TUESDAY - 11/25

Dad had his surgery this morning to remove the EVD and put in a shunt. They brought him back to his room around 11:30 and the surgery nurse, as she was connecting him back to the monitor said, "These are textbook numbers. He really did great." The shunt is a tube that will drain excess spinal fluid from dad's head to his abdomen. It runs from the left side of his skull, under the skin, down his neck, along the left side of his chest, and into his abdomen. Any fluid that is deposited will be reabsorbed by his body.

After he came back to his room he woke up for very brief periods, but a few times he opened his eyes big and wide. When Dr. Kershner, his neurologist came into the room Dad answered the name question faintly but clearly, "Michael Charles Lyle." He was giving thumbs up, wiggling toes, and squeezing hands.

We were amazed that Dad was coming out of the anesthesia so soon; we really hadn't expected to see him waking up as much as we did. Within about fifteen minutes of getting to the room, though, he was pretty deeply asleep. Mom, Liz and I left around noon and agreed we needed to come back to the house and nap.

We went back in the late afternoon and Dad was still pretty sleepy. He did look right at Mom, though and nod his head.

He's had two days with no elevated temperature. They can stop the C-Diff precautions after two more negative cultures. He's on his way out of ICU - maybe by Friday.