DANCING Hard

Good Saturday

Ryan's condition continues to improve. He is off of the paralytics and the doctors expect him to be completely out of the medically-induced coma as early as tomorrow or Monday. He is also starting to take breaths partially on is own (without the full support of a ventilator), which is an excellent sign.

Please keep Ryan and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to heal.

Good news - Ryan had a good night last night! The paralytics are wearing off and he may be able to hear us soon. More to come later.

Great Progress!

After tonights visit we are happy to say that Ryan has been weened off of the medically induced coma and after a couple days it will be out of his system.  Also, his angiogram did not show anything of concern regarding his heart.  The doctors have encouraged everyone to talk to Ryan to provide stimulus for his brain.  It will still be awhile until he can talk back but today was the best day yet.

Slow and steady.

Ryan continues to show improvement as far as his ICP which has remained in a normal range. This continued progress has allowed the doctors to start planning to reduce the medications he is receiving which is an important step forward. Not only is it necessary in order for them to do further cognitive tests but it will also reduce the threat of complications related to being sedated for so many hours. While all of that is great news, Ryan did have a set-back with some readings from his heart that have caused concern for his doctors. They will continue to monitor the situation and take steps to ensure that his whole body continues to do as well as his head.

Additionally, Ryan's parents will soon be settling into a more comfortable place to stay while they continue to be with their son as he heals. Thank you to all of those who made it happen! On that note, and on behalf of Ryan's family and all of his friends, the show of support has been amazing. No matter how Ryan knows you, for 10 years or 2 months, through work or as a friend, we all truly believe the level of support being shown for Ryan has had a major impact. For those of you who plan to visit from out of town, please reach out to someone in town to get the low-down on visitation and thank you so much for making the trip!

We Miss You DAD!

Ryan and his nephew Wesley

Ryan and his sister Regan at Endymion 2011

Ryan and his Dad at Endymion 2011

We are extremely happy to report that Ryan had a good night last night with improvements in his condition. There were no spikes in pressure and his body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure are all under control.

Keep the the positive thoughts and prayers coming!

Friends. Although Ryan’s condition remains critical, today was a better day with regards to the pressure and swelling in Ryan’s head. Over the past 24 hours, the pressure (ICP) remained within a safe range, which is positive news. There were small spikes in pressure the previous two days, so the fact that these spikes have subsided is good. Right now, Ryan is on various medications that help control swelling and brain activity, and these drugs impact other basic functions like body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure…The doctors are working to find the appropriate balance of medications so that his injury can heal with minimal setbacks.

The Porcellis were able to speak with one of the top neurosurgeons in the city this morning to make sure Ryan is getting the best treatment possible. The neurosurgeon assured them that Ryan is receiving the best available treatment and that he is in the best facility for his type of injury. As with the previous few days, updates on Ryan’s status are infrequent and often unchanged. If and when we get information, the blog will be updated.

Ryan’s support group has been incredible. Rest assured that he is surrounded by loved ones, and the whole city of New Orleans is cheering him on. The number of hits from out of town friends that visit this site is a testament to Ryan’s impact on all of our lives, and we are working on ways for those that can’t be here to help support Ryan and his family. Keep sending the positive thoughts and prayers.

This is one of my favorite pictures...

Ryan's Progress So Far:

Ryan was involved in an accident this past Saturday afternoon while riding his bike to meet up with friends. The facts of the accident remain unclear, but he did sustain injury to his head from an impact/fall. No other injury was observed by the EMS who responded upon a head to toe examination. This was confirmed by the doctors and nurses at University Hospital upon admittance.

Ryan's main challenge over the past few days has been the level of intracranial pressure (ICP) in his head which not only poses a threat of causing further damage to his brain, but also presents difficulty in assessing the damage that has already occurred. All of his other systems have been determined to be well functioning. He has had a steady stream of visitors including family and friends. His parents arrived late Saturday/early Sunday and have been with him since (his sister and nephew arrived Tuesday and his brother is on his way). Many of his friends have volunteered to help take care of a number of areas to ensure that his family is taken care of and are not burdened with various tasks. There have been several opportunities to congregate at Ryan's new house to all reflect on how much we care about Ryan and there has even been time for a few laughs and some stellar CSI investigatory work to help shed light on what happened.

There are certainly some unanswered questions with Ryan's situation but the persisting truth has been that no news is good news and that we must all be patient and wait for his body to run its course of healing with the aid of some advanced medicine and caring doctors and nurses. On that note, there will not be constant and detailed evaluations of his condition posted here, but substantive changes will certainly be posted as quickly as they happen.