Patty spent most of the day with Jennie today in the Intensive Care Unit. Jennie had a nice bath, and her face is looking a lot better.
Since yesterday, after the doctors moved the location of the probe measuring the pressure in her brain, the readings have been more accurate. Today Jennie's ICP (Intracranial Pressure) has been between 17 and 23. This has been great news and one of the main concerns affecting Jennie's recovery.
Her blood pressure was better today, but her temperature has still been erratic.
Jennie has began taking a new medicine that paralyzes her, in addition to the morphine for pain. She has been very sensitive to noise and touch, which causes her pressure to increase. This new medicine will help her body to remain still so she doesn't get so excited, and keep her stats where they need to be.
We need to rally together again in prayer for Jennie for our next miracle for her - we need some type of communication from her - a "command response" such as raise her arm, wiggle her toes, or for both of her eyes to dialate, grabbing for the tubes, or even a verbal sound. This will help to confirm we are on the right track with her recovery.
The Prayers for Jennie Savickas page on Facebook now has 1,914 members - this is awesome and Jennie's family really appreciates everyone's support. Please continue to spread the word and keep those prayer chains going!!
"I will walk by faith...even when I cannot see...because this broken road prepares Your will for me..."
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
1 week 12/4/09
Exactly 1 week ago, the life of Jennie Savickas and her family were changed forever. If you are new to the blog, please take a few moments to read some of the previous posts.
Below is an update from Jesse Smith, Jennie's older sister:
Thank you everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. Jennie's ICP (pressure in her brain) was at 23 as of 2pm. This is huge news since this number has been anywhere from 40-100+. The goal is less than 20. Jennie was scheduled for her third cat scan this afternoon and we are waiting on those results. ... Please continue to pray specifically for her temperature to go down and her ICP to continue looking so good.
I will continue to keep everyone updated each day on Jennie's progress. ~LuCinda
Below is an update from Jesse Smith, Jennie's older sister:
Thank you everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. Jennie's ICP (pressure in her brain) was at 23 as of 2pm. This is huge news since this number has been anywhere from 40-100+. The goal is less than 20. Jennie was scheduled for her third cat scan this afternoon and we are waiting on those results. ... Please continue to pray specifically for her temperature to go down and her ICP to continue looking so good.
I will continue to keep everyone updated each day on Jennie's progress. ~LuCinda
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Slow Journey 12/3/09,
I have an update as of this evening from Patti, Jennie's Mom. She met with a special team at the hospital today who is working with the family on Jennie's case. They reviewed the Cat Scan results that were discussed yesterday.
As Patti was told yesterday, there is still some swelling in Jennie's brain, though it has gone down. There is still some blood showing in her brain, and they are not certain if this is from when the injury originally occured, or if her brain is continuing to bleed. The only way they could determine that is if they continue to do Cat Scans and compare them. This causes an issue with Jennie because her body is very sensitive to sound and touch, and when they move her around and reposition her body for the Cat Scan, it raises the pressure in her brain, which we want to avoid.
Jennie is in a natural coma, not one that is medically induced. The only medicines that she is taking currently are morphine for pain, and mannitol to relieve the pressure of her brain. Today, her ICP (Intracranial Pressure) was very erratic, and the number fluctuated between 38 to 100+. A normal ICP for a person is less than 20, generally around 5.
Jennie has maintained a fever since she has been in the hospital, today her fever stayed between 100-102 degrees. Her fever is due to her brain sending the wrong signals to her body.
Her right eye was thought to be more injured after her accident, and today it was responding to the light, which is a good sign. Her left eye is currently not showing any response to light, and the pupil remains fully dialated.
Some things that Jennie will have coming up are:
~Filter - they will insert a filter in a main vein going to Jennie's heart to prevent any blood clots.
~Tracheotomy and peg (feeding tube) - will both go in on Monday, Dec 14th. The feeding tube will go directly into Jennie's stomach.
I did not get an update on the pneumonia, which is in one of her lungs, but lets continue to pray for this to clear up. Jennie also has a broken left arm, and they had it in a split when I saw her on Friday night after the accident...I will check to see if they have taken any further steps with her arm and the bruising to her left leg and knee area also.
I told Patti I feel like we are taking baby steps, and that is OK...some of our baby steps move us forward, but some of our baby steps have also moved us backward. The important thing to remember is that we are still moving and taking those steps, which means Jennie is still with us and fighting.
Please continue all of the wonderful prayers and encouragement for Jennie and her family and friends. At 6:00 pm, we marked Day #6 of Jennie's Journey - it is a slow journey, but she has a lot of people who love and care for her, and we are all on the Journey with her.
As Patti was told yesterday, there is still some swelling in Jennie's brain, though it has gone down. There is still some blood showing in her brain, and they are not certain if this is from when the injury originally occured, or if her brain is continuing to bleed. The only way they could determine that is if they continue to do Cat Scans and compare them. This causes an issue with Jennie because her body is very sensitive to sound and touch, and when they move her around and reposition her body for the Cat Scan, it raises the pressure in her brain, which we want to avoid.
Jennie is in a natural coma, not one that is medically induced. The only medicines that she is taking currently are morphine for pain, and mannitol to relieve the pressure of her brain. Today, her ICP (Intracranial Pressure) was very erratic, and the number fluctuated between 38 to 100+. A normal ICP for a person is less than 20, generally around 5.
Jennie has maintained a fever since she has been in the hospital, today her fever stayed between 100-102 degrees. Her fever is due to her brain sending the wrong signals to her body.
Her right eye was thought to be more injured after her accident, and today it was responding to the light, which is a good sign. Her left eye is currently not showing any response to light, and the pupil remains fully dialated.
Some things that Jennie will have coming up are:
~Filter - they will insert a filter in a main vein going to Jennie's heart to prevent any blood clots.
~Tracheotomy and peg (feeding tube) - will both go in on Monday, Dec 14th. The feeding tube will go directly into Jennie's stomach.
I did not get an update on the pneumonia, which is in one of her lungs, but lets continue to pray for this to clear up. Jennie also has a broken left arm, and they had it in a split when I saw her on Friday night after the accident...I will check to see if they have taken any further steps with her arm and the bruising to her left leg and knee area also.
I told Patti I feel like we are taking baby steps, and that is OK...some of our baby steps move us forward, but some of our baby steps have also moved us backward. The important thing to remember is that we are still moving and taking those steps, which means Jennie is still with us and fighting.
Please continue all of the wonderful prayers and encouragement for Jennie and her family and friends. At 6:00 pm, we marked Day #6 of Jennie's Journey - it is a slow journey, but she has a lot of people who love and care for her, and we are all on the Journey with her.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Cat Scan Results 12/2/09
WOW!!! What an awesome God we serve!!! He has heard our many prayers...
The results of Jennie's cat scan show that her swelling has gone down.
She does still have pockets of blood in her brain that we are unsure if are continuing to bleed or are just left from the initial impact.
The doctor sounded lighter than he has about the situation and made sure to tell us that we are still in this fight and have no reason to give up at this point.
Jennie's family will meet with the neurologist soon to look at the specific areas of her brain that will be affected from her injuries, and what to expect during her recovery.
Some of the next steps in Jennie's Journey include:
~Tracheotomy - to allow Jennie to breathe through a direct airway instead of the tube in her throat with the ventilator. The tube in her throat for more than 7-10 days could cause damage to her vocal cords.
~She has developed a little bit of pneumonia in one of her lungs. The doctor says this is normal since she has been on the ventilator. But we definately want to pray for this to go away to help continue her recovery process.
Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and keep on praying!!!!
The results of Jennie's cat scan show that her swelling has gone down.
She does still have pockets of blood in her brain that we are unsure if are continuing to bleed or are just left from the initial impact.
The doctor sounded lighter than he has about the situation and made sure to tell us that we are still in this fight and have no reason to give up at this point.
Jennie's family will meet with the neurologist soon to look at the specific areas of her brain that will be affected from her injuries, and what to expect during her recovery.
Some of the next steps in Jennie's Journey include:
~Tracheotomy - to allow Jennie to breathe through a direct airway instead of the tube in her throat with the ventilator. The tube in her throat for more than 7-10 days could cause damage to her vocal cords.
~She has developed a little bit of pneumonia in one of her lungs. The doctor says this is normal since she has been on the ventilator. But we definately want to pray for this to go away to help continue her recovery process.
Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and keep on praying!!!!
Still waiting 12/2/09
As of 3:15pm, Jennie's family is still waiting to meet with the Neurologist to review the Cat Scan results.Jennie had a Cat Scan at 4am today. The Neurologist will hopefully be able to give specific information about the extent of Jennie's injury to her brain, and how exactly that will affect her. Update to come soon...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
CAT Scan scheduled for 12/2/09
Please pray tonight for God's healing hands to touch Jennie and heal her. She will have a CAT scan tomorrow to look at the details of the swelling of her brain. We know that God is awesome, and He can give us a miracle!!!
Jennie, a lot of people are sharing their love and prayers for you girl!!! You are very special to many people. Your family and friends have been at the hospital around the clock. They even have their own special waiting room as they take turns being there with you!
Thank you for those who have brought food, books, and other comforting items to the family at the hospital...this has really helped make it easier to remain there for extended time periods.
Please join the support group for Jennie on Facebook "Prayers for Jennie Savickas" There are currently 1,535 members of this online support group! WOW - what a great network of people who are praying for Jennie - even people who do not know her personally, but are kind enough to lift her up in prayer.
Jennie, a lot of people are sharing their love and prayers for you girl!!! You are very special to many people. Your family and friends have been at the hospital around the clock. They even have their own special waiting room as they take turns being there with you!
Thank you for those who have brought food, books, and other comforting items to the family at the hospital...this has really helped make it easier to remain there for extended time periods.
Please join the support group for Jennie on Facebook "Prayers for Jennie Savickas" There are currently 1,535 members of this online support group! WOW - what a great network of people who are praying for Jennie - even people who do not know her personally, but are kind enough to lift her up in prayer.
Day # 4 Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Well, we have officially made it past the 72 hour mark as of last night!
Jennie has made it through the night, and is still holding strong. Most of her stats are about the same as they were yesterday. I will try to get more specific details on her stats this evening.
Jennie has made one large step in her journey last night - they inserted a feeding tube into her stomach to see if her normal digestive functions are working. She consumed about half of what they gave her, so this was very good sign.
The family is still waiting to see Jennie's progress as time goes by.
There is a prayer page dedicated to Jennie on facebook also - I'll post the link so you can join this group in praying for Jennie's recovery.
The family is posting photos and cards in Jennie's room in the Intensive Care Unit, please mail cards to Crossroads Baptist Church Attn: Jennie Savickas 340 Covil Avenue Wilmington, NC 28402.
Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers and positive comments during this time!!!
Jennie has made it through the night, and is still holding strong. Most of her stats are about the same as they were yesterday. I will try to get more specific details on her stats this evening.
Jennie has made one large step in her journey last night - they inserted a feeding tube into her stomach to see if her normal digestive functions are working. She consumed about half of what they gave her, so this was very good sign.
The family is still waiting to see Jennie's progress as time goes by.
There is a prayer page dedicated to Jennie on facebook also - I'll post the link so you can join this group in praying for Jennie's recovery.
The family is posting photos and cards in Jennie's room in the Intensive Care Unit, please mail cards to Crossroads Baptist Church Attn: Jennie Savickas 340 Covil Avenue Wilmington, NC 28402.
Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers and positive comments during this time!!!
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