Sunday and Monday, January 28th and 29th - Day 16 and 17 in Hangzhou, China

Hello everyone,

It appears that Tori has hit her first 'bump in the road' during her China SCT journey... Tori woke up Sunday morning and was extremely agitated and down right angry it seemed. She had also worked her temperature up to 39 degrees Celsius and her heart rate to 150 beats per minute so we gave her a full inderal and xanax to calm her. She also has some 'rattling' or phlegm in her lungs and you can hear it well when she is breathing. She is coughing is up as needed but it appears she may have aspirated some of her saliva or something else. It could also have been from the extra food she has been eating through her mouth but she has been chewing and swallowing it very, very well and I have been watching her quite closely during eating periods. So we're not sure when at this point as she has been doing absolutely fine up until now. Her blood oxygen level is still in the mid to low 90's at the least. Perhaps this is a gentle reminder to us on just how quickly things can change with a brain injury... We really don't need any more reminders though... She calmed down after the medications but her temperature and agitation level fluctuated all day with temperatures ranging from her normal 36.8 degrees or so to 38.5 degrees and then back down again. Right now, her temperament is responsible for the fluctuations. If she were to consistently stay at 39 degrees then we would need to be concerned of a fever and then decide an antibiotic approach of some sort. A sputum sample would be needed first so we can begin to grow cultures. We kept her as calm and comfortable as possible during the entire day Sunday but she was miserable to say the least... :-(

Sunday night went well though as she slept nicely through it. On Monday morning it appeared she had improved but her temperature was still wavering between 37 to 38 degrees. We attempted to keep her cool and relaxed all day prior to her stem cell treatment and she was right on track right up to her scheduled time. The problem was that it was a bright, sunny and warm day and since Tori's room gets direct sunlight in the afternoon it turned into a sauna quickly and of course Tori's temperature and agitation increased as it normally does when she is in a warm or hot room... We tried opening the the windows and doors to cool it off but it didn't work. She was a solid 38.5 degrees when they wheeled her into the sterile surgical room and where they waited a little bit before deciding she was too warm to proceed... I agreed with the decision as we can't jeopardize Tori's safety and health and I don't really want 10 million new stem cells to be destroyed as soon as they enter her body either... So now we need to reschedule for SCT number 4 and try and get Tori's health back on track.

Tori's temperature patterns continue to drive the nurses and doctors a little crazy here even after two full weeks of experiencing them firsthand. We have experienced them for 19 months since her injury and they are just part of her normal routine. They even began slightly questioning the ear entry digital thermometer we use to take her temperature even after I assured them it is used at hospitals across the USA and it is MUCH more accurate than a mercury based thermometer placed under Tori's armpit. I spoke with the lead physician Dr. Shi and we are in agreement that Tori needs a consistent temperature of 39 degrees or above before we can bring an infection into the equation. We're watching her temperature hourly at this point. So Tori is getting alot of motrin and a new Chinese herb mixture of Flos Lonicerae, Fructus Forsythiae, Skullcap and Sucrose. It is all designed to prevent infection and Tori is getting 10ml of it every 4 hours. I had been holding back on using the suction catheter to help Tori cough and clear her lungs but she isn't doing it well enough on her own... Again, her blood oxygen level is still maintaining good levels though. So I decided to help her out a little and after a few suctions to get her coughing she is sounding much, much clearer!! The phlegm was light green and very loose and was not like the thick and cement like phlegm she has had in the past when she was very ill. I seriously can't remember the last time I had to suction her though... For those who don't know or remember what suctioning is, I have to insert a long but small tube connected to a vacuum down Tori's throat to initiate her to cough while the vacuum sucks up the phlegm. Let's just try and get back to NO suctioning as fast as we possibly can because Tori hates it and I certainly don't like doing it to her either...

Tori also had Sunday and Monday as free days so she didn't have PT, acupuncture or EMT. She is scheduled to begin her therapies again tomorrow. We'll try and make sure Tori's gets a good night of rest that she will be able, willing and ready to go tomorrow morning.

I believe that is all for the moment and we are hoping and praying for better days moving forward. Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts and support.

-Tim, Maria, Tori, Whitney and Brendan