Thursday Evening, August 23rd

Well today was a waiting game fuill of frustration. At tinmes thigs seemed to go well and at others, not so well. At times we seemed to know what was happening and at other times, it was a big guessing game. It's like the old days, in the beginning, just one big ball of frustration and being Allie's advocate watching every move they make because again, at times it's like the left hand dosen't know what the right is doing and once again it's the same old crap of putting up with nurses that are non-caring and or just plain _____, you fill it in.

Just when we though we might have an answer, we did eeg's, MRI's, MRA's, CAT Scans ..... and though we might be going home - nada. At three thirty a resident comes up to us and tells us that they are going to do a 24 hour eeg. This means putting 20-30 electrodes on Allie's head and then wrapping it up with gauze and a sock and having her stay in her room, on camera for 24 hours. This was riduculous. It makes me wonder if doctors ever think of the patients and/or review their history or take them into consideration in any way other than the robotics of just order another test to fill a bed. How frustrating!!! There is NO WAY on earth that Allie was going to do this and one would think that a neurologist would take into consideration that she is a 17 year old traumatic brain injury patients and would understand there is no way they are going to let anything like this stay on their head or at least they woudl have the common sense or decency to talk to the parents to ask them if their child would be able to endure something like this. It would have also been nice if they would communicate with you before ordering it and sat down with you to let you know what it was for, what it would tell them and if it would be conclusive. We determined it would be a crap shoot - might tell them something, might not. After kicking it around for a wile and knowing full well it would never happen but wanting the best for Allie we and she agreed to try it. While it was a BAD move and we knew it I believe we might have done some good. The probes were on and Allie was on the computer for about 20 minutes before she absolutely bugged out and began crying hysterically that it was hurting her so bad and continured to scream for the next 30 - 40 minutes until we got someone up there to unhook her but what they were looking for was to see if they could catch her when she was having an episode of seizure and from all of her screaming and crying they may have done that because when she got off her lip was drooping and she was slurring her words again. Crappy price to pay but hopefully it was what they needed. Either way we are taking her home tomorrow unless something major wrong shows up and there is no way that will happen.

The poor dear pooped out at about 7pm tonight and hopefully will get alot of sleep tonight. Nancy and I went out to get a meal for the first time in two days and while it was nice I wanted to get back. Well I was going to stay in her room for the nicght just to be near her but I looked in her window and she was sleeping so sound I will walk across the street and stay with Nancy at the Ronald McDonald house.

Driving back from dinner we were talking about how we would never forget the sight of her stanging there with her face and arm dropped in paralysis, drooling and slurring her speach and how heartbreaking it is much more so then when she was in a coma becasue then she didn't know and not she is just so confused and really doesn't understand but on some level must, like what happened to me. It breaks my heart to see her left hand in a claw not being able to grab things and she seems to not know there is something wrong with it. Fortunately this will pass and she will regain her stregnth and with luck these things are one time occurances.

I don't know, just a long day but a good one just to be here with her and know that in the end once the frustration and junky feelings have passed, it will be all right.

Love you all,

Allie's Dad