Tales From an Exhausted Medical Mama

  Elevated sodium levels can cause brain swelling. Although CT scans and a MRI were done and didn’t show anything newly abnormal, Mini Mayhem’s sodium level being so high did affect her brain. Since her sodium level is now normal, her respiratory issues (pneumonia) have improved we are now seeing the neurological consequences. Her second night on the floor from PICU she had an increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, sweating and agitation. For this reason, she was transferred back to the PICU. After receiving valium, she continued to have these symptoms and received a dose of dilaudid (a pain medication) and she finally calmed down. This happened one other time in the PICU. She was then sleeping most of the time, so they moved her to IMCU (Intermediate Care Unit) and she continued to just sleep. Yesterday, we moved to the Neuro floor and last night she became agitated, respirations and heart rate increased and she was sweaty. Thankfully, ativan calmed her and she has be...

  Moved to IMCU on Day 16 and we are still here. I think they are going to boot us to the floor tomorrow but that isn’t set in concrete. 💤Maci slept about 90% of the day yesterday and when she was awake, she just stared off in one direction. I kept checking to see if she was having a seizure but she wasn't, she was just starring in that one direction. She did have a seizure this morning, a bit before 2 am and the rescue med stopped it.  😴 She has slept 99.9% of the day today. 💦 She is still hanging on to urine, not all of it but most of it. 🧪Kidney labs and electrolytes look decent now. Her BUN is still elevated. It either needs a bit more time or she needs more water. I am going to ask about more water tomorrow. 💊 She is back to getting just the medications she is on at home with exception to still receiving the blood thinner from having the DVT (blood clot) in her arm. 🧠 The EEG that she had most recently didn’t show anything new that wasn’t on any other past EEG. 🫀Sh...