Tue 31-Mar-10

MRI showed some swelling / edema around the brachial plexus (nerves) of his left shoulder, but no actual damage to the nerves, so I'm guessing that means whatever weakness he has should resolve gradually, once the swelling goes down.  Also, no ligament damage in the cervical area, so the collar can come off tomorrow (for some reason, they have to wait until rounds tomorrow morning to take it off!!).

The case manager answered some of my questions about what to expect from this head injury.  The first time (1986), Simon had a discrete hematoma that affected one specific area of his brain, and the doctors were able to predict some of the effects it would have.  Although that time he woke up quickly and looked pretty normal, he had a lot of behavioral / emotional abnormalities that were difficult to deal with.

This time, he does NOT have a discrete injury like before, it's more of a diffuse shock to a larger area of brain.  She said that often means it takes longer to wake up (as I'm seeing), he may remain groggier and more sluggish for longer, and it's hard to predict what deficits he might have.  So that's why the doctors aren't predicting what symptoms he might show.  But it sounds like he'll stay in the hospital or in-patient rehab for quite awhile.


Ann