Fred Fights Back from Sepsis

Thank you for all the prayers for Fred! He is improving, but still has bacteria in his blood, is on oxygen, and has a weakened heart and lungs from the terrible stress on his body.
Last night Fred experienced respiratory distress, which could have been caused by the kidney stone. With a dose of morphine, extra oxygen, and a "nonbreather" mask he became comfortable enough to get some rest. The pulmonologist said Fred was doing "okay" on the 6 liters of oxygen, and he needed physical therapy to get his muscles that support his lungs stronger. We need to remind him to use the incentive spirometer (the little plastic device you breathe into to get feedback about how you're moving air). The chest Xray is stable; pneumonia in one lung but not getting any worse. The nephrostomy procedure that Fred had on 9-16 was to insert a catheter in Fred's right kidney and allow all the infected urine to drain from his body. The kidney stone is still lodged and blocking urine from passing along the normal route. The plan now is to have the kidney stone dissolved by the urologist during an outpatient visit, so hopefully it won't cause Fred too much pain between now and then. Something that has been tricky since Fred's brain injury 4 years ago is his ability to describe pain and be aware of where it 's located. Fred was very restless all night on Friday 9-12; (I brought him to the hospital the next morning) and now I know that is a big red flag for him. When the nurses ask Fred if he's having any pain he almost always says no. His last two incidents of respiratory distress were triggered by pain. He's going to have a rehab consult soon which will be extremely helpful. Fred's platelets are almost back to normal today, as well as his blood clotting time. "You won't be needing me anymore!", said Fred's hematologist. His nurse today commented that she's never seen such clear urine draining from a nephrostomy bag. Thank God for that wonderful intervention which really saved Fred and got things moving in the right direction. This afternoon Fred had a brain scan, which his doctors ordered to help with neurological assessments. Fred needs lots of rest to continue this recovery so we ask if we could hold off on visitors while Fred is in the ICU. In a very weak voice today he asked when he can go home- can't blame him! What a wonderful thought! He will need to be infection free as determined by the blood cultures, and he may need some inpatient time at Bryn Mawr Rehab. We are so thankful to God for sparing Fred, and for the support of our beloved family and friends!