Sept 18 - 25
Friday morning at close to 10:30 I could hear Jason getting sick and went it to check on him. He was shaking uncontrollably and I could tell he had a fever. I knew we had to get to Emergency as soon as possible. I called Jason's Dr. ahead of time and we drove the short drive to the hospital. I dropped him off at the door ER door. By the time I parked the car and went in, he was already receiving care. They started an antibiotic IV and took him for a chest X ray. When they wheeled him back, he was not responding and did not look right. A minute later he had 2 seizures, one right after the other. The next thing I knew, he was heading to intensive care in critical condition. His fever spiked to 104, which for a healthy person is high. For an immune compromised person this can be fatal. they placed him on a cooling blanket, turned down the thermostat and placed ice under his neck and armpits. They needed to get his core temperature down to decrease his body's need for oxygen and reduce the stress on the body. They noticed on the x-ray his lungs looked cloudy and there were spots scattered here and there. They inserted a tube into his lungs and placed some fluid, then evacuated out the fluid to get some cells from the lining out for testing. At 3:00 am he started having difficulties breathing. Respiratory came in with breathing equipment. It was confirmed with another x-ray they things were getting worse. By 5 am, he was on a respirator and no longer conscious.
Saturday morning, Dr came in and said it was very critical--were there other family members? I said everyone is on their way. He has sepsis and was being treated for septic shock. His blood pressure was very low and pulse very high. He had a rough road ahead and it was very uncertain at this point. They hadn't identified the organism causing the infection yet, so they were treating him with everything possible. IVs in arm and neck and 2 trees of bags suspended with antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals. Saturday evening Jason's brother arrived and by Sunday morning, his father also.
Sunday, not much change, still on the ventilator, still not conscious.
Monday. They identified the type of infection and he was being treated specifically for it. His blood pressure has stabilized and his pulse was better. There was talk of removing him from the ventilator if we could get him to respond to commands. He was removed and breathing on his own.
Tuesday
Another long night, no sleep and pain in his side. After more x-rays, they determined that the lungs themselves look better but the lining around the lungs is inflamed. They think the pain is from Pleurisy.
He sat in a chair and later in the afternoon took a walk. His potassium is critically low and he is constantly being treated for that. (Potassium is critical to the function of muscle and nerve cells)
Wednesday, another night of no sleep and side pain. He is constantly ringing the nurse for more pain med and what he gets does not last long enough to bring sleep. He seems much more alert and awake today.
Thursday, Still worn out and extremely tried, but all vital signs are stable. His infection and pneumonia is responding to antibiotics very well and his potassium levels have improved. They decided to discharge him at around 5 pm. It is a miracle that he is walking around. He walked out of the hospital and got into the car! We will remain in Jacksonville to be close to the Mayo Facility as getting responsive care by people who know Jason's situation is very important. We are still looking for short term housing here.
