A shunt revision, for Julie, with many complications due to spina bifida, is no longer a viable possibility at her age and stage. Over the past 48 hours, she has been and is still being evaluated by seven medical specialty teams. She is on contact precautions this morning, meaning gloves and gowns are required by anyone entering her room, and remains in the ICU. I will get breakfast in one of the dining areas prior to going into her room. Then back to gown and gloves and reading to her before leaving her room again for lunch.
But the good news is that her involved problems have led the neurological and cardiac teams to a likely reason for her shunt related pressure problems: atrial pulmonary hypertension.
Mayo Clinic has a video explaining this medical complication, but I cannot seem to find the link on this iPad to make it work on the Blogger platform. If googled, it is easily found.
Treatment to get this pulmonary hypertension under control will require medications to draw off fluid from around the lungs, decrease of salt intake, weight loss and fluid restrictions, along with a usual cardiac diet.
Julie will remain here at University of Colorado Hospital for a few more days, and more tests.
Word Chum friends, playing words will be one of my activities on schedule today. It would be for Julie also, but we are having issues with charging her device. Must charge up her Kindle Fire so she can get back to work with Word Chum power! In the meantime, we will be reading aloud.
PS: I drove over Vail Pass yesterday to get here. The Pass had high winds and blowing snow, and I was driving the seventh car in line behind four snow plows, so I felt led over in a special way on dangerous highways
