Not much to update

Sorry for the delay in getting the blog updated. At times it feels like we need to have something significant happen or that a major change needs to have occurred, in order to justify the update. But we are reminded that everyone just wants to know how he's doing. 

Following our return from L.A. Nearly 2 weeks ago, Luke's headaches continue........although he's trying to be optimistic that there's a slight lessening of the pain (1-2%). It's not enough of a change to allow him to adjust his pain meds, but maybe this is the beginning of a better road to travel. 

He's maintaining his positive spirit and continues to do all he can to get up & out whenever possible. 

We will have another in-depth discussion with the doctor, in order to determine the next course of action. 

I also wanted to share a note that I received recently from Luke's former boss, Joe Mangelos. 

"Hope Luke is doing better and the pain is under control. Please let him know that he is an inspiration for the rest of us cry babies that complain when the smallest things goes wrong in our lives. Here you have a young man with life threatening problems and he doesn’t utter a word to his coworkers. That in my book is something to be admired."

Thank you for your continued love, support and prayers. 

Ken & Allison 

323 miles.......plus a few extra for sightseeing

Sorry for the delay in getting everyone updated, but we checked out of the hospital Saturday afternoon and began the long journey home. Luke was feeling a bit better than he had been on Friday, but he still had a lot of pain where the needles were inserted in his back, and his headache was still worse than normal. That being said, we felt that staying in the hospital any longer, was not going to help make things better.
Our first stop was at Nonna's Empanadas, where we got lunch for the road(same place where we had dinner Friday night). Then we went the long way to the freeway and drove by Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and Bel Air.

We found a home in the Bel Air hills that I would consider moving in to, but it wasn't fancy enough :)

Then we swung by the beautiful Los Angeles temple and got a quick pic out front.

We stopped by the office in Mission Hills and Luke did his best impression of Grandpa hard at work

All in all, we tried to make the best of a tough situation. We got home Saturday night, tired and a little sore from the drive, but very happy to be home.

Luke's headaches continue, but so do our prayers. We will keep at this for as long as it takes, until we find the relief that he needs. Who knows, he may still get some relief from this last round of blood patches; only time will tell.


Thank you for your love and support,

The Browns

Empanadas & Alfajores

As the night draws to a close, we feel very blessed to be here with caring doctors & nurses working so hard to help Luke manage his pain. They were able to get us a room (quicker & easier than we all thought), and we are lucky enough to have it all to ourselves.
Thanks to the folks at Yelp, I was able to find a great, local eatery called Nonna's. They are just a block from the hospital and after a brief walk, I returned with Luke's first meal of the day....empanadas!!

We will keep you updated with his progress on Saturday.

The Browns

A selection of delicious empanadas; Ham/Cheese, Pepperoni/Cheese, Cuban, Beef and of course a Nutella dessert empanada

Alfajor (soft cookie sandwich with dulce de leche in the middle)

6pm update

The doctor just left and we all agree it's best if Luke stays the night. He's still in a ton of pain and we hope that a good night's rest and proper pain management, will help him to feel good enough to go home by tomorrow. 

More to follow.........

4pm update

Luke's still experiencing a high level of pain. His hopes and plans of going home tonight are slim, as we may decide to stay here, in order to have them watch over him closely. 

Waiting for another visit from the Dr and we will work together to determine the best course of action. 

More to follow......

1pm update

Not much to report........Luke's resting well in recovery and we expect to be here for another couple of hours. He woke up in a lot of pain, but the nurses have taken great care of him and are helping to make him very comfortable. His favorite nurse, Brooke, even went to Starbucks on her break and brought back his favorite.....raspberry hot chocolate.
We are hoping that this pain is a result of the increased pressure after the blood was injected, so like everything else, time will tell. More importantly, we are praying that the blood patches are doing their thing and that they will help to stop or minimize the CSF leak.

More to follow............

10am update

Docs just came out and said the procedure went well. They put 14cc and 10cc of blood in the two injections and he'll be laying down with the bed slightly lowered towards his head, for a while. This may help the blood flow up his back a bit.
He'll be in recovery until at least 2-3pm.....but we never know.
Keep an eye on the blog for pics and updates.
Love you all