Update on Susan's condition

As of late last night, here is the latest on Susan (so the "tomorrow" references below are actually occurring today sometime):

Today the doctor's started Susan on a second regimen to treat the ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis - the condition in which her immune system is attacking the brain and causing her symptoms).

The new treatment is plasmaphoresis/plasma exchange, which is a little bit like kidney dialysis for the blood. The blood is removed from the body, the red blood cells are removed and returned to the body, while the remaining fluid (plasma) which contains the antibodies attacking the brain is discarded and replaced with new plasma. Susan began one round of this treatment today and will receive four more treatments over the coming days.

Tomorrow Susan will undergo another MRI to determine whether the steroid treatment is having any effect on the inflammation.

Also, the results of her 24-hour EEG (electroencephalogram - monitoring of the brain waves) showed that she is not having any seizures. While she is still on the ventilator, her own breathing has gotten somewhat stronger.

Added prayers will never hurt, so please pass this along to any prayer chains you might have, or say a special intention as often as possible.

Thanks, and I will keep this blog updated as things change. If you are interested in putting a face with the name, Don has updated his blog with a picture of Susan.