Well, not even sure how to begin this posting. The bright spot was his kidney number dropping again this morning (which was reported earlier) along with the real highlight of the day for Mitch - he was able to finally sit in a wheelchair which allowed him to go outside and take a breath of fresh air for the first time in 3 weeks. Which was so refreshing for him and provided a great deal of encouragement.
It went down hill from there, in fact, Mitch almost lost his life today. Mitch was mistakenly given 80 units of insulin within a 5 minute period. To put this in perspective, he usually has about 80 units of insulin over a period of 5 days and that is if he were eating a lot each day. His blood sugars dropped to 29 instantly and we could not get him awake, another code blue. His blood sugars continued to drop to super low levels over the next 3 hours, no matter how much food was forced into him, this includes a sugar IV. For those of you don't fully understand insulin and blood sugars words can't explain how serious this was and how truly close Mitch was from not being able to recover. And to have this happen in one of the best hospitals, and on top of that, in the ICU ward - is unreal. Of course to get his blood sugars up to normal levels and to counter act the massive amounts of insulin they/we had to force unbelievable amounts of carbs into him over a very short period of time - and he already had a bad stomach and was sick - this just made him even sicker and he spent the day throwing up. And then to top it off he started having spasms again. I cannot express the deep frustration and anger we all have over this episode. And then to have spasms on top of it all....it goes without saying the mental toll this has had on Mitch is devastating. I think he is actually handling it little better than Annette and I - as we hit our wall yesterday over all this and this just smashed us today. We knew before all this started 6 weeks ago that Mitch was a mentally tough kid, but to have a fighting spirit after all he has gone through and then to top it off with today's disaster - and to still have a semi fighting spirit - he is a true inspiration to us.
We thank all of you for the continued support you show Mitch and our family. Words can't express how much it keeps us going and how much it really means. Thanks
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Feb 28th
Mitchells creatinine (kidney) number is 3.4 this morning. Normal range is .08-1.2, 4 days ago he was 12.1.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Feb 27th
The past 48 hrs have been very long and tiring. His kidney numbers are improving rapidly, they were down to 4.4 this morning which means they dropped 3 points since yesterday. Because of this they have put off the kidney biopsy again as it looks like his kidneys are starting to improve a little. It will be interesting to see what his numbers are tomorrow. It's amazing how much you learn by going through something like this, on numerous fronts. He is also starting to look a lot better, all his puffiness is starting to go away with some of his improved kidney function.
He had a big afternoon, as he was able to sit in a chair and brush his own teeth. He was also able to sit in a wheel chair long enough for us to push him around the ICU. He even walked a little. The tough part for the next little while is weaning him off the heavy narcotics he's been on for the past 3 weeks. He is currently going through withdrawals - needless to say nobody is getting any sleep during this process.
We have two more big tests coming up on Monday.
He had a big afternoon, as he was able to sit in a chair and brush his own teeth. He was also able to sit in a wheel chair long enough for us to push him around the ICU. He even walked a little. The tough part for the next little while is weaning him off the heavy narcotics he's been on for the past 3 weeks. He is currently going through withdrawals - needless to say nobody is getting any sleep during this process.
We have two more big tests coming up on Monday.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Feb 26th
Just finished our 1st round of mtgs with the Doctors: Neurology, Rheumatology, Nephrologist (Kidney), Endrocrinologist (Diabetes), ICU. Our next meeting is at 4:15 today.
The short of the long - can't really find anything that can connect the dots - nothing makes sense as he is one step away from being able to connect things together. They are continuing to run some additional tests for obscure things. The first pass of the muscle biopsy came back, you guessed it, normal, although they are continuing to run more tests on it. His kidney numbers continue to get better, he is down to 7.2 this morning so they have once again put off the kidney biopsy. He has been on high blood pressure meds because his resting blood pressure was 170/110 - they took him off the blood pressure meds and his rates have dropped to normal. His resting pulse was about 160 - that has dropped back down to 60. All his numbers are improving - they are not sure why, but relate it back to his kidney getting better on it's own.
Mitch is now going on 3 weeks without getting out of bed or eating any food.
The short of the long - can't really find anything that can connect the dots - nothing makes sense as he is one step away from being able to connect things together. They are continuing to run some additional tests for obscure things. The first pass of the muscle biopsy came back, you guessed it, normal, although they are continuing to run more tests on it. His kidney numbers continue to get better, he is down to 7.2 this morning so they have once again put off the kidney biopsy. He has been on high blood pressure meds because his resting blood pressure was 170/110 - they took him off the blood pressure meds and his rates have dropped to normal. His resting pulse was about 160 - that has dropped back down to 60. All his numbers are improving - they are not sure why, but relate it back to his kidney getting better on it's own.
Mitch is now going on 3 weeks without getting out of bed or eating any food.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Feb 25th - Evening
We just got done visiting with Mike and Becky Weaver - or "the boss" as Mitch referred to Mike when he saw him. Mitch was touched, as were we, that they would fly in to see us. It meant a lot to us and more importantly meant a tremendous amount to Mitch.
Mitch's kidney number (creatinine) has come down again this evening. It is now 7.5, down from 8.6 this morning. Mitch has been "out of it" most of the day as the drugs seem to be circulating in his body as the kidneys are processing them out. As I said before, this is so hard on us to have him not mentally with us.
We have a big day tomorrow - we have what they call a critical care mtg with ALL his doctors. He has so many doctors that we have a morning mtg and an afternoon mtg. During these meetings the doctors present their findings and outline a plan of attack based on all the findings. Should be some interesting mtgs.
They have switched around some of his pain meds and are worried about him going through withdrawls, but they seem to have a good plan to help him through the process.
Mitch's kidney number (creatinine) has come down again this evening. It is now 7.5, down from 8.6 this morning. Mitch has been "out of it" most of the day as the drugs seem to be circulating in his body as the kidneys are processing them out. As I said before, this is so hard on us to have him not mentally with us.
We have a big day tomorrow - we have what they call a critical care mtg with ALL his doctors. He has so many doctors that we have a morning mtg and an afternoon mtg. During these meetings the doctors present their findings and outline a plan of attack based on all the findings. Should be some interesting mtgs.
They have switched around some of his pain meds and are worried about him going through withdrawls, but they seem to have a good plan to help him through the process.
Feb 25th
We have had a parade of Doctors this morning, the nice thing is all the doctors who have done tests on him come back every day and check on him. They all update us and then we have a sit down update with the ICU doctor on all the numbers, lab results, etc. They also explain what is on the agenda and what they plan to do for the day. They did an EKG on his heart this morning, which he passed. They also did another ultrasound on his kidney's, stomach and blood vessels. His kidney number has stopped coming down, it is at the same level as yesterday, which is very disappointing to all of us. He is back on for a kidney biopsy tomorrow. The GI doctor is coming today along with genetics. He is really out of it still from his sedation, this is the hardest part of the whole thing - seeing that he is not mentally with us because of all the drugs.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Feb 24th
Mitch is off the breathing machine and out of his coma. He is a little confused and slow coming out of things. It is fun to hear the words "I love you" come out of his mouth as his first words when he saw us. He wanted to kiss both of us too - words can't describe how our heart hurts for him as we see the pain in his eyes. We appreciate all the continued support, emails and texts.
Feb 24th
Quick update - CT Scans came back negative of his lungs and sinus's. His kidney numbers (there are numerous numbers they track but the one of interest is Creatinine) started coming down this morning and is continuing to drop this afternoon. Why - as usual with Mitch nobody knows why, but we will take it. Because the Creatinine number is dropping they canceled the kidney biopsy and will continue to monitor this number. Normal range for Creatinine is .8/1.2 Mitch's hit 11.7 yesterday and came down to 10.2 this morning and is now 8.6. So, it looks like his kidneys are starting to work through whatever was wrong with them. They will continue to track this number closely.
They did the muscle biopsy this morning. They took the biopsy out of his right bicep - they had to cut him open, dig into the muscle and then pull it up and cut a section of muscle. It took 4 stitches to close the wound. Accroding to the surgeons (real quick look) everything looked ok but pathology is now looking at it and running all the needed tests. It usually takes a good 24 plus hours to get any type of reports back from the biopsy.
They plan to bring him out of the coma and off the breathing machine around 4pm today.
They did the muscle biopsy this morning. They took the biopsy out of his right bicep - they had to cut him open, dig into the muscle and then pull it up and cut a section of muscle. It took 4 stitches to close the wound. Accroding to the surgeons (real quick look) everything looked ok but pathology is now looking at it and running all the needed tests. It usually takes a good 24 plus hours to get any type of reports back from the biopsy.
They plan to bring him out of the coma and off the breathing machine around 4pm today.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Feb 23rd - Evening
Not much new to report, it's been a slow day for Mitch as he is still in his coma. It was a big day for Annette and I as we once again did a debrief with all the doctors. 7 different teams of doctors are working on him. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us as he will have a Kidney and Muscle biopsy along with a EMG (which is a test for muscle and nerve reaction). We are all hoping the biopsy's can tell us something.
We had a cool report from one of the Anesthesiologist from his MRI team. She said as they were wheeling Mitch in to put him under she grabbed his hand and told him "you will make it through this" - he looked at her and said "no, we will make it through together as a team and I will make it because so many people are praying for me" Thanks to everyone.
We had a cool report from one of the Anesthesiologist from his MRI team. She said as they were wheeling Mitch in to put him under she grabbed his hand and told him "you will make it through this" - he looked at her and said "no, we will make it through together as a team and I will make it because so many people are praying for me" Thanks to everyone.
Feb 23rd
We have had a hiccups this morning. They were suppose to perform the kidney biopsy this morning but a nurse gave Mitch his blood clot shot and they can't do the biopsy of the kidney until tomorrow now - reason being a kidney biopsy causes bleeding and they are worried about excessive bleeding after having the shot. I guess in the end it was good (trying to find some positive in anything)as they are also going to do a couple of muscle biopsy's tomorrow as well. They still have him in a coma and on his breathing machine, and they plan to leave him in this state until tomorrow as they need to have him out for both biopsy's. This "time out" will also give his body some time to rest. They are also working on a pain management plan after he comes out of his coma - they are going to try new methods and meds.
We met with the infectious disease team this morning and they think all these issues are tied together some how, they also think this is some "weird out of the box uncommon issue" that will take time to uncover as they turn over every rock. What we like is they are focusing on the how and why of the issues, not just treating the symptoms.
During the MRI they also found some "splotchy" items on his lungs so he is having a CT scan on is upper body today.
We met with the infectious disease team this morning and they think all these issues are tied together some how, they also think this is some "weird out of the box uncommon issue" that will take time to uncover as they turn over every rock. What we like is they are focusing on the how and why of the issues, not just treating the symptoms.
During the MRI they also found some "splotchy" items on his lungs so he is having a CT scan on is upper body today.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Feb 22nd - Evening
What a long full day. Mitch did not disappointed and had bad muscle spasms for his new doctors. I guess it was good for them to witness first hand the spasms - on a scale of 1-10 they were about a 6. It was a long day of recap and going over all the history of Mitch with all the new doctors. We were very excited as we had the opportunity to meet with the following doctors; ICU, Kidney, Neurologist, Pain, Internal Disease and Muscle. They put Mitch on a breathing machine this evening as they needed him perfectly still for MRI's on his head, neck and back. They plan to keep him on the breathing machine until mid morning tomorrow as they also plan to do a kidney biopsy in the morning. They adjust some of his pain meds today and it allowed Mitch to be more himself and not so sedated. Which made him happy Tomorrow proves to be another long day, but we are optimistic things are already moving in the right direction.
Feb 22nd 2010
We have landed in cold Minnesota. The flight from SLC was great and Mitch did just fine. The only thing we are lacking is sleep, as we started the transport process at 2am. We are now admitted into St. Mary's Hospital (part of Mayo Clinic) and starting the knowledge/history transfer of Mitch to the new doctors.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Feb 21st
What a full day. We did not have a good start at all as I got a call from Annette that his spasms started again around 5:30am and they were as bad as the day we got here, 14 days ago. They were still going strong around 9am. So I hurried up to the hospital, as I opened the door to walk through the ICU waiting room the whole room was full, completely full of people. They were all here to see Mitch. It was over whelming to see so many people. I quickly went to check on Mitch and he had finally calmed down from the spasms and was sleeping because of all the meds. I quickly told Annette about all the people in the waiting room -- as we walked back to the waiting room to talk with everyone, I opened the door and let a man and his wife through the door, he said "there is no room in there to even turn around, the place is packed with young people, I have no idea what is going on". I said with great happiness and gratitude "they are all here to see my son", he couldn't believe it. Mitch stayed awake just long enough to see everyone - then again had major spasms - but we were able to get them under control earlier than before.
Then the flood gates opened with kids from school - some waiting 3 hours for him to wake up so they could talk with him. Again, he was able to stay awake to see every visitor then he crashed - he was so tired, yet so thankful for all the visitors. I know some of you wanted to come see him but did not because of the message on the blog - sorry about that but it looked as if he was headed back to the breathing tube but pulled out of it at the last minute.
We had so many kids here that security was called in 3 times because the hallways and waiting rooms were packed - at last count 95 kids came to see him today according the lady's at the front desk. The support you all show him and our family is unreal. And more importantly all the behind the scene support, letters, calls, texts, etc. Thank you again, as Mitch told me later tonight in his slurred speech, and something that took him about 3 minutes to say/tell me - "all this support is awesome, it means so much to me"
We are in the final stages of preparation for our trip to the Mayo Clinic. We leave the hospital at 2:00am. This is a much bigger process than I first imagined. Coordinating all the IV's, drugs, dosage size, med times, etc is a very big undertaking - and we sure hope all info is correctly communicated. Annette and I are able to fly on the plane with Mitch.
Our appointment is for 9:00am at St. Mary's Hospital (part of Mayo Clinci). We are very excited to get a new set of eyes looking at Mitch in hopes of finding out what is wrong with him. His spasms are back to the level they were when we first entered 14 days ago and his kidneys are in the early stages of failure, his kidney numbers continue to rise at a very alarming rate. We are hoping and praying for some quick answers/results as he seems to be slipping backwards with each passing day.
Again, thanks to everyone for all the well wishes.
Then the flood gates opened with kids from school - some waiting 3 hours for him to wake up so they could talk with him. Again, he was able to stay awake to see every visitor then he crashed - he was so tired, yet so thankful for all the visitors. I know some of you wanted to come see him but did not because of the message on the blog - sorry about that but it looked as if he was headed back to the breathing tube but pulled out of it at the last minute.
We had so many kids here that security was called in 3 times because the hallways and waiting rooms were packed - at last count 95 kids came to see him today according the lady's at the front desk. The support you all show him and our family is unreal. And more importantly all the behind the scene support, letters, calls, texts, etc. Thank you again, as Mitch told me later tonight in his slurred speech, and something that took him about 3 minutes to say/tell me - "all this support is awesome, it means so much to me"
We are in the final stages of preparation for our trip to the Mayo Clinic. We leave the hospital at 2:00am. This is a much bigger process than I first imagined. Coordinating all the IV's, drugs, dosage size, med times, etc is a very big undertaking - and we sure hope all info is correctly communicated. Annette and I are able to fly on the plane with Mitch.
Our appointment is for 9:00am at St. Mary's Hospital (part of Mayo Clinci). We are very excited to get a new set of eyes looking at Mitch in hopes of finding out what is wrong with him. His spasms are back to the level they were when we first entered 14 days ago and his kidneys are in the early stages of failure, his kidney numbers continue to rise at a very alarming rate. We are hoping and praying for some quick answers/results as he seems to be slipping backwards with each passing day.
Again, thanks to everyone for all the well wishes.
Feb 21st
Mitchell's severe spasms came back this morning and they are worse than before. They are going to put him back on the breathing machine. Based on this they are not allowing any visitors today. Thanks
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Feb 20th
The ICU here at Primary Childrens has never had so many visitors! We heard this all day today. In fact, the information desk downstairs put up a sign saying Mitch Flygare is on the 2nd floor ICU. He has had so many visitors today - thanks, you really lift his spirits.
Our transport to the Mayo has been moved to early Monday morning, they want to see us Monday at 9:00am so we will leave around 2:00am.
Our transport to the Mayo has been moved to early Monday morning, they want to see us Monday at 9:00am so we will leave around 2:00am.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Feb 18th and 19th
We have heard numerous times today, on many fronts, that people missed having the blog updated yesterday. I write this with tears in my eyes at the number of people actually following the blog in support of Mitch. We also can't believe the outpouring of prayers, thoughts and support on behalf of Mitch and our family. Being on the receiving end of such support is truly uplifting and an unbelievable experience. Thank You.
The past two days for Mitch have gotten tougher and tougher. His spasms are back and happening at a fast frequency again. The pain associated with them has increased as well - something that Annette and I have a hard time witnessing and dealing with as it pains us so much to watch. His kidney number continues to rise and rise at an alarming pace. His stomach issues have picked up in severity as well, he has not been able to keep anything down (spirit, water, ice chips) since Tuesday. He has been able to eat real food once in the past 12 days - despite taking every stomach medicine they have. Bottom line: He is completely spent emotional and physically. Despite all this he continues to fight and tells everyone who comes to see him; "I won't quit, I give you my word I won't quit, I will keep fighting". He never forgets to tell others that visit - "thanks so much for coming to see me, it means so much to me, I love you'. To keep such a positive outlook when he is battling so much is remarkable to me and all those who come in contact with him. He has unbelievable mental strength and toughness. As I update this in his hospital room tonight, he says to me in a whisper of a voice - "tell everyone that I love them and tell them thanks for all they are doing for me, I sure appreciate it".
We are approaching almost two weeks in the ICU here at Primary Childrens and we still have no answers as to what is causing this or why he is not getting any better. Based on this and our drive to find a cure for what is happening to him, we have decided to move Mitch to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN on Sunday. This was a tough decision for us as visitors are so important and uplifting to Mitch, but we just feel we need to go in a different direction in our effort to get him heeled.
Thanks to those who have come to visit him, those that sit and hold his hand during the painful spasms, those who written letters of support and leave them on our door step, those that drop off signs and posters of support and all who continue to pray for him. All of these acts mean the world to him. Thanks
The past two days for Mitch have gotten tougher and tougher. His spasms are back and happening at a fast frequency again. The pain associated with them has increased as well - something that Annette and I have a hard time witnessing and dealing with as it pains us so much to watch. His kidney number continues to rise and rise at an alarming pace. His stomach issues have picked up in severity as well, he has not been able to keep anything down (spirit, water, ice chips) since Tuesday. He has been able to eat real food once in the past 12 days - despite taking every stomach medicine they have. Bottom line: He is completely spent emotional and physically. Despite all this he continues to fight and tells everyone who comes to see him; "I won't quit, I give you my word I won't quit, I will keep fighting". He never forgets to tell others that visit - "thanks so much for coming to see me, it means so much to me, I love you'. To keep such a positive outlook when he is battling so much is remarkable to me and all those who come in contact with him. He has unbelievable mental strength and toughness. As I update this in his hospital room tonight, he says to me in a whisper of a voice - "tell everyone that I love them and tell them thanks for all they are doing for me, I sure appreciate it".
We are approaching almost two weeks in the ICU here at Primary Childrens and we still have no answers as to what is causing this or why he is not getting any better. Based on this and our drive to find a cure for what is happening to him, we have decided to move Mitch to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN on Sunday. This was a tough decision for us as visitors are so important and uplifting to Mitch, but we just feel we need to go in a different direction in our effort to get him heeled.
Thanks to those who have come to visit him, those that sit and hold his hand during the painful spasms, those who written letters of support and leave them on our door step, those that drop off signs and posters of support and all who continue to pray for him. All of these acts mean the world to him. Thanks
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Feb 17th 2010
Hard to believe it's day 10 in the ICU for Mitch and that day 10 would be his worst day. They had a hard time waking Mitch up this morning -- his breathing was on the shallow end but he was able to breath by himself. This sleep mode has lasted all day long and into the night. The bad news for the day - we found out that his kidney's are not working and shutting down. They have run numerous tests on the kidneys and unfortunately it takes about 24 hours to get some of the results back. They performed an ultrasound on the kidneys, the structure and blood flow seem to be flowing and there are no obstructions. They are unsure why the kidneys are in the shut down mode. There is a key test to see how the kidneys are processing things within the body and a normal score is about .50, his has continued to increase all day long and is currently at a 4.3 which is very alarming and shows the kidneys are not working. This new kidney issue is unrelated to his reason for even being in the ICU, they are two separate issues. Needless to say it was a tough tough day on all of us.
Feb 16th 2010
Mitch had a great day until about 9pm. He was able to do a good session with physical therapy and he felt pretty good during and after. He was actually able to take a walk around the ICU floor after his therapy and sit in a chair for 10 minutes. Another good sign was he was hungry -- and craving a quarter pounder from McDonalds, which he ate quickly. He took another small walk in the early evening and was feeling pretty good. Then about 9pm he had another major spasm, this time on both sides. Currently he's not doing well. He is once again in major amounts of pain, but we are more worried about his outlook, as his spirits are pretty broken at the moment. Please keep praying for him.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Feb 15th 2010
Day 8 for Mitch in his hospital bed. He isn't feeling very well as his stomach continues to really give him issues now. He is feeling extremely nauseous all the time, has continued pain, etc. This is all part of the side effect of the heavy narcotic pain killers (which he has had plenty) he's on - they shut down the small intestine and it stops working. He still has not had anything to eat because of this and is going on his 7th day of no (real) food. He needs to get some calories into his body and this is becoming a major focus point. They have cleared him to start eating but he can't because of the stomach issues. Seeing Mitch not hungry and unable to eat is very unusual. His pneumonia is also back which is forcing him to get breathing treatments every 2 hours.
He was able to get up and sit in a chair for 10 minutes today which is a big step and an even bigger step was the physical therapist was able to put him through some very minimal stretches - while in his bed today as well. Although both of these minor activities caused spasms on his right side it was something he was able to work through without them getting out of control. The sedation medicine seems to be clearing his body more and more and he's much more alert. It was refreashing to actually engage in a real conversation with him for an extended period of time. These were the first real conversations we've been able to have with him in the past 8 days. What we find really interesting is he can remember being in his coma, he says he remembers people talking to him and he was so frustrated because he couldn't respond. He says he would count 1, 2, 3 in his mind trying to get enough mental focus and strength to force his head to answer questions with a simple nod.
He was able to have some visitors today which really made him happy and lifted his spirts. He continues to say how much he appreciates all the cards, prayers, thoughts and visits. A note on visitors: They only allow 3 people total in his room at a time. And now that he is out of the coma they have him starting treatments on a number of different things - plus he does need his rest and sleep. So, if you come to visit you might not be able to see him given what is happening. Best bet would be to text Annette or I and see what would be a good time: Annette 801-836-2722, Kurt 801-368-4810.
All in all our best day in the past 8 days.
He was able to get up and sit in a chair for 10 minutes today which is a big step and an even bigger step was the physical therapist was able to put him through some very minimal stretches - while in his bed today as well. Although both of these minor activities caused spasms on his right side it was something he was able to work through without them getting out of control. The sedation medicine seems to be clearing his body more and more and he's much more alert. It was refreashing to actually engage in a real conversation with him for an extended period of time. These were the first real conversations we've been able to have with him in the past 8 days. What we find really interesting is he can remember being in his coma, he says he remembers people talking to him and he was so frustrated because he couldn't respond. He says he would count 1, 2, 3 in his mind trying to get enough mental focus and strength to force his head to answer questions with a simple nod.
He was able to have some visitors today which really made him happy and lifted his spirts. He continues to say how much he appreciates all the cards, prayers, thoughts and visits. A note on visitors: They only allow 3 people total in his room at a time. And now that he is out of the coma they have him starting treatments on a number of different things - plus he does need his rest and sleep. So, if you come to visit you might not be able to see him given what is happening. Best bet would be to text Annette or I and see what would be a good time: Annette 801-836-2722, Kurt 801-368-4810.
All in all our best day in the past 8 days.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Feb 14th
We are sorry to report that Mitch did not have a good day today. They tried weening him off the sedation medicine in the form of a slow, slow release as they were bringing him out of his coma. He did pretty good in the morning, actually getting out of bed and sitting in a chair for 5 minutes. But then it all broke loose. After getting back in bed his whole back started tightening up and started hurting...... and then he had a major spasm on his right side this time, lasting at least 15 minutes! Although it was not a full scale attack like he had on his left side, it was none the less another attack and very painful. I can't tell you how disappointing this was to Mitch and all of us. It busted his spirits in half and is causing great anxiety all the way around. He feels like he took a half step forward and 4 back today, it's was a very disheartening day. The one thing that keep him going today was all the notes and cards dropped off for him. He really enjoyed Annette and I reading them to him, it made him extremely happy to see that people are thinking about him. He was funny (remember still on high meds) but he would quickly want to jump to who wrote the note and then want us to read it to him. The reading of the cards really seemed to help lift his spirts just a little. Thanks to those who dropped them off at our house, it seemed to help him cope with today's set back. Please keep him in your prayers.
Feb 13th 2010
Today was a tough day; a couple big decisions had to be made. The original plan was to keep Mitch on his breathing machine/coma state until Sunday; allowing the botox shots to kick in as it usually takes 2-3 days to do so and it would also allow them to control his pain better. The tube allows them to administer higher levels of pain medicine because they/the machine control his breathing. The issue we had - he was starting to throw up which is bad news with a breathing tube as it will end up in his lungs. So the question was; do we take the tube out and hope we can manage the pain, or do we leave the tube in and hope his lungs don't fill up. We decided to take him out of the drug induced coma and take the breathing tube out. We were pleased that he starting breathing on his own immediately and has yet to have any breathing issues. We are also happy to report that with the tube out his pneumonia is starting to go away.
Although he is out of his fully induced coma state, they kept him pretty sedated all day today and loaded up on pain killers. Although he was under a good amount of sedation we were able to communicate with him for the first time since Wednesday. The first words out of his mouth were "I missed you guys", "I can see" and "I didn't die". All very heart busting comments after what he went through for 3 straight days. He wanted a hug from Annette and I and his Grandpa Fly. It was an interesting transition out of his coma state. The coma medicine broke down all barriers and we could tell what was truly on the forefront of his mind by the questions he was asking. He was very emotional over a number of issues (mainly the medicine causing this) but to a degree we could tell these items were hot topics on his mind. His emotions swung from tears streaming down his checks with gratitude to being ticked off at the world over just the little's of things. It was an emotionally exhausting process for Annette and I.
With every movement he made we were worried about the spasms coming back. He had one little one, on the right side. This was/is very alarming for us because to date every spasm has been on his left side and that is what was treated with the botox. He had the one spasm about two hours after coming out of his coma and nothing the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be the big test as they will ween him off the sedation completely. Needless to say every movement will be viewed with a lot of anxious and worried eyes as we hope and pray the spasms don't come back and the botox is working.
Given Mitch's current condition, the Doctors have asked us to really restrict visitors for Mitch over the next day or so. Words can't justly communicate the support we feel from everyone - thank you.
Although he is out of his fully induced coma state, they kept him pretty sedated all day today and loaded up on pain killers. Although he was under a good amount of sedation we were able to communicate with him for the first time since Wednesday. The first words out of his mouth were "I missed you guys", "I can see" and "I didn't die". All very heart busting comments after what he went through for 3 straight days. He wanted a hug from Annette and I and his Grandpa Fly. It was an interesting transition out of his coma state. The coma medicine broke down all barriers and we could tell what was truly on the forefront of his mind by the questions he was asking. He was very emotional over a number of issues (mainly the medicine causing this) but to a degree we could tell these items were hot topics on his mind. His emotions swung from tears streaming down his checks with gratitude to being ticked off at the world over just the little's of things. It was an emotionally exhausting process for Annette and I.
With every movement he made we were worried about the spasms coming back. He had one little one, on the right side. This was/is very alarming for us because to date every spasm has been on his left side and that is what was treated with the botox. He had the one spasm about two hours after coming out of his coma and nothing the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be the big test as they will ween him off the sedation completely. Needless to say every movement will be viewed with a lot of anxious and worried eyes as we hope and pray the spasms don't come back and the botox is working.
Given Mitch's current condition, the Doctors have asked us to really restrict visitors for Mitch over the next day or so. Words can't justly communicate the support we feel from everyone - thank you.
Friday, February 12, 2010
February 12, 2010
Today they took Mitch off the medicine that made him 90% paralyzed. They also brought him "a little" out of his drug induced coma, although his eyes weren't open he was still able answer yes and no questions with the nod of his head. As soon as they started to bring him out of the coma his back and leg started to spasm quickly, this is not the result we or the doctors were looking for. They had hoped that by putting him in a coma his muscles would reset themselves and stop the powerful spasm cycle. It didn't work which was very disappointing to all of us. While they had him "a little" out of the coma, they were able to roll him on his side and mark all the spots that were causing him pain. Again, even though he was still out he was able to give them a yes or a no answer with a head nod. A couple of times he was able to point up or down with his finger. It was a very interesting process to watch. Some spots were so sensitive that he had tears running down his checks by just a simple touch. This broke our hearts as we could see that he was once again experience the horrific pain that he had lived for the prior 4 days, but because of his sedated state he was unable to express anything but the tears. In all, they gave him 15 different botox shots in his back region. The hope is these botox shots will "freeze" the muscle and not allow it to go into spasm. Unfortunately it takes 2-3 days for the botox to start working. Because of his pain and spasms they had to put him back into his coma.
We are sad to report that he has a 103 temperature, has an infection and has developed pneumonia.
We continue to be amazed by all the support and prayers on his behalf, this is so comforting to us and we sure appreciate it. Please continue with the prayers as Sunday is the next big day. If they can tackle the pneumonia and see that the botox is working they hope to take him off the breath machine. Again - thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support.
We are sad to report that he has a 103 temperature, has an infection and has developed pneumonia.
We continue to be amazed by all the support and prayers on his behalf, this is so comforting to us and we sure appreciate it. Please continue with the prayers as Sunday is the next big day. If they can tackle the pneumonia and see that the botox is working they hope to take him off the breath machine. Again - thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mitch's status
Mitch has been in the ICU at Primary Children's Hospital since Sunday, Feb 7th. He has had severally painful back and leg muscle spasms that have continued to get more painful, longer in duration and coming more frequently. Words can't describe the pain he has been in.
Yesterday, Feb 11th: Mitch had to be put in a drug induced coma today. Because the pain had become so unbearable they had to give him the max amount of pain medicine in an effort to relieve some of his pain - because of this, he stopped breathing. We are at least happy that he is pain free at the current moment and can relax a little. We sure appreciate everyones thoughts and prayers.
Yesterday, Feb 11th: Mitch had to be put in a drug induced coma today. Because the pain had become so unbearable they had to give him the max amount of pain medicine in an effort to relieve some of his pain - because of this, he stopped breathing. We are at least happy that he is pain free at the current moment and can relax a little. We sure appreciate everyones thoughts and prayers.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Welcome!
Hey Everyone!
It was suggested to us by Primary Children's hospital to start a blog tracking Mitch's updates and progress. We thought it was a fabulous idea as well, so here it is! We hope that you come back often and again thank you for thoughts and prayers on Mitch's behalf!
Love,
Mitch's Family
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