Greg Covid - Day 11

Kind of a long update because I spoke with hospital staff three times today.  Not because there was anything bad, but I was starting to slip into a bit of depression, and I just needed to be reassured that Greg was OK.

 I spoke with Greg's nurse, Maureen early this morning and she said that Greg had a good night and she didn’t make many changes to anything.  She had to go up a little bit on oxygen, from 50 to 60%.  His breathing didn’t change, but  his oxygen saturation was dropping, so they had to go up.  She was not sure why that happened.  His temp most of the night was between 100 and 100.4.  His sedation had been turned up, but she was able to turn it down and he was doing fine.  She said they may continue to reduce his sedation.   

Just after lunch, I spoke with Greg's nurse, Martin.  He said that Greg was having an OK day.    His vent was up to 70 when he got there, but it's now down to 60, and while we were talking, the respiratory therapist was there, and turned it down to 55%.  The took three cultures today, because Greg is still battling some sort of infection.  He had a central line because of the blood pressure meds, but I never knew that.  The took that central line out today and are just using two regular IVs.   Martin said they took it out just in case there’s an infection in the line.  He called it infection “risk mgmt.”.   Greg had a new chest x-ray taken this morning, and it's still pretty much the same as the last one.   Martin said that Greg is pretty comfortable looking and doesn’t seem to be working too hard to breathe.  Martin had him almost in a sitting-type position today and he seemed comfortable with that, too.  He also shaved him, which I thought was very nice.   

They also did an echocardiogram of his heart today and are looking at the valves to make sure there’s not an infected heart valve.   I don't have those results yet.   

At about 5 p.m., the doctor called me.   She asked me how I was doing, and I said I was doing kind of OK, but seeing as the doctors only call me when there's bad news, I was a bit worried.  She very quickly assured me that there was no bad news and she just wanted to update me on Greg.

Greg is stable.  He is not improving, but he is not getting worse, which is good.  He is not requiring more oxygen which is good.  We want to find the source of infection, which is why he’s on broad spectrum antibiotics.   The vent is on a more supportive mode at night, which means he's breathing more on his own.  They will continue to try to decrease support every day to see how he is doing, so basicaly, they want to wean a little bit more and more each day.   She said it's good news that he’s doing the same as yesterday and that it may take a little longer for him because of his diaphragm.  He has covid pneumonia, which also causes longer periods of intubation.  

I asked the doctor about giving Greg the antibodies of someone who had covid, and she said that they can only try the antibodies if they are not very sick.  Obviously, that's not Greg.  

I also spoke to the doctor about Greg's IVIG treatment.  That's the human immune globulin treatments that I give Greg every week.  It has kept him from getting sick for the last three years.  Immune Globulin comes from people who donate plasma.  Greg's infusions are, very simply, other people's antibodies to help keep him from getting sick because of his compromised immune system.   If Greg has an infection or something like that, wouldn't his IVIG infusions help fight that?  The doctor didn't seem to think so, because covid is a virus, but I'm pretty darn sure that anything that can possibly help boost his immune system can help him fight this horrible virus!  It's part of his normal medications, so he should receive it, just like all his other normal medications.  The doctor is going to speak with the rest of the team and see what they think.  As far as I'm concerned, if they can't provide me with a darn good reason as to why he should not receive his infusion, then he is going to get the infusion, whether they think it will help or not.   

It's now almost midnight and I've spoken to Greg's night nurse Julie.  He is still about the same.  His O2 is at 92%, which is good, and his blood pressure is still good.  So, while he is still the same, this is good news, because he's not getting worse or going backwards. 

Please continue your prayers for Greg!   

For tonight's picture, I'm posting one of the two of us together, kind of!  For years, when Greg would take video, if he walked past a mirror, he'd wave and say "hi."  He began doing that with still pictures too, and if he was looking at his shadow on the ground, he'd wave.  It became a running joke.  In the picture below, I am walking on the beach of the Coral Sea at night in Port Douglas.  It's a fuzzy picture because it's dark out and all he has is his cell phone, but you can clearly see his shadow waving!  Ha, ha!  

 

Greg Covid - Day 10 Steady as She Goes

 I spoke with Greg's nurse, Maureen, at around 5:15 this morning.  Greg had a good night.  She was able to get him off the blood pressure meds and he was off them all night.  They are gradually weaning him off sedation.  He is breathing good and at good rate.  He started moving/exploring, but not anything purposeful.  He is not following commands, but did open his eyes and look around.  Because he's moving around a bit, she put restraints on him just so he doesn’t accidentally grab an IV or remove a tube or something.  His temperature is down to 100, which is great!   He’s still at 50% on the vent and his oxygenation is at 92%.   He is still on some mild anesthesia meds, but less than he was on in the past.  Getting his temperature down helped him to breathe easier.  She gave him a bath and washed his hair.   

She said that they're giving him a lot of pressure (peep) normal is 5, he’s between 12 and 15 now.  They are giving him extra pressure to help ease his work of breathing.  She said that typically we look at extra peep between 5-8 to take people off the vent. 

I spoke to Greg's doctor around 1 p.m. today.  She said they are trying to wean him off anesthesia.   He’s on a support vent now, which means he is doing most of the breathing and the vent is merely “supporting” him. If he doesn’t take a breath in say 20 seconds, then the vent will breathe for him.  He is improving and seems to be doing good.  They are monitoring his breathing and maybe go down more on his medications.   Most of the time he’s doing his own breathing right now and he is breathing more than the machine.   They want to monitor it slowly as everything changes day to day.  They need to slowly wean him off so they don’t have to put him back on vent, as that can be dangerous.  

They are still treating for infection, as his sputum culture was positive for staph (but she said "not the bad kind").   He also had MRSA positive a few days back, but he has always tested positive for that before any surgeries or procedures.  Because of that, they have him on broad spectrum antibiotics. 

I spoke with his nurse again at about 6:15 tonight.  There were not a whole lot of changes today.  He is still on the support vent and is not on any blood pressure meds.  He is still requiring the same 50% oxygen level.  He responds to commands, but is still decently sedated.  If he has to work too hard to breathe, then his respiratory rate goes up and they have to turn the sedation up.   The goal to remove from the vent is for the vent to be at 35-40% and breathing at a controlled rate, awake and following commands.   Generally, they aim for 35-40% to get off vent and it requires breathing at a controlled rate, awake and following commands, etc. 

So, that is today's update.  He's doing a little better, which is what we need.  Remember, it's all baby steps.  Today was a baby step day and that's OK.   

Please, as always, continue your prayers for Greg.  Baby steps every day, or giant steps.  I'm OK with either one!  Pray that they are able to get rid of whatever infection he has and that they are able to wean him off the anesthesia so that he can breathe more on his own and won't need the assistance of the vent.  We are still in the midst of this battle, but we are winning!   

Today's picture of Greg is at the Australia Zoo (the Steve Irwin family's zoo), sitting and visiting with a kangaroo!  It was a very warm day, and it was good to sit in the shade for a bit!  

 

 

 

Greg Covid - Day 9 THE BATTLE IS ON!!!!

I posted earlier today about the good night that Greg had and how well he was doing at 6:30 this morning.  Well, I got a call from the doctor during my lunch that wasn't very good news.  

She said that he is on his back now and saturation-wise he is doing well.  However, they were talking about adjusting the vent setting and letting him breathe on his own and reducing the amount of sedation more because he had been doing so well, but then he started having issues with his lungs not matching the vent rhythm, so they had to increase his sedation and change the settings on the vent and are not going to be decreasing it right now.  She said:

We don’t want his own lungs to go in a rhythm that is not matched to the vent settings and his breathing is not in sync with the vent.   Saturation is not a problem right now.  This can get better all of a sudden or it can get worse.  It is hard to tell.  He is breathing really good on his back right now and saturation is 96%.  They are adjusting the vent according to his system and will know more tomorrow.  Respiratory therapy is there and assigned to him and is managing the settings on the vent.  He started good, but things are fluctuating.  Right now, she can’t say that the trend is going good.  

In addition, his blood pressure was running high this morning, in the 170, 190’s and when they gave him meds to lower his blood pressured, it dropped into the 80's.  She said that it is common, when a patient spends a long time in the ICU, to become sensitive to medication.  They are trying to find a balance with his blood pressure meds to keep it steady, but it is a fine line.   It seems the doctors only call when the situation is dire.  

At the same time that Greg was having these problems, I was speaking with the Chaplain at Marshfield Clinic Hospital about visiting Greg and praying with Greg.  We talked about Greg's health history and what a fighter he is and how God has saved him so many times.  He was going to be visiting with Greg and praying with him and said he would tell him how much I love him and need him to get better and come home and that God was breathing His life into his lungs and was going to heal him. 

Now, when I say the battle is on, I'm not saying just Greg's health battle but an actual spiritual battle!  I don't know where you are in your walk with Christ, but I can tell you in no uncertain terms that the devil was trying his hardest today!  Little did he know that Jesus would be right there shoving him off Greg just like when He entered the Temple and drove out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice and knocking over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves!  (Matthew 21:12).  I was having dark thoughts all day and must have said Jesus' name 500 times today!  I could feel it in my bones that something was happening and I was NOT wrong!  

Normally I don't call Greg's nurse until later, but I just couldn't wait and called around 4:15.  I spoke with Nicole who told me that she found a level of blood pressure meds that is working good for Greg!  She also said that he is on a setting on the vent where Greg is doing a lot of the work and can kind of control how often he’s breathing, which is giving his lungs some good exercise!  He is doing most of the work and the vent is just doing a back-up for him and giving him a little extra support.  He looks more comfortable than earlier today and his oxygenation is good. He’s doing WAY better than earlier today!  And he really had them concerned earlier!  

She said they were worried because his blood pressure was all over the place and he looked like he was uncomfortable and he was breathing very hard.  They are not planning on proning him tonight unless oxygen starts dropping.  He is still running a fever and nothing seems to be bringing it down.  She is using ice packs, giving him Tylenol and putting cold water in his feeding tube.  They have not been able to find a cooling blanket in the entire hospital.  She is not sure if they don't have any or they are all being used.  She did reiterate that fever is not uncommon with Covid and that patients do run pretty high fevers. 

I'll be calling his nurse again before I go to bed, and I'm not sure if I'll update tonight or not.  

No one can tell me that there's not a huge spiritual battle happening here!  Everything that happened today was much to coincidental!  This proves that your prayer are working!   Please continue to pray for Greg, that God continues to breathe His life into Greg's lungs, that his blood pressure stays regulated and that he is able to breathe more and more on his own.  Please also pray for the doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists are given the knowledge they need to continue to bring Greg out of this!  Please also give thanks for everything God is doing for Greg.  

This picture of Greg is on the sailboat when we were getting ready to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  At the time of year we were there (late November), it is jellyfish season, and everyone who snorkels has to wear a "stinger suit" to protect us from jellyfish stings.  It's certainly not the most fashionable suit in the world, but hey it works!  I have more embarrassing pictures of him attempting to put the suit on, but I thought I'd spare him (and you) those pics!  Ha, ha!  

Love, Peace and Prayers to all!  

Julie and Iron Man!  

Greg Covid - Day 9 Quick Update

Quick update while on my lunch.  I spoke with Greg's nurse at about 6:30 this morning and he had a good night.  She said that He did good. She had just turned him on his back and they are hoping he can maintain his oxygenation.   He was at 97-98% all night, which is great.   His  P02 was 99% (amount of oxygen in his blood).  Yesterday, it had dropped down to 50% once they put him on his back.  But, that doesn’t mean he won’t do good today.  His vent was at 65% and was left at that setting all night.  His eyes look a little swollen but that will go down now that he’s on his back. His vital organs look good and he is peeing.  His electrolytes also look good.  His blood sugars are slightly high, but that’s kind of normal and is probably because of steroids he’s being given.  He’s not getting Remdesivir any more, as that's only a five or six day treatment (she couldn't remember exactly how long).  So that's all great news from overnight. I am hopeful that Greg can maintain his oxygenation levels while on his back, as that will be a huge step forward and what we really need him to be able to accomplish!  

While speaking with Greg's brother, Gary this morning, somehow it got brought up about a pastor from the hospital system visiting Greg, seeing as our own Pastor Joe is not allowed.  I called Pastoral Services at the hospital and YES, they are allowed to go and pray with the Covid patients and he is going to go visit with Greg!  I am so happy that someone can go there and pray with him, and hold his hand and let him know he's not alone and that we're all fighting for him and tell him how much I love him!  

I truly believe that we are in a huge spiritual battle here.  The devil is trying to get in my head more and more today and I can just feel something happening.  This is a battle for Greg and we WILL win, because we have God on our side!  And we all know if God is for us, who can be against us?!!!!!   

Please continue your prayers for Greg.  Pray that he is able to keep his oxygenation level up while he is on his back and that he has a great day!  It's still baby steps, but steps forward are steps forward!  

I will post another update tonight after I talk to his day nurse.  I'll be calling her around 6 tonight and will post an update then.  In the meantime, keep those prayers coming!!!!!  

Love, Peace and Prayers, 

Julie

Just to keep the pictures going, here's one of Greg outside the airport in Cairns, Australia 

Greg Covid - Day 8

Today makes one week since Greg was taken by ambulance to the hospital and I was told he had Covid and was being sent to the ICU.  He actually had a pretty good night.  The "proned" him, which simply means they flipped him on his stomach, because he did so well that way the other night.  He did very well again last night.  His lungs sound clear and his Profusion Ventilation Ratio went from 78 to 166, which means the amount of oxygen his lungs are providing to his body is significant.  His nurse, Kegan, said that this was significant!   

He is spiking a fever and went up to 102.4 and they are not sure what is causing the fever, as all the tests are coming back negative.  It could just be his body's response to fighting the Covid.  He is being kept on high dose antibiotics, just in case there is something they're not finding.  His vent was at 60%, but he thought that with the increase of oxygen in his blood, they may turn that down.  

He is initiating and helping with own breathing.  With the paralytic being off, he is doing a lot of the work on his own.  The vent is assisting, but he’s able to initiate some of his own breaths.  He has a long way to go, but everything looks better than yesterday!   He does wake up a bit and notices that the nurses and staff are in there when they're flipping him, and then falls back into a contented sleep pattern when they're done. 

I spoke with his night nurse for a little bit at 7:30 today, but she really didn't have much information.  Because shift change is at 7, she was still reviewing all his information and getting situated to take care of him overnight.  She did say his vent was at 65%, so a little higher than this morning, but still not bad.  He was on his back, but they were going to prone him again, as he did so much better that way. She said that his oxygenation after being on his back during the day dropped from 78% to 56%, so that's why they decided to prone him again for the night.  He's not getting worse, so that's good.  Baby steps.  We need to remember that these are baby steps.  

I'm doing OK, I guess.  Work is crazy busy and I am being pulled in a million different directions, so it's hard to get as much done as I usually do.  Other than that, nothing really happening here.   

Here's a selfie Greg took when we were on a sailboat heading to the Low Isles portion of the Great Barrier Reef outside of Port Douglas to go snorkeling!  

Please continue to pray for Greg and for his lungs.  That they continue to improve and he is able to breathe more and more on his own.  Pray that his fever goes down and his vital organs remain in good shape and they are able to remove him from the vent in the next couple days.   

Love, Peace and Prayers, 

Julie

Greg Covid - Day 7

Well, today's news is good and bad.  I spoke with Greg's nurse at about 7 a.m. today and Greg had some issues with his oxygenation overnight and his lungs were working too hard and his carbon dioxide levels were too high.  You may recall that yesterday I indicated that he did some of his own breathing, but only lasted about an hour.  Later on, because of the oxygenation issues, the vent had to go from 50 to 60 to 70, and then went back down to 50%.   His nurse (Michael) stated that this is not uncommon.  He is starting to wake up more, as they only have him on one sedative now.  He was moving his arms a bit and trying to open his eyes.  He is receiving nourishment via an Ng tube (nose to stomach), which he is tolerating (and having bowel movements!), which will give him more energy and calories and proteins to fight and get over this stressful period. 

At about 8:30 a.m., I spoke with his doctor.  I hadn't spoken to a doctor since Thursday or Friday, so while I appreciate everything the nurses are telling me, I really wanted to talk to the doctor, too.  She said that he has been having low oxygen episodes.  His O2 was in the low 90's.  They usually want it above 90 and he is staying borderline 90, 91, 92 with the vent.  The vent settings were pretty good until yesterday, and they thought they may have been able to extubate him in the next three or four days. 

This morning, his O2 stats dropped to the 70's on their own, so he had to go up to 100% oxygen on the vent.  They did a workup for infection, blood clots, a CT of his chest and CT of his legs.  She said his CT of the lungs doesn't look "terrible."  (English is not her first language, and I recall hearing the word terrible before, so I'm thinking this is just her way of saying it's not horrible, but it's not the greatest, either.)   She said that his oxygenation is just not the point that we are "relieved", meaning getting better and breathing on his own.  She said "we are not to that point yet."  I received another call from the doctor around 6 tonight, and the scans of his legs are not showing any clots, except a very old one.  So that is good news.  They still have him on a higher dose of blood thinners, just to be safe and prevent clots.  He has a slight fever, but that could be because his body is fighting an infection, either Covid or a bacterial infection.  His urinalysis is not back yet, and they won't have that until tomorrow.  The doctor said that "his markers tell us infection is improving and the bacterial pneumonia (that I didn't even realize he had) is getting better, but his lungs are not strong enough to have those volumes back for normal saturation levels."  

He is definitely doing better than they ever thought he would considering how sick he was when he was brought in and all his underlying issues.  They really didn't think he'd ever be able to breathe on his own, but again, that is partially based on what they know of other patients with issues like his.  What they didn't know was that they were dealing with Iron Man!  They are going to flip him on his stomach again overnight and she expects his oxygen and saturation levels to improve, like last time.  He was heading, and still is heading in the right direction, but things can always change, as Covid is very unpredictable.  She does still think that if he continues on the upswing like he was, they will be able to remove the vent in a few days.  

We need to continue to pray as hard as ever for Greg.  I know this is just a minor setback, and those are to be expected, but this is hitting me kind of hard, and I'm having a hard time dealing with this, even though it's not horrible news, and Greg is still on the upswing.  I just need to get my head in the right place.   In my heart, I know God is doing miraculous things for Greg and is healing him, but the devil keeps trying to dance in my head.  Every time I start to get this way, I just tell the devil to go away and start saying "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" over and over, and I start to feel better, because there's no room for the devil when Jesus is at home in my head and heart!  It didn't help that we got another letter from the SSS, which I'm not going to get into here or on Facebook, because I'm not going to waste one iota of energy on false accusations and an illiterate understanding of the law.  It does help that I'm back working, because it keeps my mind occupied, and I'm so busy right now, I hardly have time to think about anything but work when I'm at work, and that's a good thing!  Soon enough, Greg will be back here at home.  I know God is at work doing miraculous things for Greg.  

This picture is Greg at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia.  We were just getting started on our tour and all wore headphones so we could listen to the tour guide.  There were rehearsals going on in some of the various rooms, so we had to keep quiet and this was the best way to be able to listen to our guide. 

In case anyone is interested, I did find a place for all the dog poo in the "back 40" on our property!  LOL  And both nurses that I spoke with (Nicole and Michael) thanked me for the goodies I brought in yesterday.  I think, even when Greg is back home, we will do that at least monthly, as long as this horrible Covid is still happening.  We want them to know they are not forgotten and are appreciated! 

Mom and I were finally able to be tested this morning.  This was the first time I was ever tested, and they must have improved it a bit, as the swab was not shoved all the way up to my eyeballs!  LOL  It wasn't uncomfortable at all, so that was a relief.  We should get our results sometime tomorrow.  I'm wondering if I can be tested to see if I have the antibodies, because I had what I thought was bronchitis about three weeks ago, and a terrible head cold, but maybe I had a mild case of Covid?  If I have the antibodies, then we know I had it at some point.  I don't recall any other times that I was actually sick with something like that in the last two years.  

Kris and Mike B. were here today while I was working.  Kris visited with mom while Mike cut our grass and I was busy working.  Mike did a great job, as always!  I was planning on only working until 3:30, but ended up working until 4 to get some stuff completed, and I just missed them!  I was bummed I didn't have a chance to thank them in person!  It was very sweet of Kris to come with and spend some time with mom!  She really doesn't get many visitors, so that was a sweet treat for her!  They also left a bunch of home grown spaghetti squash (a favorite of ours!), a zucchini (going to make zucchini bread) and even some fresh raspberries!  How sweet was that!  Oh, and I also talked to our Pastor Joe last night about getting a small group together to help organize the garage and he is looking into that for me.  If anyone reading this wants to volunteer, I won't say no!  LOL

So that's about it for now.  Your prayers are much appreciated!  

Love, Peace and Prayers to all, 

Julie

Greg Covid - Day 6

So, it's now Day 6.  I spoke with Greg's nurse, Nicole at 9 a.m. and she said that he had an uneventful night.  They were waking him up a little more and he was breathing more on his own, but he still needed the vent and was still at 40%.  His labs all look good and his white blood cell count is normal, so there is no more infection!   Praise God!  

I spoke to Nicole again about 7 p.m. and she said there were no big changes.  He did some of his own breathing while on the vent and lasted about an hour.  They have the vent at 50% now, so a little more than earlier, but when questioned, she stated that this is not unusual and is a fairly normal process.  They will continue to try this every day.  So, we definitely need prayers to continue.  God is listening and healing Greg every day!  

Mom and I went to church today, and I was careful to not wear any mascara for fear I'd go full on Tammy Faye Baker!  Ha, ha,!  It was a wise decision, because I was bawling during most of the Worship Service.  Music is food for my soul, and Christian Music, especially.   Pastor Joe's service was also right on point, and he had planned his service well before Greg became ill.  God knew what was going on and what we would be needing just when we needed it. 

I wanted to post a better picture of Greg, because I don't want people thinking only about the one of him in the hospital.  This is his favorite picture of us from Australia.  He was totally enthralled by the Banyan Trees behind us!  They are hundreds of years old and are so very cool!  This picture was taken across the street from our hotel in Brisbane.  

  

Greg and I were supposed to go to a wedding this weekend, and obviously were unable to go.  I found out from the father of the groom (our friend), that when they prayed the rosary prior to the wedding service (Catholic church), they also prayed for Greg!   Now, Blair (the bride) had never even met Greg, and we haven't seen Chris in close to ten years, but this beautiful young couple included Greg in their prayers at their wedding all of their own accord!  This just brings me to tears and makes my heart sing.  Here is a picture of the lovely couple. 

Please help me wish them congratulations on their wedding and a lifetime of love and happiness!  

After church today, mom and I went to Marshfield and did some shopping, and I picked up a bunch of stuff for the nurses in the Covid ward at the hospital.  I bought three bags of candy, two boxes of different types of granola bars, and some Hostess Zingers.  I was just going to get some candy, but Abby told me I needed to get the granola bars and stuff for those that don't want candy, which was a great idea!   When I spoke with Nicole this evening, she thanked me profusely.  Greg and I have always been grateful to the nurses, because they do 99% of the work and care so lovingly for our loved ones.  It's just a small token but I know they appreciate it.  I'd love to bake them something, but I'm sure with Covid, they would not be allowed to keep it.  At least this way, with everything being individually wrapped, they can enjoy the goodies I picked up. 

Nothing much else happening around here.  I'm just trying to keep up with everything.  Please continue your prayers for Greg.  He's doing great, but he's got a long road ahead of him!  We need to pray that his lungs continue to heal and he is able to breathe more and more on his own and the vent can be removed and he is able to come back home where he belongs.  

Love, peace and prayers, 

Julie