First of all, if you are a medical person, don't let the title panic you. Yes, Amy is breathing in a Cheyne Stokes pattern, but at the same time she is talking and eating again and even realizes that she is Cheyne Stokes breathing. If you aren't a medical person, Cheyne Stokes respiration is a breathing pattern of people that are close to dying. It is characterized by quick breathing followed by a long gap of not breathing. In severely ill patients it happens right before they die. When my father died, he started having Cheyne Stokes breathing a couple of hours before he died. Brain tumors can also cause Cheyne Stokes respirations. In Amy's case, she takes 3 deep breaths and then doesn't breath for about 25 seconds. This continues all the time. It's a bit freaky for caregivers, since one wonders if the patient is still alive during each cycle.
Despite this, Amy is having a good day. She's not rubbing her head complaining of pain hardly at all. She's eaten the most she has since Friday. She's talking quite a bit, though she's pretty confused, which can make for interesting conversations!
