The next morning, I got him out of bed and was putting his slippers on and all of a sudden he became like a stone. I looked up at his face and his eyes were crossing, his speech was slurring, and he was disoriented. I knew his blood pressure was plummeting. I put his legs up, took his blood pressure and it was dangerously low. I called 911. His BP came up a bit, he could refocus and was alert once more. I began packing up necessities while we waited for the EMS. He still had a fever of 103, high heart rate, and low blood pressure. We were taken to the ER where we stayed for several hours while they ran multiple tests.
The test results showed he had a serious urinary tract infection and was very dehydrated. They said the infection had escalated and he was going into sepsis, which means the infection was spreading to other parts of his body. He was immediately put on a course of IV antibiotics and fluids. He was admitted later that day and began responding to the treatment. His fever, heart rate, and blood pressure stabilized and within 24 hours his appetite started coming back.
We stayed in the hospital for two more days while Thom continued to receive IV antibiotics and they monitored his vitals. By Sunday afternoon he was ready to be discharged but the infection left him very weak. For the first few days home he had to use his sliding board again to do transfers. He managed to fit in two days of therapy, but was frustrated to see how much strength he had lost.
Now, a week later, he is beginning to feel more like himself and is determined to make up for lost time. He is scheduled for two separate days of training in the Lokomat this week and a third day of general therapy.
He is eager to be back to full strength as April is an exciting month for us: we will be celebrating our first anniversary, Easter, and gearing up for our trip to Lourdes at the end of the month.
You have our love & prayers!
ReplyDeleteI continue to pray for Thom regularly.
ReplyDeleteRay Marshall, Minneapolis
My prayers for you and for Thom that God's peace, grace, mercy, and love would be with you always!!!
ReplyDeleteI will say a prayer for his full recovery.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what he is able to eat, but I've been reading about how helpful coconut oil has been for people in various types of recovery; I know it's helped me. The book, "Coconut Cures" goes into the medical evidence: http://goo.gl/EVmwaf. "Tropical Traditions" sells an excellent brand of coconut oil (I am not associated with them).
God bless you.
I'm sorry for your setback. Will be praying for you.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear about Thom's UTI, but very glad to know he is recovering. I presume he has some kind of permanent catheter arrangement, as do I. I'm battling a UTI myself at the moment, and unfortunately, this type of infection is always a risk for those of us with catheters. A UTI can be very serious if not detected early and treated properly. I will be happy to pray for Thom, and I ask that you might remember me in your prayers. May God grant you all the graces and blessings you will need to deal with the challenges of daily life. May God especially grant you joy as we look forward to the Triduum and the joy of Easter!
ReplyDeleteRecovery, even from rather trivial injuries, is always three-steps-forward-on-step-back. Very frustrating, but the natural order of things. Don't lose heart!
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