Sunday Update

Saturday night was a rough night for Ellen but Sunday was a better day. She only had therapy in the morning and had a chance to rest this afternoon.

I got a chance to see Ellen this evening. Even though she's now sharing a room with 3 other patients, she seems to be in a much better place. The doctors and nurses are treating all issues as they come up. Ellen has a lung and eye infection. More medical examinations still need to be completed and we are waiting on results of tests that were completed late last week. Ellen is still in a coma but has made some progress.

Ellen smiled today, she opens her left eye and it seems like she sees all of us. She is trying to move both arms and legs. When we talk to her, she seems to understand some things and answers with a blink of the eye or a movement of her right hand. The nurse tonight said she seemed to follow a one word command. These actions are not consistant. The doctors are still giving us worst case scenarios and are not letting us get overly excited with Ellen's accomplishments. We believe these are all positive things. Ellen still has a long road ahead to recovery.

What I've learned about being in a coma is that it's not like what movies and tv shows potray. Brain injury/coma patients do not just open their eyes and wake up. It's a slow, gradual process and we are praying that Ellen is trying to wake up and come back to us. The doctors request that we don't overstimulate her and try to not let her get agitated. Tomorrow begins a rigourous week of therapy, examinations and getting used to her daily routine.

Let's all continue to pray for Ellen to heal, fight off the infections and have a full recovery.