The aftermath

At 10:00 pm on Thursday, B got some oral phenobarbital and the next morning the seizures were essentially over. (I say essentially because I heard some 'yes, but' in Dr. Thai...'s account.) So the worst was over. However, she still was not speaking normally and was saying some incomprehensible things and repeating them robotically. The next morning (Friday, 7/30), she was set upon by a pair of therapists (one physical the other occupational) who got her to sit in a chair and harangued her. In the midst of this activity Dr. Omuro flew by on rounds and pleasantly told us that he was pleased with the progress. He said let's get this cleared up so that we can get on with the treatment and get rid of this thing, or words to that effect. Then the EEG machine that was monitoring the seizures was disconnected on the grounds that the seizures were over. Still I had the impression that they were exhibiting on/off intermittency but essentially in the off state. (There is a lot of dynamics there that I do not understand at all and I am sorry that I don't know enough about all this to report on it.) The processes of detaching the machine involved pulling off the patches that were stuck to B's head. There were of the order of twenty of them and their removal involved pulling hair and it got quite painful, though she remained silent through the ordeal. In the afternoon, B was moved from the surveillance ward to a normal room (with a roommate). Now it is late on Sunday afternoon. Barbara had her first solid food today (she had been on purees only) and is now sleeping a lot. They are talking about releasing her though she is not thinking completely clearly and is becoming strong willed. I believe that this is a result of being back on steroids that are given to reduce swelling. Apart from various medical interventions, it has been a quiet day. The only worry is that B has not yet gotten into her normal mental state, even that of the past couple of months. She is slow to remember her last name and does not know the name of the hospital. But she can converse and reads the newspaper. I suppose that we'll soon be able to meet Dr. Chan, the radiation oncologist.