Steroid reset

Seizure activity continued today as Susan cycled through a couple of brief, waking periods and otherwise slept deeply. She’s on four anti-epileptic meds to stabilize her, which the attending neurosurgeon believes are starting to work.

A lucid moment.

Last night when I asked about her steroid dose, I was alarmed to learn she was on just 2mg of Decadron instead of the expected 16mg to 24mg – I’m not sure how far down her taper schedule had gotten in Long Beach. But for Decadron, that’s a big drop. We don’t know at which point the error occurred, at her transfer to from rehab to ICU in Long Beach or from Long Beach to UCLA, but the drastic change likely contributed to some of the brain swelling, seizures and low blood pressure we’ve been seeing.

Even so, I wouldn’t attribute all of her symptoms to the steroid drop since her status had been declining earlier. The plan now is to wait 48 hours from starting her proper dose to re-evaluate her status. Her MRI results showed that her bleed has indeed resolved nicely and her tumor is mostly stable. We’ll wait a few days before making decisions about her treatment options.