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

Today could be the day

After an early morning wake up and the hour drive to LA, we are back at the hospital for another procedure. Today they are performing a double blood patch (see description below) on Luke's lower and mid back. 

We continue to be hopeful that this could be the day that things turn around for Luke; and at the same time we know this may simply provide more data/answers on our journey towards a full recovery. 

More to follow.....

With love,

The Browns 

PS:

Here is what Wikipedia says about the procedure:

An epidural blood patch is a surgical procedure that uses autologous blood in order to close one or many holes in the dura mater of the spinal cord, usually as a result of a previous lumbar puncture. The procedure can be used to relieve post dural puncture headaches caused by lumbar puncture (spinal tap). A small amount of the patient's blood is injected into the epidural space near the site of the original puncture; the resulting blood clot then "patches" the meningeal leak. The procedure carries the typical risks of any epidural puncture. However, even though it is often effective,[1] further intervention is sometimes necessary.  An epidural needle is inserted into the epidural space at the site of the cerebrospinal fluid leak and blood is injected. The clotting factors of the blood close the hole in the dura.  As such, the autologous blood does not "repair" the leak, but rather treats the patient's symptomology.  It is also postulated that the relief of the headache after an epidural blood patch is due to more of a compression effect than sealing the leak. Because the fluid column in the lumbar spine is continuous with the fluid around the brain, the blood exerts a "squeeze" and relieves the low pressure state in the head.

Hanging with a Grizzly

So this week's appt has been changed from Wednesday to Friday, and we are very excited to get down to L.A. and see if Luke can get any relief with this series of blood patches. If these don't work, we will consult with the doctor regarding a Plan 'C'. More to follow.
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For Luke's birthday this year, we got him tickets to a Kings/Grizzlies game in Sacramento. The significance of this game did not come from the local team, but rather the visitors. The Memphis Grizzlies acquired Jeff Green from the Boston Celtics in January of this year. Jeff has had a quiet, but significant basketball career, playing college ball at Georgetown, then entering the NBA in the first round of the 2007 draft. He has played for the Seattle Supersonics (Oklahoma City Thunder), then the Boston Celtics before coming to Memphis. The real significance came in 2011 when he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and underwent the same heart surgery that Luke experienced. Jeff's successful surgery, recovery and return to basketball was the inspiration that Luke needed during his surgery & recovery in mid-2013.
Moving forward, after a couple of emails and with the help of a wonderful Memphis Grizzlies coordinator, we were able to arrange for a meet & greet between Luke and Jeff while the Grizzlies were in town. To say that this 10 minute meeting had an impact on Luke, would be an understatement. Luke & Jeff were able to sit down and talk about heart surgery, recovery, helping others, having faith, and of course.........basketball. The final surprise came when Jeff gave Luke a signed pair of his size 15 Jordan XI's......an amazing gift for someone who loves shoes as much as Luke!
We had a wonderful night and through it all, Luke continues to fight through the daily pain and maintain an amazing attitude.



Excerpt from Wikipedia.........
"On December 10, 2011 Green signed a 1 year, $9 million contract with the Boston Celtics. On December 17, Jeff Green was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, which would cause him to miss the 2011–2012 season. Because of the surgery, he failed his physical, which revoked the Celtics' qualifying offer, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.
Even though Green had season ending surgery, he spent plenty of time with his former Celtics teammates during the season and voiced his desire to return to the team for the 2012–13 season. Former teammate Kevin Durant dedicated his 2012 season to Green.
Green used his down time not only to rehab from surgery but to complete his coursework at Georgetown, graduating on May 19, 2012 with a degree in English with a minor in theology.

"On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet one of my personal heroes, Jeff Green. My dad surprised me with a little meet up with him before the Kings-Grizzlies game and I could not have been more impressed with the type of man he was. During my recovery from heart surgery, I often drew inspiration from Jeff, as he had been through the same surgery, and had come out of it stronger than ever. I will be forever appreciative of the time he set aside pre-game to sit with me and share a couple of laughs and some advice."..............Luke Brown

A pair of shoes that are destined for a glass case!