Midweek Dad Update

Not much has changed with Dad since I last posted.  The only fairly significant thing would be the fact that he heart rate tends to get really fast at times as well as beat irregularly. This has been happening already for some time; however, it seems to be occurring more frequently as the days pass. 

They called in a cardiologist and the cardiologist said that when the body is under that much stress being so ill, that sometimes will happen.  He added a medicine and Dad's heart rate went back to an acceptable rate.

He's been doing dialysis daily still. I think this is day 8 or 9 of it.

Today marks 4 weeks that Dad has been in this situation. 

We are praying for him to be able to handle reduced sedation and for him to improve.  One doctor, actually my friend Darlene's husband (small world!), encouraged us by saying that he has been so ill for so long that for him to remain the same is a positive.

Again, words cannot express our thanks for your prayers and support!

Many of you may not know my dad or know him well.  Here is a humorous post I did on him last year.  He is definitely a character. Hope you enjoy!

Short Dad Update

Our pic from a few years ago...

Well, things with Dad have been kind of the same for the last few days.  Honestly, that is a welcome relief after some of the ups and downs we have been having.

He is on Day 6, I believe, of dialysis.  It is working well to reduce the fluid in his body.  Initially they were only going to do 3 days, but they have extended it.

While it is good that he is doing well on the dialysis, we are praying for his kidney to start doing that work.

Also, Dad is not "mentally" responsive whenever they pull him off of the sedation.  This is a concern. Whenever they do reduce his sedation, his heart rate becomes erratic and other vitals kind of go askew.  But, he is not responding to commands to open his eyes or squeeze hands. 

Please pray for Dad's kidney function to improve.

Please also pray for him to be able to respond to the doctors' and nurses' commands.  I believe they are bringing in a neurologist for him tomorrow.  Neurologically speaking, there was something strange that appeared on his CT Scan the other day.  It may have been something that was already there before this hospitalization, but they want to be sure they have everything covered.  We hope it was nothing as his list of current physical challenges is already long!

Please pray for him to be able to handle reduced sedation.

Continue to pray for the doctors, nurses, and medical staff.

Thank you so much!

Dialysis and Such

Thank you for your prayers, specifically the prayers for the 4 liters of fluid to be removed on the first day of dialysis.  They were able to remove that much, which is exciting.  And a direct answer to prayer.

Dad is on day 3 of dialysis, with more planned for Friday and Saturday, assuming his body can tolerate it.

The doctors seem to think he is responding well to it and the pressure in his belly region has decreased.

In addition to Dad having fluid in his lungs, he has some fluid on the outside of the lungs as well.  There is a procedure to drain that fluid.  They did the procedure on one side of the lungs yesterday and are currently doing the other side as I type.  They seemed pleased with the amount of fluid they were able to pull out of his body.

While all of these are baby steps, they are greatly encouraging.  I am hesitant to get too excited as previously he has had some small steps forward only to take significant ones backward.  But, regardless, I am thankful for these tiny steps.

Please pray for him to be able to tolerate dialysis, for continuing to make progress forward, and for increased organ functionality.

Your prayers are keeping us afloat.  Thank you!

Tuesday

On Monday, they did another CT Scan to see if they could figure out what is going on with Dad.  It was one of those things where you kind of wanted them to find something but you kind of didn't either.  Well, they didn't find anything.  The good news is that he had no trouble being transported for the CT Scan. 

His blood cultures and all tests keep coming up negative.  While that is good that they cannot find an infection, they also can't get to the source of why Dad is getting worse with each day.  It's quite discouraging, to be honest.

The consistent issue I hear from each doctor, regardless of their specialty and what area of the body they are focusing on, is that he has too much fluid in his body and he is not outputting enough. 

They started dialysis on him just now.  They are hoping to get out 4 liters today.

While the doctors are puzzled as to why he is not improving, there is a slight glimmer of hope today.  They are now wondering if he may have too much pressure in his belly region.  If this were the case, that would explain his fluctuating blood pressure, kidney troubles, and some of his general instability.

They are hoping that the dialysis will help relieve some of this pressure.  If it does not, they could open his belly to relieve some of the pressure, but they really do not want to do that.

So, I think the main prayers are for the dialysis to be successful, for them to get the 4 L of fluid they are hoping for, and for him to improve!  Oh, how I would love for him to improve!

Monday Quick Update

Dad's kidney function has continued to decrease some.  They have tried several different things for the last few days to try to help the kidney improve and it is not.  The kidney function is just one of the many challenges his body is encountering.

They are going to do another CT scan shortly. This is risky to move him, but it is also risky to not take another look inside to try to figure out what is going on.  They are wondering if his gall bladder is not functioning and could be a cause of the kidney and fluid trouble.

The days seem to get harder and scarier.  However, I can truly say that we are feeling the prayers.  Please continue praying.

Specific requests:

Please pray for Dad's kidney function to improve.
Please pray for Dad's procedure today to go well, without any problems.
Please pray that the doctors will gain new insight into what may be going on.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors, nurses, technicians, etc.
Please pray for strength and encouragement for mom and myself.

Again, I would like to reiterate that the prayers are being felt.  They are priceless. Thank you.

Another Quick Update

Dad got the trachestomy yesterday without any challenges. We are thankful for that.  He looks more comfortable.  He is still sedated though they are going to try to back off on some of the sedation today to see how he handles being aware of the trach.  (He has not previously done well when he is not totally sedated).

His kidney function has been a bit of a concern today and yesterday (the function is getting worse).  They are going to change how he receives nutrition to see if that helps his kidney at all.

Doctors mentioned yesterday that Dad has sepsis as well, which is very serious.

Please continue to pray for Dad to recover and for his body to heal.
Please continue to pray for nurses and doctors assigned his case.
Pray for him to be able to be less sedated and comfortable.  For him to not fight the tubes, ivs, and trach.

Thank you so much.  We are grateful for your support.

Better Day, More Info

Dad is stable, comfortable, and sedated today.  All good things.  :)
The nurse today is very compassionate and helpful.  And happy to take time to explain things to us.  That is a huge praise. 

The doctor on duty today said that Dad has ARDS. I guess they diagnosed him with that (or decided that he had that, I am not sure as I was not present when Mom spoke to the doctor) Friday or Saturday when he had such trouble. The doctor indicated that ARDS alone takes two weeks to improve.  (Again, this is what I am understanding through Mom talking to the doctor and then relaying it to me).

Since Dad is on day 14 of the respirator and not well enough to get off of it, they are going to have to do a tracheostomy, which (as I understand it) is inserting a breathing apparatus in the throat.  It is a long term solution to patients needed breathing assistance as the respirator is only a short-term solution.  They will do that tomorrow morning.  It will be done by an ENT. 

The doctors have been very clear again today that Dad is very sick and that this is going to be a loooong recovery process.  The doctor Mom spoke to today indicated that dad will probably be in the hospital (and probably remain in ICU) for many months.

Though that is a daunting amount of time, we are thankful that they are foreseeing a future and a recovery, Lord willing.

If you know my dad at all, he is very spunky, independent, and energetic.  Once he wakes up, this will be challenging because he probably is not going to be excited about the long, slow process. 

Remember, when all of this first happened?  Dad didn't want to go to the ER to get stitches because he had a 7am dentist appointment.  And when Mom first called me from the ER to tell me about the stitches (because she had to cancel plans that she had with me that morning), I could hear Dad loudly proclaiming in the background, "Tell her I am OK!!! I am fine!"  We are hoping that his spunk will aid in him recovering.

Yesterday was definitely a challenging day but the praise in that circumstance is that there is a member of my parents' church that is a pulmonologist whose father experienced almost the exact same thing.  One of the ministers at my parents' church spoke to that gentleman yesterday and reassured Mom of Dad's quality care that he is receiving.  (It's something you know, but it is nice for someone in the same field to evaluate the situation objectively and reassure you as much as possible).

Please pray for Dad to remain stable.
Please pray for the tracheostomy to happen without any hiccups.
Please pray for wisdom for myself and Mom as to how to handle this long road to recovery.

Again, friends, words cannot express how thankful we are for your sweet support, your prayer, and your concern.  We are blessed.