Jane's (Mrs Squishy's) Dad - ThinnerTimes

Squishy · 04-12-2008, 08:51 PM

Hello all,

Well, it has been a very long week. Jane's dad had emergency brain surgery on Thursday. About 10 years ago, he had a brain tumor (about the size of an orange) removed successfully.

He is 83 years old now and recently he has not been feeling very well, his legs have been weak, and he has fallen down a few times and was unable to get up without help.

They did an MRI and found that he had an abscess on his brain. The infection was pretty extensive and they needed to do the brain surgery to try to clean it out. Without the operation, he would have definitely died.

The surgery itself went well. He had the same surgeon who did the first surgery, which was good. He is very talented. They cleaned out the infection as best they could, and started him on antibiotics.

In the original surgery, they removed the portion of his skull above his eyebrows to about the top of his head. They took that same section off to clean out the abscess, but could not put it back because the bone was infected too. They did another MRI to map out his skull so they could make a plastic piece to fit in the spot where the skull was. If all goes well, in six months to a year, they will open him back up and put the plate in. Until then, he will just have skin over his brain. (Kind of scary)

He came through the surgery OK, and is still very sick. He is very weak and they have frequently reminded the family that this could still be fatal because this type of infection is very dangerous. He will be on IV antibiotics for at least 4 to 6 weeks, possibly months.

He seems to have mental clarity when you are talking to him, but when not engaged in a conversation, he is very delirious. He sees things that are not there, talks about things that never happened, makes statements that don't make sense, etc. This started before the surgery, so they believe that it is caused by the infection, but since the surgery, the trauma of the procedure, and narcotics are probably making it worse.

They are not sure how much damage the infection may have done, so we have to wait and see if the delirium ceases as time passes.

Anyway... just wanted to update our TT family and ask for your prayers and positive vibes for Jane's dad (Ray).

-Mike-

Toony · 04-12-2008, 09:06 PM

Mike - what a surgery! Why would an abcess/infection happen 10 years after the original surgery? The human body is such a mystery... the human body is also incredibly strong and amazing! I hope he heals quickly and that his mind clears up as well.

My prayers for Ray!!!

MiladyB · 04-12-2008, 09:29 PM

Mike, thank you for letting us know about Jane's Dad. I want you to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, Jane and Ray during this time. I can only imagine how frightened Jane has been these past several weeks.

Squishy · 04-12-2008, 09:33 PM

They are not sure what caused it. The surgeon thinks that it was caused when they performed a biopsy of a bump on his forehead. He thinks the infection then followed the scar tissue back through the skull and into the brain.

Another doctor said that he thinks is started inside at the site of the previous tumor, but I don't know why it would start there. How would the infection appear just in that spot? It's all very odd.

-Mike-

Lu Lu · 04-12-2008, 09:39 PM

Very sad that he has to deal with that... Sending prayers your way Mike. It is always hard to see someone struggle with something like that. I worry all the time about my parents and threir health. Breaks my heart when things like this happen.

fisher1000 · 04-12-2008, 09:44 PM

I was thinking along the same lines as Katie...what a remarkable machine the human body is. Regardless of his age, it's amazing that engagement causes clarity, where lack of engagement causes delirium.

When we get back from our week long break, I'm teaching my students about their brains and how to manipulate their brain and study habits to be more effective. One of the things I'll be discussing is how readily the brain accepts new information in the wake of positivity and happy emotions. Emotions drive attention, which drives learning, and ultimately drives performance.

Jane's dad is an excellent example of how the simple act of a conversation with a family member can drive attention, and ultimately performance (continuation of and comprehension of the conversation...). I hope you don't mind that I reference this in class. I like using real world examples when I'm trying to get 7th graders to understand that I might just know what I'm talking about!

Additionally, when I do my weekly podcast on the brain next week, I'd like to reference it there as well, if you guys don't mind. This is just the kind of anecdote that makes learning interesting. (Which drives emotions, then attention, then learning...

) The link to my school website where the podcast will appear in a couple of weeks is: My School Webpage

*You'll need iTunes to open them. Click on any of the links and it will automatically download the most recent podcast, then you can choose whether or not you want the other ones.

Please know that Jane, and her father, and you are in my prayers. I'm deeply sorry for his current troubles but love the illustration, once again, of how remarkable we as humans really are. We've seen so many examples of miracles on this forum and I'm praying that there will be another one for your father-in-law.

-Mike

Squishy · 04-12-2008, 09:51 PM

Hi Mike,
Jane says that you are very welcome to use her dad as an example in your class. He is a retired school teacher, so he would be proud to be part of the lesson plan. Let us know if you would like any more details.

-Mike-

fisher1000 · 04-12-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

Hi Mike,
Jane says that you are very welcome to use her dad as an example in your class. He is a retired school teacher, so he would be proud to be part of the lesson plan. Let us know if you would like any more details.

-Mike-

Muchas gracias! From what you wrote, the infection is in his frontal lobe and the disruption in thought processes are disengaged when he puts his brain to use for a specific purpose. This illustrates the fact that the connections one makes in their brain are not only important but seem to be permanent pathways to recall and recognition. This means that Ray is activating more than one part of his brain in order to have a meaningful conversation, showing that his neocortex (the top part of the brain that people think of when they think of a picture of a brain...) is still deeply connected to his middle brain, where emotions and long term memory are stored. Those connections are normally reduced as we get older, but some folks hold on to them fairly tightly, even in the midst of a trauma.

I just think that it's all very fascinating...and I appreciate you letting me share!

-Mike

Duckie · 04-12-2008, 10:44 PM

Jane, Mike,
Ray will be in my thoughts. I'm glad to hear that his is progressing. That's some scarey stuff he's been through. Have they made him a helmet yet? To cover the soft spot, especially if he's not fully lucid.
Please keep us updated. HUGS TO YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!

Corrine · 04-13-2008, 09:13 AM

Mike, I will hold your FIL in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you all.