The Day After (Vol. 1)

Early this morning Kim was put on a ventilator as a precautionary measure because she was having some difficulty breathing probably due to swelling around her throat. They're going to run head and neck MRIs this afternoon to confirm that nothing is out of the ordinary. It's possible that both the breathing and shoulder issues stem from a pinched nerve, which the MRIs will also help to rule in/out.

Kim is awake and able to write. Dr. T spoke with both of us at length this morning about the outcome of the procedure. Overall, he sees the surgery as very successful. Kim is responding well, showing no effects of facial weakness (though this may change temporarily depending on swelling), and regaining strength in the left shoulder at a noticeable rate. He thinks it's most likely that the breathing issues are simply a result of swelling, and imagines they will be able to remove the ventilator shortly after the MRIs. The only long-term issue will be the loss of hearing in the left ear. The hearing nerve is in tact, but he said it was fairly damaged (it's "just a wisp"), so hopes are not high on that front.

Being able to talk to the doctor with Kim was definitely helpful as we could both see that he is optimistic and expects that (aside from these relatively small and odd issues) Kim will be progressing as expected. For now she's going to stay in the critical care unit until we have the MRI results and subsequent plan.

I'll post more after visiting hours tonight. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and support.

-pz