I had a friend post a very appropriate Bible verse on my facebook wall today. It was, "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths," says the LORD. Proverbs 4:11
Today, that was soooo true. At 10:30 a.m. local time, we walked onto the 8th floor to Karl's room to be greeted by a young doctor who told us Karl was being transferred to the intensive care unit on the 7th floor. His blood pressure had dropped, he was in a significant amount of pain and his heart rate was high. If you've been following Karl at all over the past few months, you know that's nothing new. But they weren't taking any chances.
Throughout the day dozens of doctors, nurses and techs filtered in and out of his room, starting with the charge nurse Gary, whom we remembered (and who remembered Karl from two years ago). He assessed Karl's decube and determined that it was likely infected. He repacked and immediately got the infection control docs in the room who quizzed us about all of Karl's allergies. We told them what we knew and referred them to Karl's nephrologist at the U. They came up with two antibiotics they thought would be easy on Karl's kidneys, which were still reading a 3.0 on the toxic creatinine scale. They were pumping him full of fluids and gave him a bolus of pain killer, which helped, but didn't completely get the job done. So they hooked up one of those buttons Karl could push, which of course, he pushed every 10 seconds just to see if he could get away with an extra one. We talked about free-basing dilauded, but Gary said it would set off the fire alarm.
Other than the pain and being incredibly tired, Karl felt fine and his humor was in good form. Throughout the day we talked about Big Time Wrestling, the new Filipino lead singer for the rock band Journey and of course, he got to tell all the nurses how horrible his mother and sister were for buying things with the Mayo logo while he had nothing with the Mayo logo and that he was responsible for our "vacation" and without him we'd have nothing, blah, blah, blah.
Of course all day they were trying to pinpoint the cause of this probable infection so they cultured everything from blood to urine. Then Andy, his nurse for most of the day, said they needed a sputum culture. Karl said, "Sputum?" "Spit," Andy said. "Spit?" asked Karl teasingly, knowing full well what Andy was asking for but egging him on. "Okay, Karl. You want me to get technical. We need you to really work one up. We need you to hock a loogie."
While nothing was substantiated during the day via cultures and other tests, doctors felt they had caught an infection very early. Karl's vitals were stabilized, his pain was regulated and he was finally able to eat as we were leaving. They postponed his CT scan and biopsy until tomorrow. They moved him into the Clinitron bed filled with sand and air that keeps pressure off his heels and bum. You could tell he was feeling much better.
While we know there are some obstacles in the way, we feel so confident about the care he's receiving and that the people there truly care about him. We believe we've been guided down the straight path. And for that we are so thankful.
Thanks for your prayers. Blessings to all.
Kerry
P.S. Mom could use an extra prayer...while getting out of her seat on the shuttle bus tonight, she twisted her knee. I think she may have messed up her ACL. I got her a brace and it makes her feel more stable, but she's iced it most the night and is walking very gingerly and with quite a limp. Hoping it's better in the a.m.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
In the right place
The Mayo Clinic is an incredibly organized system with very friendly mid-western people all along the way. Karl checked in to the Charlton Building for an MRI at 8 a.m. Upon check-in they did a blood test. His creatinine count was a bit high (3.0) so they couldn't use the contrast dye, but nonetheless, they got it done.
In the meantime, Mom and I did some shopping at the little store in the Gonda Building. Then we returned back to the Charlton Building and a few minutes later, Karl appeared.
Then we went to the Hilton Building (named for its benefactor, Conrad Hilton) where Karl had more blood drawn. From there we headed to the Mayo Clinic Store where Mom and Karl both loaded up on bandages and other supplies.
Next we headed to the 15th floor of the Gonda Building to see Dr. Brogan. He is a young resident who talked about many different options including surgery to remove the rods and screws in Karl's back. He said they were put there until the donor bones put there two years ago could mesh in place. But he also talked about the enlargement of a schwannoma that doctors told us about 2 years ago. It's higher up in his back. At that time they weren't concerned. However, this time they are.
Dr. Brogan said it would probably be best to admit Karl so that the spot on his back could be biopsied and other tests could be performed. He told us it was a call for Dr. Yaszemski and that he'd be there to see us soon. Then he said something that I thought offered a pretty good explanation of why things are happening the way they are for Karl. He said, "Perhaps it was good it worked out the way it did. We were able to discover the spot early on. Who knows if that would have been the case just a few short months ago." That was so comforting. It seems like Karl's journey up and over hills the past two years has had many episodes of divine intervention.
In the 4 hours we waited for Dr. Y to show (we are not complaining...in fact, we are still so grateful he'd take the time to see us), Karl mentioned that he was not happy with us. He told us he didn't think it was very nice of us to go shopping without him when he was nice enough to include us on his "vacation." Through all of this, Karl's sense of humor astounds me.
Dr. Y showed up about 4 p.m. and told Karl he'd like to admit him. It would expedite testing and they'd be able to come up with a plan of action sooner. Karl agreed. They are concerned about Karl's antibiotic allergies, his low-functioning kidneys and the fact that he's on steroids, which slows the healing process. The blood test also revealed that Karl may either have an infection or something is causing an irritation. Infectious disease doctors and Dr. Mardini, who was Karl's plastic surgeon 2 years ago, will be involved in Karl's case. But through all of this, Dr. Y was confident there would be a good solution. Dr. Y also told us nothing would be done until at least Monday in terms of surgery because he is flying to Toronto where he will be speaking at a medical symposium. However, he'd be in to see Karl tomorrow. Then he gave Karl his cell phone number. Oh boy.
Karl has since gone on to tell us that Dr. Y also told him he'd like to have him over for Christmas because he knows our family doesn't spend much on him, that he'd like to have dinner and a few beers a couple times a year and that Karl is his new BFF (which is how he listed him on his phone). I'm sure this story will get bigger and better as time goes on.
We took Karl to St. Mary's about 6:30 p.m. local time. They were ready for him. In fact, it was the same floor Karl stayed for 2 months after his surgery 2 years ago. Two RNs there greeted him, hands on hips, saying "Karl, we're glad to see you, but not like this." Then one by one, nurses who cared for Karl stopped in to see him. It made him (and us) feel so good.
He is absolutely whipped and in a fair amount of pain, but I'm absolutely sure he's in the right place.
Thanks for your continued prayers. He sure needs them.
Love and blessings,
Kerry
In the meantime, Mom and I did some shopping at the little store in the Gonda Building. Then we returned back to the Charlton Building and a few minutes later, Karl appeared.
Then we went to the Hilton Building (named for its benefactor, Conrad Hilton) where Karl had more blood drawn. From there we headed to the Mayo Clinic Store where Mom and Karl both loaded up on bandages and other supplies.
Next we headed to the 15th floor of the Gonda Building to see Dr. Brogan. He is a young resident who talked about many different options including surgery to remove the rods and screws in Karl's back. He said they were put there until the donor bones put there two years ago could mesh in place. But he also talked about the enlargement of a schwannoma that doctors told us about 2 years ago. It's higher up in his back. At that time they weren't concerned. However, this time they are.
Dr. Brogan said it would probably be best to admit Karl so that the spot on his back could be biopsied and other tests could be performed. He told us it was a call for Dr. Yaszemski and that he'd be there to see us soon. Then he said something that I thought offered a pretty good explanation of why things are happening the way they are for Karl. He said, "Perhaps it was good it worked out the way it did. We were able to discover the spot early on. Who knows if that would have been the case just a few short months ago." That was so comforting. It seems like Karl's journey up and over hills the past two years has had many episodes of divine intervention.
In the 4 hours we waited for Dr. Y to show (we are not complaining...in fact, we are still so grateful he'd take the time to see us), Karl mentioned that he was not happy with us. He told us he didn't think it was very nice of us to go shopping without him when he was nice enough to include us on his "vacation." Through all of this, Karl's sense of humor astounds me.
Dr. Y showed up about 4 p.m. and told Karl he'd like to admit him. It would expedite testing and they'd be able to come up with a plan of action sooner. Karl agreed. They are concerned about Karl's antibiotic allergies, his low-functioning kidneys and the fact that he's on steroids, which slows the healing process. The blood test also revealed that Karl may either have an infection or something is causing an irritation. Infectious disease doctors and Dr. Mardini, who was Karl's plastic surgeon 2 years ago, will be involved in Karl's case. But through all of this, Dr. Y was confident there would be a good solution. Dr. Y also told us nothing would be done until at least Monday in terms of surgery because he is flying to Toronto where he will be speaking at a medical symposium. However, he'd be in to see Karl tomorrow. Then he gave Karl his cell phone number. Oh boy.
Karl has since gone on to tell us that Dr. Y also told him he'd like to have him over for Christmas because he knows our family doesn't spend much on him, that he'd like to have dinner and a few beers a couple times a year and that Karl is his new BFF (which is how he listed him on his phone). I'm sure this story will get bigger and better as time goes on.
We took Karl to St. Mary's about 6:30 p.m. local time. They were ready for him. In fact, it was the same floor Karl stayed for 2 months after his surgery 2 years ago. Two RNs there greeted him, hands on hips, saying "Karl, we're glad to see you, but not like this." Then one by one, nurses who cared for Karl stopped in to see him. It made him (and us) feel so good.
He is absolutely whipped and in a fair amount of pain, but I'm absolutely sure he's in the right place.
Thanks for your continued prayers. He sure needs them.
Love and blessings,
Kerry
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
You gotta have faith
Disclaimer: This post may contain graphic descriptions too sensitive for some readers. Please proceed with caution.
So much has happened with Karl since my last post in May. And I'm going to try to piece this together in chronological order, although I may be missing some parts.
Karl was looking forward to helping Jeff Neidermeyer with his bike shop and was planning on selling KHS bikes and had done all the research and read the marketing materials. He called me, excited about this new adventure and of course, talked about all the great features of these bikes. I was ready to buy! That night he got home and discovered he was bleeding on the right side of his bum. It was a bed sore, also known as a pressure ulcer, also known as a decubitous ulcer, also known as a decube.
I called my good friend Gloria who is an RN. She took a look and recommended Karl see his doctor at U-M. Karl scheduled an appointment and the doctor who was the attending physician while he was in the hospital, examined Karl and determined he needed to be seen by a wound care specialist, a plastic surgeon and home care. Orders were faxed to all three groups and we thought everything was going well. That was the first week in June.
The next week Karl had an appointment with his nephrologist, who said Karl's kidneys were functioning at 30 percent. Of course Karl and I almost had heart attacks, but the doctor assured us he could live for a very long time on kidneys that function below normal. He suggests Karl stay on prednazone to keep his adrenal glands functioning normally and off we go.
Gloria continues to check Karl's decube and urges us to call the docs. Karl called who he thought was the plastic surgeon. They said they never got the order, but worked him into the schedule. Turns out it wasn't a plastics person but rather a spine doc who specializes in wounds. She was very concerned about Karl's decube and instructed Mom about how to care for the wound. Twice a day Mom has to rough up the wound and debride (pronounced "debreed") it, taking away any dead tissue and causing it to bleed. The decube is approximately 1.5 inches in diameter at the suface and tunnels inward about 2.3 inches. The wound doctor says she wants home care to check in on him as well as plastics. She has her office staff fax in orders. It's the third week in June.
Gloria continues her three-times-per-week check (thank God) and says the wound is looking better, but it seems to be increasing in size. She thinks Karl needs a wound vac, but says the doctor needs to order it. In the meantime, Karl has not heard from home care or the plastic surgeon. Another week passes and finally, the plastics doc schedules July 22 to see Karl.
Karl's regular appointment with his primary care physician (PCP) is Thursday, July 8. The PCP looks at the wound, but doesn't unpack it completely. I mention a wound vac, but he doesn't think it's necessary. I also ask about home care and he writes orders (again) to schedule Karl for an appointment. He downgrades Karl's decube from a 3/4 to a 3. We leave, thinking things are looking up.
Gloria comes on July 9, unpacks the wound and sees that it has tunneled all the way to the rods that surgeons used two years ago to restructure his spine after they removed his tumor-laden sacrum. Not good. We decide to do an all-out blitz and Karl emails each of his doctors to see if an appointment with the plastics doc can be expedited. On Monday, July 12, Karl's appointment (which was originally ordered June 8)was moved to July 15.
Karl, Mom and I arrive at our appointed time. The medical assistant does the normal blood pressure/tempurature/heart rate thing and then a resident comes in. She measures the decube. It's now 2.5 inches in diameter and tunnels 3.5 inches deep...all the way to the metal in Karl's back. She tells us that the metal has to come out because it has been exposed to bacteria. We tell her it can't come out or Karl will fall apart.
The plastic surgeon comes in. He asks us the same thing...can the metal come out? We tell him the rods are screwed into his lumbar spine and then to his pelvis, literally holding the top half of his body together to his bottom half. He then says something like, "Well, that's why we'd like you to stay in-system. If you hadn't gone out of the system, we would have been able to talk to your orthopedic surgeons to come up with a solution, but since you went out of the system, we can't do that. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. You're going to have to live like that."
Karl said, "You mean I'm going to have this hole in my butt for the rest of my life?"
The doctor, arrogantly and with no compassion said, "Yes. You're going to live like that for the rest of your life."
I thought it was worth saying to this sadistic doctor that it was not our choice to go out of the system...that the orthos at U-M couldn't do the surgery and they referred us to Mayo. I think probably this made him a bit angrier and he quickly made his exit.
Needless to say, we were all very upset. We were given no help, no suggestions, no hope.
On Friday the 16th, Karl called his surgeon at Mayo, Dr. Michael Yaszemski. Remember him? His medical secretary took all the information, and within 3 hours a doc called Karl. He talked about a wound vac and other possible treatments, but said they'd need to see Karl ASAP. "Would Monday, July 19 work?" Karl asked if it could be later in the week and the Mayo doc said he would talk with Dr. Yaszemski. Dr. Y, who you may recall is an Assistant to the Assistant US Surgeon General and a Brigadier General for the Air Force, would be in surgery all day Tuesday. "Would Wednesday work? He's leaving the country on Thursday and really wants to see you."
Between Gloria and Karl's fabulously caring doctors at the Mayo Clinic, God is present and taking care of him. Of that, I'm certain.
Anyway, Karl starts the morning with a CT-scan and MRI and then sees Dr. Y at noon tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens.
Blessings,
Kerry
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
So much has happened with Karl since my last post in May. And I'm going to try to piece this together in chronological order, although I may be missing some parts.
Karl was looking forward to helping Jeff Neidermeyer with his bike shop and was planning on selling KHS bikes and had done all the research and read the marketing materials. He called me, excited about this new adventure and of course, talked about all the great features of these bikes. I was ready to buy! That night he got home and discovered he was bleeding on the right side of his bum. It was a bed sore, also known as a pressure ulcer, also known as a decubitous ulcer, also known as a decube.
I called my good friend Gloria who is an RN. She took a look and recommended Karl see his doctor at U-M. Karl scheduled an appointment and the doctor who was the attending physician while he was in the hospital, examined Karl and determined he needed to be seen by a wound care specialist, a plastic surgeon and home care. Orders were faxed to all three groups and we thought everything was going well. That was the first week in June.
The next week Karl had an appointment with his nephrologist, who said Karl's kidneys were functioning at 30 percent. Of course Karl and I almost had heart attacks, but the doctor assured us he could live for a very long time on kidneys that function below normal. He suggests Karl stay on prednazone to keep his adrenal glands functioning normally and off we go.
Gloria continues to check Karl's decube and urges us to call the docs. Karl called who he thought was the plastic surgeon. They said they never got the order, but worked him into the schedule. Turns out it wasn't a plastics person but rather a spine doc who specializes in wounds. She was very concerned about Karl's decube and instructed Mom about how to care for the wound. Twice a day Mom has to rough up the wound and debride (pronounced "debreed") it, taking away any dead tissue and causing it to bleed. The decube is approximately 1.5 inches in diameter at the suface and tunnels inward about 2.3 inches. The wound doctor says she wants home care to check in on him as well as plastics. She has her office staff fax in orders. It's the third week in June.
Gloria continues her three-times-per-week check (thank God) and says the wound is looking better, but it seems to be increasing in size. She thinks Karl needs a wound vac, but says the doctor needs to order it. In the meantime, Karl has not heard from home care or the plastic surgeon. Another week passes and finally, the plastics doc schedules July 22 to see Karl.
Karl's regular appointment with his primary care physician (PCP) is Thursday, July 8. The PCP looks at the wound, but doesn't unpack it completely. I mention a wound vac, but he doesn't think it's necessary. I also ask about home care and he writes orders (again) to schedule Karl for an appointment. He downgrades Karl's decube from a 3/4 to a 3. We leave, thinking things are looking up.
Gloria comes on July 9, unpacks the wound and sees that it has tunneled all the way to the rods that surgeons used two years ago to restructure his spine after they removed his tumor-laden sacrum. Not good. We decide to do an all-out blitz and Karl emails each of his doctors to see if an appointment with the plastics doc can be expedited. On Monday, July 12, Karl's appointment (which was originally ordered June 8)was moved to July 15.
Karl, Mom and I arrive at our appointed time. The medical assistant does the normal blood pressure/tempurature/heart rate thing and then a resident comes in. She measures the decube. It's now 2.5 inches in diameter and tunnels 3.5 inches deep...all the way to the metal in Karl's back. She tells us that the metal has to come out because it has been exposed to bacteria. We tell her it can't come out or Karl will fall apart.
The plastic surgeon comes in. He asks us the same thing...can the metal come out? We tell him the rods are screwed into his lumbar spine and then to his pelvis, literally holding the top half of his body together to his bottom half. He then says something like, "Well, that's why we'd like you to stay in-system. If you hadn't gone out of the system, we would have been able to talk to your orthopedic surgeons to come up with a solution, but since you went out of the system, we can't do that. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. You're going to have to live like that."
Karl said, "You mean I'm going to have this hole in my butt for the rest of my life?"
The doctor, arrogantly and with no compassion said, "Yes. You're going to live like that for the rest of your life."
I thought it was worth saying to this sadistic doctor that it was not our choice to go out of the system...that the orthos at U-M couldn't do the surgery and they referred us to Mayo. I think probably this made him a bit angrier and he quickly made his exit.
Needless to say, we were all very upset. We were given no help, no suggestions, no hope.
On Friday the 16th, Karl called his surgeon at Mayo, Dr. Michael Yaszemski. Remember him? His medical secretary took all the information, and within 3 hours a doc called Karl. He talked about a wound vac and other possible treatments, but said they'd need to see Karl ASAP. "Would Monday, July 19 work?" Karl asked if it could be later in the week and the Mayo doc said he would talk with Dr. Yaszemski. Dr. Y, who you may recall is an Assistant to the Assistant US Surgeon General and a Brigadier General for the Air Force, would be in surgery all day Tuesday. "Would Wednesday work? He's leaving the country on Thursday and really wants to see you."
Between Gloria and Karl's fabulously caring doctors at the Mayo Clinic, God is present and taking care of him. Of that, I'm certain.
Anyway, Karl starts the morning with a CT-scan and MRI and then sees Dr. Y at noon tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens.
Blessings,
Kerry
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Pump...him up
I am happy to announce that Karl is home and doing well. He got home Sunday afternoon.
He is on a very aggressive course of prednisone. Doctors are theorizing that it will kick-start the rest of his endocrine system. They've adjusted his thyroid medication and are thinking the prednisone will get his pituitary gland to interact better with his adrenal glands to produce more cortisol which will, in turn, cause his blood pressure to stabilize. Doctor believe the drop in blood pressure is what's causing his kidneys to function irregularly. In other words, they don't believe it's a chronic problem, which is very good news. Of course we don't know how much damage has been done to his kidneys but we certainly hope and pray that it's minimal.
Of course Karl asked the doctors if the particular steroid he's on is the same one Arnold Schwarzenegger used to take. I think he figured he'd bulk up like Arnold. Really, who wants to be a "girlie man?" Anyway, the doctors said it was not the same steroid. Karl then said, "Well, can you hook me up?"
One of the things Karl has to be concerned about right now is that his immune system will not be at its best. Apparently steroids do amazingly good things for the body, but a downside is that it weakens the immune system. For the next month Karl will have to be very careful about being exposed to viruses and bacteria.
For right now things are status quo for Karl. But I'm sure he can use your continued support and prayers. If his condition changes, good or bad, I'll let you know via a blog post.
Again, thanks for your concern and prayers.
Blessings,
Kerry
He is on a very aggressive course of prednisone. Doctors are theorizing that it will kick-start the rest of his endocrine system. They've adjusted his thyroid medication and are thinking the prednisone will get his pituitary gland to interact better with his adrenal glands to produce more cortisol which will, in turn, cause his blood pressure to stabilize. Doctor believe the drop in blood pressure is what's causing his kidneys to function irregularly. In other words, they don't believe it's a chronic problem, which is very good news. Of course we don't know how much damage has been done to his kidneys but we certainly hope and pray that it's minimal.
Of course Karl asked the doctors if the particular steroid he's on is the same one Arnold Schwarzenegger used to take. I think he figured he'd bulk up like Arnold. Really, who wants to be a "girlie man?" Anyway, the doctors said it was not the same steroid. Karl then said, "Well, can you hook me up?"
One of the things Karl has to be concerned about right now is that his immune system will not be at its best. Apparently steroids do amazingly good things for the body, but a downside is that it weakens the immune system. For the next month Karl will have to be very careful about being exposed to viruses and bacteria.
For right now things are status quo for Karl. But I'm sure he can use your continued support and prayers. If his condition changes, good or bad, I'll let you know via a blog post.
Again, thanks for your concern and prayers.
Blessings,
Kerry
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Pitooooey!
There was a slight change in plans concerning Karl's tests on Friday. He was supposed to have a kidney biopsy. However, Karl's morning lab results indicated he was anemic so they postponed it. Then the tests came back from the endocrine study he underwent on Thursday. It appears that Karl's pituitary gland is sending the wrong signals to his adrenal glands and he's not producing enough cortisol. It's amazing that a gland the size of a pea can cause so much trouble! Anyway, doctors are theorizing that the lack of cortisol is causing Karl's blood pressure to drop which, in turn, is affecting the function of his kidneys.
He underwent an MRI this morning so doctors could get a better look at what was happening with his pituitary gland. They found a tiny 4 mm growth. They aren't sure what it is, but they aren't worried about it. They've decided to give him prednisone with the thought that it will kickstart his whole endocrine system and prevent his kidneys from scarring. Doctors have also decided that Karl won't need a kidney biopsy for now. His creatinine levels have already come down and his blood pressure is much better.
They've also taken him off IV fluids. They want to see how his blood pressure does without them. They also want to keep him a couple more days...just so they can monitor his reaction to the steroids, etc. I guess the bottom line is that they don't want to discharge him and then have him turn around and come back in a day or two. When he leaves this time, they want him to be better!
We're grateful the medical personnel here are delving deeper into the probable causes. They have told Karl they suspect it's an acute problem rather than chronic, and that's good news, indeed!
Thank you for all the prayers!
Blessings,
Kerry
He underwent an MRI this morning so doctors could get a better look at what was happening with his pituitary gland. They found a tiny 4 mm growth. They aren't sure what it is, but they aren't worried about it. They've decided to give him prednisone with the thought that it will kickstart his whole endocrine system and prevent his kidneys from scarring. Doctors have also decided that Karl won't need a kidney biopsy for now. His creatinine levels have already come down and his blood pressure is much better.
They've also taken him off IV fluids. They want to see how his blood pressure does without them. They also want to keep him a couple more days...just so they can monitor his reaction to the steroids, etc. I guess the bottom line is that they don't want to discharge him and then have him turn around and come back in a day or two. When he leaves this time, they want him to be better!
We're grateful the medical personnel here are delving deeper into the probable causes. They have told Karl they suspect it's an acute problem rather than chronic, and that's good news, indeed!
Thank you for all the prayers!
Blessings,
Kerry
Friday, May 21, 2010
A puzzle wrapped in an enigma
Karl certainly has NOT lost his sense of humor! I walked into the emergency room at University Hospital on Tuesday and found this:
The stickers were certainly alarming and I wondered what on earth they could be scanning in his head that had to do with his kidneys. Of course he said they had given him a brain scan and didn't find anything. Turns out they had given him and EKG and a wastebasket wasn't nearby so he stuck these on his head just for fun. Everyone that walked past his room and looked in did a double-take. Then they smiled and went about their business.
I am so thankful for Karl's sense of humor. He was admitted to the ICU on Wednesday about midnight. (It was a long day/night in the ER while he waited for doctors to make up their minds about whether he should go in the ICU or a regular room). Upon arrival after seeing the stickers on his head, one of the nurses declared, "So we have a comedian on our hands." On Wednesday afternoon they transferred him to a regular room (5B-5425 for those who are thinking of a visit). Several teams of doctors came by with theories about what's happening to him. The conclusion is that Karl is definitely having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. He also has an external yeast infection caused by the antibiotics which is being treated topically (blood cultures were negative for an internal infection). The problem is that an allergic reaction to antibiotics does not explain a drop in blood pressure. As he told the doctors with a wry smile, "I'm a puzzle wrapped in an enigma."
A team of endocrinologists came in on Wednesday and said they wanted to run more tests on his adrenal and pituitary glands. They've already determined his thyroid needs more attention so they upped that medication. On Thursday his internal medicine team came in and declared that Karl would probably be released soon. About an hour later his renal team came to ask if they could do a kidney biopsy, which means he'll be there another day, at least.
Of course the risks for Karl are a little different than for you and me. Karl is not your typical patient. Then again, he's not your typical human! He inspires me. After explaining everything that could possibly go wrong -- from bleeding, to infection, to the loss of a kidney -- Karl said, "put me on the schedule. I want to get to the bottom of this." The nephrologists hope they can pinpoint the cause of the problems and minimize damage to the kidneys.
We are thankful they are looking at all angles and we hope they can figure out Karl (the team of psychiatrists have yet to be seen)! In the meantime, I'm praying the biopsy goes well today, that there are no complications and that they find it's an acute, rather than chronic, issue that can be treated easily and again, with no complications.
Blessings,
Kerry
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
D-Day
Today was D-Day for Karl...Doctor Day. He had two appointments -- one at 11:30 a.m. and one at 2:30 p.m. Unfortunately, Karl's creatinine level was very high (7) and his blood pressure was very low. So, as I write this, Karl and Mom are in the emergency room at U-M waiting for lab results so he can be admitted. Yes...again. We should have known; Karl has been sleeping a lot lately.
His new primary care physician, Dr. Mott, conferred with infectious disease control and they think Karl's having another adverse reaction to the antibiotic he's currently taking. Dr. Mott wants Karl to be in the hospital so they can figure this out once and for all. Seems like we've heard that before. (Pardon the frustration).
Anyway, I thought I'd let those of you who check on the blog know so that you can say an extra prayer for Karl. He sure needs 'em and we know they work!
Blessings,
Kerry
His new primary care physician, Dr. Mott, conferred with infectious disease control and they think Karl's having another adverse reaction to the antibiotic he's currently taking. Dr. Mott wants Karl to be in the hospital so they can figure this out once and for all. Seems like we've heard that before. (Pardon the frustration).
Anyway, I thought I'd let those of you who check on the blog know so that you can say an extra prayer for Karl. He sure needs 'em and we know they work!
Blessings,
Kerry
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Gefülltes Schweinefilet
Thought I'd give you a brief update as to Karl's progress: he's hanging in there. The strong antibiotics he's infusing are causing the typical problems, which is causing some of his counts to be out of whack (a technical medical phrase, I believe). In order for his potassium and creatinine to be at normal levels, Karl has to drink an enormous amount of water. But, by golly, he's doing it. Three liters is the minimum, he's been told.
Karl is feeling much better, although he's still not a hundred percent. I imagine it will take time to get back to normal. It took him a few days to get rid of the extra fluid he was carrying due to the IVs he received at the hospital. The swelling finally went down enough for him to get out of bed for a bit the past few days.
Karl's gotten his appetite back and has been craving, of all things, carne asada. He talked about it for two days and looked up multiple recipes on the Internet. Mom finally got around to making it Thursday night and that seemed to satisfy his craving. I'm just hoping he doesn't crave something we can't make! The menu's a little more plain tomorrow...I'm taking him meatloaf for lunch and stuffed porkchops for dinner while Mom heads to Cleveland with a friend. I'm going to tell him the meatloaf is a wonderful French dish: Boeuf avec soupe à l'oignon et le ketchup and the pork is German: Gefülltes Schweinefilet. That'll throw him off (hopefully).
Thanks for your continued prayers.
Blessings,
Kerry
Karl is feeling much better, although he's still not a hundred percent. I imagine it will take time to get back to normal. It took him a few days to get rid of the extra fluid he was carrying due to the IVs he received at the hospital. The swelling finally went down enough for him to get out of bed for a bit the past few days.
Karl's gotten his appetite back and has been craving, of all things, carne asada. He talked about it for two days and looked up multiple recipes on the Internet. Mom finally got around to making it Thursday night and that seemed to satisfy his craving. I'm just hoping he doesn't crave something we can't make! The menu's a little more plain tomorrow...I'm taking him meatloaf for lunch and stuffed porkchops for dinner while Mom heads to Cleveland with a friend. I'm going to tell him the meatloaf is a wonderful French dish: Boeuf avec soupe à l'oignon et le ketchup and the pork is German: Gefülltes Schweinefilet. That'll throw him off (hopefully).
Thanks for your continued prayers.
Blessings,
Kerry
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Home
Karl is home! He will give himself infusions of antibiotics every eight hours for the next two weeks, but that sure beats being in the hospital. He is still very puffy from all of the fluid they gave him. In fact, he's not sure he can transfer himself into his wheelchair because his joints are so stiff. However, he is confident that will remedy itself soon -- within a day or two -- and he'll be able to get back to some sense of normalcy.
I haven't talked to any doctors so I'm not sure what the consensus on Karl's diagnosis is, but based on piecing together what he's told me, it sounds as if there were a few issues that when put together, were a nasty mix. We know he definitely had pneumonia that went septic. Whether it started here in Michigan or Maui is unknown and moot. His kidneys were affected by the sepsis and began to shut down. In Maui they gave Karl antibiotics and steroids. U-M docs think the folks in Maui didn't keep him on the antibiotics long enough and had him on the steroids too long which means the pnemonia didn't go away completely and his kidneys could never get back in the fully-functioning mode. Of course there was the whole allergic reaction in Maui for which U-M doctors could offer no explanation. Regardless, Karl is now home and doing much much better. All of his levels are near or at normal.
His mood is getting better each day, but you can imagine how depressing this must be for Karl. At this point he says he'll never go on another vacation and instead of a tropical paradise, he thinks Maui is, well, quite the opposite. I'm sure as time goes by the bad memories will fade and he'll change his mind. Plus, we'll be working on him.
We know without a doubt that your prayers were instrumental in helping Karl get better. We are so thankful for your love and concern.
Blessings,
Kerry
I haven't talked to any doctors so I'm not sure what the consensus on Karl's diagnosis is, but based on piecing together what he's told me, it sounds as if there were a few issues that when put together, were a nasty mix. We know he definitely had pneumonia that went septic. Whether it started here in Michigan or Maui is unknown and moot. His kidneys were affected by the sepsis and began to shut down. In Maui they gave Karl antibiotics and steroids. U-M docs think the folks in Maui didn't keep him on the antibiotics long enough and had him on the steroids too long which means the pnemonia didn't go away completely and his kidneys could never get back in the fully-functioning mode. Of course there was the whole allergic reaction in Maui for which U-M doctors could offer no explanation. Regardless, Karl is now home and doing much much better. All of his levels are near or at normal.
His mood is getting better each day, but you can imagine how depressing this must be for Karl. At this point he says he'll never go on another vacation and instead of a tropical paradise, he thinks Maui is, well, quite the opposite. I'm sure as time goes by the bad memories will fade and he'll change his mind. Plus, we'll be working on him.
We know without a doubt that your prayers were instrumental in helping Karl get better. We are so thankful for your love and concern.
Blessings,
Kerry
Monday, May 3, 2010
Virtual wedding guest
It's been a busy last few days, but thankfully, things have settled down a bit for Karl. Today he was moved from ICU into a regular room at University Hospital. If anyone's interested in visiting, he's in unit 6B, room 435. Doctors still have not specifically pinpointed the cause of his infection. First they said it was a screw. Then they said it was another infection in the kidneys. Then they said it was his lungs. Now they're saying it may be an issue with steroids given to him in Maui. Regardless, they say they'll get to the bottom of it.
In the meantime, Karl was able to see his niece's wedding and part of the reception via a live-feed on his computer on Saturday. We told him we weren't going to have the volume on during the wedding in case they had to provide some sort of care for him at the hospital. Of course he protested (jokingly) because he said he planned to starting yelling when the pastor asked if there was anyone who had any reason that the couple shouldn't get married.
We also took the computer to the reception where people were able to send him instant messages. Unfortunately Karl was undergoing some pretty nasty procedures at that point. They believed his arms were giving inaccurate blood pressure readings and so they began sticking needles deep into the arteries in his arms. They poked him at least 20 times. Fortunately, they were right...his blood pressure was much better than what the cuff was telling. In the meantime, in order to raise what they thought was low blood pressure, they gave him a large amount of fluid intravenously. He puffed up like marshmallow and was pretty uncomfortable.
Tonight he was still a little puffy, but feeling better. His creatinine count is still high and staying steady at 4.9, but they feel it will drop. They believe once the steroids leave his system, his own adrenal glands will start making the proper amount and then his kidneys will get back to normal. All of his cultures came back negative which is leading the doctors in this direction.
While he feels he got very good care in Maui, he is very confident in his care at U-M. Dr. Schuetze stops in almost daily and seeing his familiar face gives Karl a huge boost of confidence. They have told him they hope to be sending him home sometime this week, but Karl doesn't want to come home unless he's "fixed." I'm sure he'd like to avoid unnecessary pokes and repeated questions.
I can't begin to tell you all how much we appreciate your prayers, thoughts and kind words. They mean so very much to all of us. And while last week was pretty stressful for all of us, I'm pretty sure this one will be much calmer...mostly because Karl's feeling better and there's not a wedding in the works!!
For those of you wondering, here's a photo of the bride and groom.
Nikki & Darrell Eaton
In the meantime, Karl was able to see his niece's wedding and part of the reception via a live-feed on his computer on Saturday. We told him we weren't going to have the volume on during the wedding in case they had to provide some sort of care for him at the hospital. Of course he protested (jokingly) because he said he planned to starting yelling when the pastor asked if there was anyone who had any reason that the couple shouldn't get married.
We also took the computer to the reception where people were able to send him instant messages. Unfortunately Karl was undergoing some pretty nasty procedures at that point. They believed his arms were giving inaccurate blood pressure readings and so they began sticking needles deep into the arteries in his arms. They poked him at least 20 times. Fortunately, they were right...his blood pressure was much better than what the cuff was telling. In the meantime, in order to raise what they thought was low blood pressure, they gave him a large amount of fluid intravenously. He puffed up like marshmallow and was pretty uncomfortable.
Tonight he was still a little puffy, but feeling better. His creatinine count is still high and staying steady at 4.9, but they feel it will drop. They believe once the steroids leave his system, his own adrenal glands will start making the proper amount and then his kidneys will get back to normal. All of his cultures came back negative which is leading the doctors in this direction.
While he feels he got very good care in Maui, he is very confident in his care at U-M. Dr. Schuetze stops in almost daily and seeing his familiar face gives Karl a huge boost of confidence. They have told him they hope to be sending him home sometime this week, but Karl doesn't want to come home unless he's "fixed." I'm sure he'd like to avoid unnecessary pokes and repeated questions.
I can't begin to tell you all how much we appreciate your prayers, thoughts and kind words. They mean so very much to all of us. And while last week was pretty stressful for all of us, I'm pretty sure this one will be much calmer...mostly because Karl's feeling better and there's not a wedding in the works!!
For those of you wondering, here's a photo of the bride and groom.
Nikki & Darrell Eaton
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