September 20, 2026
Day 10:
Today was really hard. Gerald showed up early so the preventative med didn’t have enough time to give it a chance to work. He was extra ornery and refused to leave. Tate was a hairs breath from being transferred to the PICU and is now on “watch” meaning the ICU team is prepped and ready should things go south.
The name “Gerald” lightens it up, but Tate’s symptoms and the severity have the team concerned. The Lp is now being paired with the MRI tomorrow. There is concern about intubating Tate and how she’ll come out of anesthesia. The plan is straight to PICU if any problems arise.
Tate slept much of the day after Gerald which was a blessing as it’s evident she’s not feeling well at all. She is now experiencing areas of burning pain even when Gerald isn’t screaming mad.
We are praying so hard that we get definitive answers tomorrow or at least a direction. We know something is wrong based on Tates symptoms, vitals and basic labs. Just once we are hoping for simple diagnostics from the brain and spinal MRI and the LP.
Our nurses….Today was day 3 this stretch with Alyssa and with that, 3 days of Gerald that have taken up way too much of everybody’s time. Alyssa’s calm, caring advocacy has been a gift. She had Tate last week too for a nighttime Gerald. Alyssa will be with us again tomorrow.
Nurse Nicole answered my “Please help us,” today. And then snuggled with Tate for an hour after her shift. These names and faces are for our memories, but if you’ve been around with us, they are probably familiar to you too.
Tate slept better than usual last night. Although decent sleep didn’t silence Gerald, it is a reprieve from worrying about the next day. Tate is reluctant to go to sleep knowing tomorrow is likely to bring the same. But we’re getting closer to figuring this out.