Update: 8:15pm on 3/26

I hate to be the one to tell you all that Forrest has had a setback that has put him back in the hospital. We had noticed an increase in microtremors (small involuntary movements of the hands and legs) which the last few days have been worsening. Yesterday, he began complaining of pain in his head and the pain was so bad, it was hard to comfort him. As many of you who have followed this blog know, he is a real trooper and never complains about a variety of painful medical procedures. So we knew things were changing for the worse.

We spent most of yesterday trying to get a MRI on a boy that couldn’t hold himself still no matter how hard he tried. In the last 24 hours he has had a battery of tests including a CAT SCAN, contrast MRI and EEG (to measure brain waves). The tremors progressed into seizures last night. He was moved to neuro ICU and started on anti-convulsants.

The most likely problems are fluid accumulation with pressure on the frontal lobes of the brain and seizures from the swelling or the original trauma. We hope and pray he can be managed medically and in a few days will start to improve. The other option is to surgically place a drain in the ventricle in his brain and relieve the pressure that way. This has several potential complicated side effects and assumes the pressure in the front won’t worsen and push the brain backwards. So currently it is a watch, wait and pray situation. The nurses have been great and helpful as well as the Doctors. We have reinstituted all night watches by Team Forrest, with Austin pulling the graveyard shift, so the emotional and physical demands are pressing on all parties. We are grateful for Aunt Lynn's support at all levels and Rae's sisters are scheduled to pick up the baton when she has to return to Colorado.

We are praying that this will turn out to be just another (although big) bump in road and not a major derailment. We are keeping bedside vigil again, watching monitors, tracking numbers and doing our best to will Forrest peaceful dreams of home and friends. The Doctors will continue to assess him neurologically and have warned us that if he doesn't make substantive improvements in the next 24 -36 hours, that could indicate the problem is worsening and we may have to choose one of the more aggressive treatment options.

We have become great believers in the power of collective prayer and the faith and love of all his extended Team Forrest. So we are hoping you will send your prayers and good thoughts his way again. Just when we thought we had cleared the major medical hurdles and this was mostly time and learning, we round the bend in the road and are facing another huge fence we must clear.

It reminds me of the time that Austin was leading the field with Forrest and myself right behind him. We went charging off through a boggy field and jumped a rail fence up into the woods and galloped our horses up this great big hill, weaving through the trees. My old hunt horse Clark Kent was about done in as we approached the top of the seemingly endless hill. Then I saw that at the crest of the hill was a huge stone wall uphill into a open field. I urged Clark on for all he was worth and the three of us made it over that wall, Clark just barely. We then looked back and laughed. Everyone else had looked at where we going and decided there has to be an easier way. They were undoubtedly right. But sometimes you have to go the hard way together and jump that last big fence whether you want to or not. Evidently Forrest has more big fences to jump. We just have to kick on and make sure he knows we are all there riding with him.

Dad and Team Forrest

Quote of the day: "Look to the light. Never look down the dark path. Always look to the light and keep your focus on the future you envision." Forrest's Uncle John Stone

Forrest back in Neuro ICU