the well wishes, love, and food.  Thanks Betsy and Melissa for bringing pizza.  Laurette spent a long time talking to Laurie, and I am sure she heard every word.  Jim came in read scriptures to Laurie.   Wende said that Laurie's heart rate went down about 25 beats while he read to her.  Thanks Jim!

Katie and Wende are headed back to their respected universities. I know they will miss seeing their mother, and hopefully they can concentrate on their studies.

Day 11

1/12/08

Laurie opened an eye on command in the morning for the doctors, and did the same again later in the morning when Wende told her she loved her.  This gave the family hope that she is fighting to recover.

When the nurse took Laurie off of sedation, her heart rate went up to 141 beats per minute, so they put her back on the sedation.  It took nearly 45 minutes for her rate to return to around 100.  To minimize brain activity and swelling, the nurse decided to keep on sedation for the rest of the day.  She is still on the cooling pads which also keeps her brain function at a minimum.  The monitors are showing that the intracranial pressure (ICP) is around 4, showing that the sedation and the cooling is keeping the swelling down.

Laurie's lungs sound clear now, so hopefully the pneumonia is mostly gone, however her white  blood cell count jumped 3,000 to 21,000.  The nurse suspected another infection, so they took some cultures to the lab.  We are still waiting to hear the results from the lab.

The monitors are showing that the intracranial pressure (ICP) is around 4.  Anything under 20 is good, showing that the sedation and cooling is working to keep the swelling down.  They are also giving Laurie 100% oxygen to give the brain the maximum amount.

The nurse practitioner talked to us today, repeating the news from yesterday about the procedure and strokes, and she also discussed what Laurie's body is going through now and the risks ahead.  Her heart is working hard to move blood and oxygen to the brain, but also to the infection in body.  Since Laurie has had previous cardiac problems and has a stent, there is a higher risk of cardiac arrest.

So now it appears that it is mostly up to Laurie to fight and want to get well.  The doctors are mostly going to try to keep her from having infections and more strokes for the next week or two.

Again, we appreciate all of the visitors, food, support, love, and prayers.  Please keep it up!!

Day 10

1/11/08

They are keeping Laurie's temperature at 97.7 degrees, which is good for the brain.  Her skin seems so cold to the touch.  I know how Laurie likes to be warm, so I wish they could raise her temperature a little.  She occasionally shivers which is probably a good sign.

The doctors moved her feeding tube from her nose and throat, running it directly into her stomach.  The food is a cream/tan colored liquid that drips from a bag.

Overnight, the oxygen levels to Laurie's brain fluctuated, and her levels were high indicating vasospasms.  The doctors decided to perform another CT scan with contrast dye in the morning.  After the radiologists analyzed the CT scan data, they decided to take Laurie down to take a look at her brain through the catheter and either use drugs or a balloon angioplasty to open up the arteries to her brain.

The news from the doctors afterwards was not good.  They  were able to open her arteries in three locations, however the artery in her middle cerebral artery did not respond to the balloon angioplasty.  Laurie had also suffered two strokes, one in her right frontal lobe and the other in her left frontal lobe.  The frontal lobes control her personality, concentration, and wakefulness.  This means she will spend more time in the ICU so they can hopefully keep her from having anymore strokes.

We were so thankful that Nina, Terry, Nicole, and Emily were there to comfort us after talking to the doctors.

Day 9

1/10/08

Laurie had a pretty good night according to the nurse.  Her fever reached 102 degress, but was down to under 101 in the morning.  Because of this fever, they are now using a machine that circulates a cool fluid through some pads.  A few of these pads will be used to keep her fever down.

The Licox monitor is now working properly, and the oxygen level going into Laurie's brain is at a good level.  This is great news!

Day 8

1/09/08

Laurie's temperature this morning was 101 degrees.  This due to the Staff Pneumonia she has had for a few days.  In the evening her fever had reached 101.3 degrees.

They performed another CT scan with dye to view the diameter of the arteries that provide oxygen for her brain.  Dr. Cowley said that the scan showed a little constriction of the arteries, but not enough to warrant any procedures.

She had a successful tracheotomy performed in the morning, so now she does not have to have the breathing tube running through her mouth down into her throat.  The doctor also adjusted the leads in her head for the Licox monitor.  All of the readings are now showing up.  However, her oxygen level being provided to the brain is on the low side, so tomorrow morning the doctor will decide what to do to increase the oxygen level.

Katie and her dad went to lunch outside of the hospital.  Of course we had visitors while we were out, but they were still here when we returned.  Thanks for coming to visit Daniel, Donna, and Julie.  I know Laurie thanks you too.

Day 7

1/08/08

Today began with the doctor coming in to do his routine check and the nurses let him know that she was still not responding to their requests (squeeze hand, wiggle toes, and open eyes).  The doctor then ordered  a test for myopathy to be performed to test the response of mom's muscles.  The test indicated that her muscles were responding to the stimulus (needles).  The doctor let us know that the problem lies between her brain and her extremities.  He said that he does not see any permanent damage at this time and everything going on is not irreversible.

Later in the day the doctor's approached us to let us know they would be putting a device called Licox on her head.  This device has only been in the United States for one year but in the UK for two.  It is a very high tech device that measures the temperature of the brain, oxygen level in the brain, brain pressure, basal spasms, and small aneurisms.  We are very fortunate to be at this hospital as it is the only hospital in the Southeast with this device.  They had to drill another hole in her head to insert the leads for the Licox, but not as deep as the other hole that drains the liquid from her brain.  The leads come out of a cone on her head and we are calling the cone her "party hat".  The machine was not monitoring her oxygen level, so they will try to fix that problem tomorrow.

The nurses also let us know that the reason Mom had been running a fever was because she had developed Staff Pneumonia in her lungs.  They began to give her strong antibiotics right away.  They reassured us that it is normal for people that are intubated to get pneumonia.  We hope that the anitbiotics work quickly.

Tomorrow she is scheduled to get a tracheotomy so that she does not have the large tube going down her throat which cann irritate the vocal cords.  She is also scheduled for an operation to have her PEG feeding tube put directly into her stomach, instead of it running through her nose and down her throat.  Hopefully these procedures will make her less agitated when she is taken off sedation.

Occasionally Laurie's heart rate would jump unexpectedly, so they are trying to figure out why that is happening.

Day 6

01/07/08

Throughout the night mom had a low grade fever, but not too bad. Around 11 am this morning they attached a seizure detecting machine to her head. This is only for precaution because she is at a high risk of seizures. Once the machine detects any little bit of change they can give her a medication to prevent seizures. 

She is now not draining much blood from the brain, which is very good. The nurse practitioner talked to Wende and explained that they were able to get almost all the clots below the skull line with certain medication. This is a good sign! Wende also signed for her to get a tracheotomy tomorrow. This is a good thing and can help her in the long run!

Overall today was a great day for her. She has been stable and resting. 

Thank you again for everyones prayers and thoughts!

Day 5

01/06/08

Mom spiked a fever in the night again, so they gave her some tylenol to help it. In the morning they did a test to check the level of vasospasms she was having and it was extremely high. If the spasm number gets high the vessel can close and cause a stroke. They took mom to get a CT scan at 11:30 am to see what was going on. Right when the results came back they took her to go back in the catheter in her groin and see if they need to do Angioplasty and put a balloon in the vessel to keep it open. They began surgery around 12:45 pm and and we got the news at 3:30 pm that the procedure went well and the spasms were not as bad as the numbers indicated, so they just put medication into the vessel to help with the spasms it was having. 

They had to give her more fluids so she is very swollen, but now she has the right level of fluids in her body. Later that day her oxygen level in her blood was low, so they decided to give her one unit of blood for a transfusion. Kelda, our nurse, said the transfusion was to get more blood and oxygen to her brain. Her body accepted it very well and the levels were back up. 

They took a sample from her lung to test for the possibility of pneumonia. Around 11:30 pm she spiked another fever so they send more blood and urine to be tested for an infection. It will take a couple of days to get those results back. The rest of the evening she rested.

Thank you for all the visitors, food, prayers, and support!  

Day 4

01/05/08

During the night mom spiked a fever of 100.8 degrees. They sent in blood to see if there was any infection going on in her body. Her oxygen level had also lowered in the night, so she had to have the machine help her. They also took x-rays to see if there was any saturation in her lungs. The test came back negative and her lungs looked great! Today she began to eat very well through the tube in her nose.

Kelda was our nurse throughout the weekend. She was wonderful to us and mom. She was able to explain everything mom was going through so we could understand it. She assured us that everything mom is doing is as expected at this point of recovery. 

The whole family went to the breakfast club meeting at the HOW place. It was an amazing meeting. Thank you for everyone for the prayers and support!

Day 3

01/04/08

Throughout the night, Laurie had a rough time and was thrashing around too much. Her cognitive level had lowered and she became lethargic. In the morning they decided to sedate her and put her back on the intubator. Although this was a step back the doctors said that it could be for the best so she will stay calm. They also began a blood pressure medication that helps keep it up. Although on the intubator they said she was breathing on her own. 

About every four hours they would wake her up and check if she was able to still move all of her extremities. She was still able to move everything except her left eye. When any of us went back they would do all this so we were able to see it all!

Over all today was a stable day for her. She was able to rest and let the blood drain off her brain.  Thank you for all the visitors today!   

Day 2

01/03/08

She remained stable throughout the night and was still responding well to the doctors and nurses requests. Around 9:30 am she was taken off the intubator and the sedative because she was breathing on her own.

That morning Dad and Wende went in to see her and she mouthed "help" to them. She continued to have many visitors throughout the day. Her first words were "I have to go to the bathroom." The nurses explained to her that she has a catheter. We soon realized that visitors speaking to her agitated her and would cause her to thrash around as much as she could while her extremities were restrained. We tried to calm her as we did at Kennestone (where our voices seemed to really calm her), but it did not seem to work this time. The nurse then explained that the blood is causing extreme pressure on her brain and the vessels surrounding it. This pressure then causes what he described as 'angry brain'. She is very irritated and uncomfortable, so once she is comfortable we would try not to disturb her so she does not thrash around more.

Jessica and Wende went back to visit her and the nurse was doing a routine check of her cognitive abilities. When they asked her to squeeze their hand she was able to with her left hand! All of her extremities were working. Her left eye still had not had any response. When visitors came in she would turn her head towards the voice or even open her eye to them. She would then get very agitated, so we had to not talk or touch her so she can rest. 

She had more visitors today and we were very thankful for them and everything they did! 

Day 1

01/02/08

Once brought to Emory hospital they began a drain in the brain to get the blood off her brain at 4:15 am. All four kids were there with her. Dad was able to get a flight out first thing that morning. He was called twice to get approval for her to have the procedures. They then began surgery to fix the aneurism at 7 am, which was located at the base of her brain where her head and neck come together. Only 10% of people who have aneurisms have them in this location. This is considered the most dangerous place to have an aneurism. Lisa and Bob kept us company while she was having surgery. Bob took Wende to get dad at the airport. Thank you so much Lisa and Bob! 

The surgery was very successful and ended around 11 am. We worried because it took three hours, but when the doctor came out to give us the good news he reassured us that this is normal. She stayed on the intubator, which helps regulate her breathing. She was completely sedated to get some rest after the surgery and keep the drain still. 

She remained stable throughout the afternoon. When they would wake her up she was able to squeeze with her right hand but not her left, wiggle both sets of toes, and open her right eye but not her left. Our nurses explained that this is normal and may come back after time. 

We didn't want to visit her too often and disturb her, but someone was back there with her at least once an hour. The nurses explained everything very well and reassured us that everything that she was having done is very normal for an aneurism. Each time we went in to visit her we all asked about 100 questions about all the machines, tubes, and cords that are attached to mom. The nurses were very patient and put things into perspective so that we could better understand the medical terminology. Craig, Katie, and Jessica spent the night with her.

After our experience at Kennestone Hospital, we are very thankful that she is at such a wonderful hospital. Not to mention it is the leading hospital in the United States for neurological disorders such as aneurisms. 

We enjoyed all of the visitors throughout the day. They were very supportive. We played a competitive game of Monopoly to pass time while she was resting from the surgery. Thank you everyone!

Laurie is at Emory Hospital

01/01/2008

Laurie had cooked dinner and was watching the Georgia Bulldogs whoop up on the Hawaiian Warriors with Craig, Wende, Katie, Remy, and Ines. Suddenly, she complained of an awful headache that would not go away, and increasingly got worse. The children called an ambulance while Remy and Ines assisted her. Craig rode in the ambulance to Kennestone Hospital. While Laurie was at Kennestone, her aneurism burst and the doctors decided to life-flight her to Emory Hospital in Atlanta. She was unable to be life-flighted due to high winds and snow. She was taken by ambulance with Craig and our nurse by her side. They already had a room ready in the Neuroscience ICU unit at Emory. Jessica drove Wende and Katie to the hospital arriving shortly after the ambulance.