Last night Coqui, Vicki and Susana stayed until around 11 p.m. with Mom. Her blood sugar danced the Merengue all day with a high of 500+ and a low of around 90. A nervous stock exchange couldn't swing more wildly. She also had a mild stroke, very mild by comparison according to the nurse practitioner. We hadn't been told that this is common in brain surgery patients.

Vicki saw a neurosurgery resident in the hallway and tackled him in a way worthy of a Longhorns linebacker. She told him the situation and he rushed off to take a look. That got some attention.

We've been feeling sort of in the dark. No one has explained what to expect both after surgery and then later at home or wherever she goes next. The surgeon hasn't talked with us since the surgery and yesterday the physical therapy doctor rated Mom as suitable for going home. When we were asked if we had made plans we realized that we were missing a lot of information and set out to raise some cane.

Ramona, patient liaison

As you know, I've never passed the sixth grade so I get sent to the Principal's office quite often even in Summer school in which I'm currently enrolled -- for the 40th plus time. I even have a desk with my name on it in the back of the room, but that's another story. Anyway, my trips to the Principal's office have taught me to start at the top so I marched to the hospital's executive office and told them we needed help. They gave me the name of the patient liaison and they called her too. Then I went to the neurosurgical office looking for Dr. Zhang. They made some calls as well. I also talked with the physical therapist. By the time I returned the nurse had already had a call from the administration and wanted to know what was wrong. I made my case and not too long afterwards both the nurse practitioner and the patient liaison showed up.

With the Von Bertrabs

Mom is on a roller coaster ride. The problem is that she hates roller coasters. She wants an easy, merry-go-round kind of ride like she always enjoys when we go to the Boardwalk on Kemah. She experienced a sudden drop in energy coupled with the mild seizure which rendered her almost speechless and with a strong craving for food. Well, you say, we all sort of like food but hers was a rabid, gnawing craving. I stepped back fearing she might bite my arm. She already chewed on my butt the other day before surgery. Susana had to jump in and help feed her. We can't have this sort of drop and it surprised us that she wasn't getting the attention from the medical staff that she had been getting prior to the surgery. We're going to see about this today.

 Ceci and Herman Von Bertrab showed up unexpectedly. We've known Ceci and her family since we first arrived in Chula Vista, California, back in 1976.

Michael

Another special guest was Michael. Remember him? He was the nurse at the post-op station, where Mom had the horrible hallucinations. It was Michael that pulled her through and a special bond was created between the two. She gave him a little angel as a reminder of how special he is to her.