To try and get everyone on the same page (and because I can't remember who knows what) I am going to try and create a time line with as many details as I can as to what has happened up to this point. Please feel free to add any additional information in the comments if I leave something out or don't explain something fully enough. Also, I am trying to present just the facts and not anyone's feelings/emotions as to not distract from what actually happened. That doesn't mean I, or anyone for that matter, just stood around stoically with all of this happening to Rion. We were and continue to be quite emotional : )
11/21/2011- Rion left the house for work at 6:30 as normal and was perfectly fine. He texted me around 7:20 to let me know that Larry Munson had died. On my way to work at 8:10 I received a call from Rion's cell phone and it was his boss Charlie to tell me that they were calling an ambulance for Rion because he was having trouble speaking. Charlie described that Rion had been working with another co-worker doing inventory and became unable to answer questions and then he tried to write something to them which he could not do either. Rion remembers clearly that he was walking in and out of the office and suddenly realized he didn't know what he was doing and couldn't remember why he kept walking in and out. He tried to ask a co-worker what was going on but could not form words. He also remembers trying to write out "I don't feel right" but he couldn't do that either. He was aware the whole time of what was going on around him- from Charlie calling me on his phone and the ambulance getting there, to actually getting into the ambulance. However after that he doesn't remember anything else until he was in ICU.
I arrived at the hospital (Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, GA) around 9:00 and Rion was in the Emergency Room, he had actually just been taken to have a CT scan done. The neurologist Dr. Morris met with me once the CT scan was complete to show that a large mass of abnormality was present in Rion's left brain hemisphere. The abnormality plus the symptoms he was experiencing were consistent with a stroke. However, the size of the area was so severe that it was surprising Rion had remained conscious and able to breathe on his own. The size indicated a massive stroke. (The first time I saw Rion in the ER, he was awake but completely comatose- he was staring straight ahead and not acknowledging anyone in the room. He was also salivating a lot and unable to swallow so the nurses showed me how to use a vacuum to keep him from salivating on himself.)
Based on the 1st CT scan Dr. Morris advised that we would need to give Rion TPA which is a clot busting medicine used to stop strokes. However it is a very risky procedure and can lead to fatal brain hemorrhaging. The medication would have to be given by 10:30 because that would be the 3 hour time limit from when the stroke began. I would have to sign a waiver for this treatment because it is so risky and can lead to death.
Because a clot was not present on the initial CT, Dr. Morris was ordering a 2nd CT to check for clots in Rion's neck as well as an MRI & blood work to confirm that the abnormal region was actually a stroke and not something else. Dr. Morris also advised that if the clot was found in the neck, based on the severity, TPA may not be advised and instead Rion may have to be life flighted to Emory to have emergency surgery. Dr. Morris would not give TPA until the 2nd CT, MRI and blood work were received but he did want to make me aware of the TPA because I would only have a few minutes to make a decision once the remaining test results were received and if a stroke was confirmed.
Almost simultaneously with being given this information, the 2nd CT scan results were received and no clot was present in his neck. This ruled out a stroke and any need for TPA or emergency surgery. But Rion was still out of it so we knew something serious was happening. While waiting for the MRI, my parents arrived and were there when Dr. Morris called us over to the computer where he was reviewing the MRI. The mass of abnormality that appeared on the 1st CT scan also showed up on the MRI and Dr. Morris confirmed that Rion has a rather large brain tumor and the symptoms he was experiences were from a seizure.
Dr. Morris advised that Rion should be coming back around soon however he would need to be moved to ICU until he was stabilized and for monitoring at least over night. By this point he had already started following people around the room with his eyes and when I kissed him he kissed me back. He was unable to speak still but he was attempting to. In fact, Dr. Morris was there when Rion spoke for the first time- he said something along the lines of gosh darn it but not quite so nice! Additionally, Dr. Morris was contacting a neurosurgeon, Dr. Kimberly Walpert, who would be coming to the hospital later that day to review the MRI and meet with us regarding our options.
Rion was moved to ICU early afternoon and it was there we waited for the neurosurgeon to come. We knew that she was in surgery at another hospital but would come to Athens Regional to meet with us as soon as possible. In the mean time, they started Rion on an anti-seizure drug (Keppra) and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. His speech was slowly coming back but he was still saying very little and became very frustrated when he tried to speak and could not. He was also asking for food but was not allowed to eat in case Dr. Walpert wanted him to go straight into surgery.
Dr. Walpert showed up around dinner time and met with me, Rion and Dana (Rion's mother.) She did not think Rion needed immediate surgery; in fact she did not want to discuss operating until his seizure activity had stopped. (She told us this is because operating on someone's brain when they are having seizure activity is very risky and likely to cause another seizure.) She agreed he needed to remain in the ICU over night and have an EEG done to watch his brain wave activity to determine if he was at risk for having another seizure even if one did not actually happen.
I left at this point to pick up Rion's car from work and take it home and to take a shower and pack some clothes. Normally patients are not allowed to have family stay over night when they are in ICU but I offered to sleep in the waiting room so I was allowed to stay. I am very glad I did because the night nurse came and woke me up around 2:00 AM because Rion was awake and asking for me. I was able to go in and spend about an hour with him until he was able to calm down and go back to sleep. (I appreciate that the nurses turned their head when I climbed up in the bed and laid down with him until he fell asleep.) At one point Rion said he was hungry so I had the nurse heat up him a cup of soup. But he took one sip and changed his mind because the soup was so nasty. The rest of the night was uneventful and Rion slept on an off until about 8:00 AM the next day. (I use the term sleeping loosely because he was hooked up to an IV drip, the EEG machine, the heart rate monitor, blood pressure cuff and oxygen...to say it was difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep would be an understatement).
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This is becoming so long I am going to take a break and continue later. He did end up staying until Wednesday 11/23 and while not much happened, I don't want to rush and leave out any important details.
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