Tobias' Recovery

Bottom line: Tobias survived the first few critical days which is a minor miracle.  The doctors continue to emphasize that he is still in a precarious situation.  He is exhibiting signs of storming, where traumatic brain injury patients can’t turn off the fight or flight response and put their bodies under a lot of stress.  He was also treated for vasospasming, where blood vessels in the brain clamp down threatening another stroke.  The nurses and doctors are excellent and are treating him quickly and effectively for these issues.  Still no conclusion on the cause of the bleed.  On the positive side his pupils react to light for the first time.  Messages from family and friends continue to help us feel that we are not alone. Details: Tobias used to have a dedicated nurse because of his level of needed care.  I was happy yesterday when his nurse was assigned to two patients because this meant that he was not as sick as he was the day before.  ...

Bottom line: Tobias suffered a massive bleed in his brain on Friday and was life flighted to the university hospital.  The doctors have been kind and generous in their explanations, but they don’t know what caused the bleed and it feels like they are preparing us for Tobias to pass.  He has had two brain surgeries so far and is hooked up to many, many tubes, lines and electrodes.  He doesn’t look good and must be in a lot of pain, if he can feel anything.  We are distraught, but hope that Tobias can be saved and regains a decent quality of life.  Messages of love, concern and hope for Tobias and our family have helped pick our spirits up when things were darkest. Details: On Friday, August 27th Tobias suffered a massive brain bleed while at a family gathering at my sister's home.  The emergency crew arrived quickly and the local hospital's CT scan confirmed a massive hemorrhage on the right side of his brain.  His life-flight to the university medical ...

I'm creating this blog to document my experiences surrounding a massive brain bleed that my son, Tobias, suffered in August 2021.  I want to use it to update friends and family on Tobias' progress as well as a way for me to process this difficult situation.  I also want to create a record that I can share with Tobias when we get him back from his current sleep.  I am not a writer nor a medical professional.  I'm trying to accurately represent the information that the fantastic doctors, nurses and support staff are providing to me and my wife, but I'm sure that I'll make mistakes. I don't know what direction the blog will go nor how long it will be.  Tobias is still in a critical state and we don't know if he will survive.  He has survived the first critical phase, however, and we are choosing hope over fear. Sincerely, Tyler Update: It’s now over a week later and it looks promising that Tobias will survive.  If you notice a error or have a question, pl...