Breathing / Sleep Issues
We took Ashleigh to a Pulmonologist partly because of bronchial spasm attack she had and partly to see if they could suggest something that could increase her breath support when she tries to speak. He examined her and suggested she go in for a sleep study.
The results have been mixed. She does seem to sleep better and we see that her heart rate is lower while sleeping with the mask on. There have been some issues with the mask moving in the middle of the night but other than that she tolerates it pretty well.
Ashleigh did the sleep study and they found that she did indeed have moderate sleep apnea. We had to go back for another night in the UC sleep lab to have her fitted with the proper masks and equipment.
The bad news is that she has developed a respiratory infection that she can not seem to shake. The doctor thinks maybe she aspirated and he is trying to stop it before it develops into pnuemonia. Ashleigh had never aspirated in ten years and now we are wondering if the CPAP pushed the fluid into her lungs. We were told to stop the CPAP until the infection is stopped. We just had an X-ray done to look for pnuemonia. Hopefully, the infection will clear soon and then we will re-evalaute the CPAP.
Thank you. You have brought me to tears (I've had a lifetime of them, but I thank you for sharing yours) and you have given us some hope.
Hi, I have followed your blog for the past year, then on October 15, 2009 my 19 year old daughter was in a severe car accident, life flighted to the hospital and suffered 3 skull fractures among other injuries. She has TBI, however, not nearly as severe as Ashleigh's. However, the information I read on your blog helped me tremendously. We have elected laser treatment for Cassandra (GRT) to help with the recovery. A chiropractor locally is trained in it. So far her recovery has been great. I am not sure what to say but Thank you. Thank you for being brave for everyone. I had no idea I would need this information but I did. Please keep sharing, you have no idea who you are helping. God bless always. Linda Avila
I am not sure if you received my comment. My daughter recently received a TBI, however I have been following Ashleigh's story for a year. Thank you for being brave. You have helped a complete stranger by your story. Cassandra is making progress and we are trying different therapies. GRT, laser is the one we are using now that seems to be helping the most. Thank you again for being brave and helping others. Linda Avila