Once again, I just thought I might let everyone know how Jeff and the Blooms are progressing following their accident. I spent most of the day at the hospital, and the short version of the story is that the medical staff at Brackenridge is fighting a constant, ongoing battle to keep the swelling down in Jeff's brain so that he can avoid any further brain damage (the current level of damage is unclear). The swelling seems to periodically start to increase, and then the hospital staff adjust Jeff's meds to bring the swelling back down and under control. Apparently this sort of cyclical swelling pattern is not uncommon in patients with brain damage, and the hospital staff walk a tightrope in administering enough meds to stop the swelling without administering too much medication, risking additional damage.
At any rate, Jeff remains under heavy sedation in order to help control this swelling (so he's pretty much nonresponsive to stimuli), but his vital signs remain strong. Essentially, Jeff remains in a sort of holding pattern under the watchful (and apparently quite skillful) eye of the Brackenridge ICU staff.
Kim and Sigmund visited the ICU waiting room today and stayed for quite awhile before I took them home. They're sore, but continuing to recover, and Sigmund's family began to arrive in town today to help with their care. Incidentally, today was Sigmund's birthday, so those of you who know him may want to send him some birthday wishes (although they may be belated- but better late than never, right?).
At any rate, things continue to progress, and since I'm pretty much operating under the theory that if it's not bad news it's good news, I guess I feel okay about how things are going.
Please continue to lend your support and keep Jeff and the Blooms in your thoughts. The road to recovery will be a long one. I'm having a hard time returning the many, many phone calls I'm receiving, so bear with me, please, if you've called me and haven't received a return call.
That's it for tonight, guys.
Love, peace, and all the good stuff....