Kent's Condition 9/4/07

I just wanted to take a minute and let you all know what is going on with Kent. He is still in the ICU and in critical condition. His injuries are still life threatening and as with any head injury, only time will tell. His collarbone, facial bones and jaw are all broken. He also has a fracture on the base of his head and is leaking cerebral fluid. Right now the main concern is to monitor the pressure in his brain.

They took him off the sedatives and his pain medication early Tuesday morning. My mom and I were there as he started to wake up. He was fairly responsive. He was able to open his eyes and follow some commands like wiggling his toes, lifting fingers and sticking out his tongue. Even though he was really out of it he's a fighter and was not happy about the tube down his throat. Mom and I had quite the wrestling match with him to keep him from pulling them out. They finally strapped his arms to the bed and even then he turned and curled up his body to try to get a hold of the tube. We all know that Kent is industrious and when the nurse left him alone for a minute he managed to get his finger around the tube and was licking his lips trying to get the tape off. Typical Kent even if he isn't very awake. Let's just say he's easier to deal with when he's asleep.

They spoke Tuesday tonight and they are going to try to take out his breathing tube as well as the tubes that are going into his brain. However, they are very forthright about the fact that they may have to put them back in. When we left Tuesday afternoon all of his numbers were stable. The plan is to operate on his jaw Friday. The bones in his face are stable and should heal on their own. If there are still issues with him leaking cerebral fluid they will also address that in surgery on Friday.

While we want you all to know the good things, we do need to stress that he isn't in the clear just yet and is still in a lot of danger. At this point there isn't much anyone can do other than pray for Kent and my parents. We understand that the natural reaction is to want to go be with them at this time. Unfortuately, due to his current condition only immediate family is allowed in his room. While we know that you want to provide emotional support with your presence we would like them to be able to spend as much time as possible with Kent. This may change once he is stabilized and is out of the ICU. Please don't think that we don't want you there, we just need to do what is best for both Kent and my parents.

We are so grateful for all of the calls, prayers and expressions of concern. We will keep my Kent and my parents aware of all of your thoughts and are more than happy to pass on any messages that you have for them. Please feel free to leave comments on the blog whether they are questions about his condition or words of encouragement for Kent.