On Wednesday, May 9th we took Larry in to the ER because he had been very sick the night before. He became very disoriented, had loss of balance and didn't even remember being sick. Upon doing a CT Scan, they found a Subdural Hematoma (collection of blood on the surface of the brain). They don't know how he got this, but say it can be caused from simply bumping your head on a door/cabinet. He has been suffering from headaches since February, which may or may not be related to what happened. Most likely it is related and was worsened when he rode a rollercoaster at Universal Studios a few days before he got sick. (The word "rollercoaster" is a swear word to the doctors around here).
They quickly transported Larry by ambulance to Orlando Regional Medical Center, which is Central Florida's only Level One Trauma Center. He has received excellent care at both hospitals. He had surgery that evening to remove the hematoma/blood and reduce the pressure in the brain. Thursday, May 10th (post-surgery) he was responsive, but by friday morning his brain function had pretty much been diminished due to swelling in the brain. They put him on a ventilator because his brain was having a hard time telling his body to breath. They worked at decreasing the swelling in the brain and put what they call a "bolt" in his head to monitor cranial pressure. He was heavily sedated during this, but they have stopped most of the sedative drugs and are pretty much waiting for him to wake up. He hasn't been responding much when the doctors and nurses do their stimulation tests (which doesn't necessarily mean he never will), but he does move a little (usually after they have been bugging him). We are waiting "patiently" for him to open his eyes. His neurologist has repeatedly told us "Patience is a Virtue!"
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