Update #51

Dave slept really well last night - six full hours - rest that he desperately needed to prepare for what has already been a very long day.

When I arrived for the 5:30 a.m. visiting hours, Dave seemed very relaxed and didn't seem to be feeling nearly as much pain in his foot. Within an hour and a half, however, his heart rate was up, his blood pressure low, and the look on his face made it clear that the pain was back. While I was in his room, the doctors did an ultrasound and found no sign of blood clots in the veins in his legs (they checked both legs to be safe). A second ultrasound sometime today will tell us if there are clots in his arteries. If that test also comes back negative, the two most plausible explanations for the pain are a sprain/strain from some type of movement over the past two or three days or an infection. So far, although his white blood cell count is elevated, he does not have a fever, so it appears that infection may not be the issue. The doctors ordered another dose of ibuprofen to help with the swelling, and we have been icing Dave's ankle as often as he can endure the extra pain that pressure on the area causes.

In addition, although Dave's elevated heart rate may be due to the pain from his foot, the combination of his high heart rate and low blood pressure caused some concern for his doctors (and for us every time the alarm sounded on his monitor to indicate that his rate was over 150). After talking through a few options, the doctors decided to give him a liter of fluid as well as two units of blood, hoping the combination would help to stabilize him. When we left after the 11:00 a.m. visiting hours, his heart rate was fairly steady between 110 and 120 (still high, but better), and his blood pressure had risen to a healthier level as well.

Because Dave has had such a rough day so far, he has not been able to breathe without the ventilator to work out his lungs or do any PT. Hopefully, by this afternoon, he will be more comfortable and ready to work out a little bit to keep his recovery moving forward.

This week has been difficult so far, but fortunately, Dave has had a full four-person support team by his side every step of the way. His mom seems to be doing much better - less coughing and no mask when she visits now - and his sister Jen has been back in town since Sunday. I'm sure we are an overwhelming clan for Dave from time to time (and for his nurses - somehow the "two visitors per patient" rule has never really applied to us), but the boy can never doubt how much he is loved... :-)

One other update: I mentioned a while back a man named Tony who is also in the ICU. Last time I updated you, his family had just found out that his was in a vegetative state. The past two weeks have been full of highs and lows for his wife Darlene and their kids. Tony does not appear to be in a vegetative state, but he is struggling quite a bit. The biggest struggle, unfortunately, has been convincing the doctors not to give up on him. Please be praying for the McPeek family, especially today and tomorrow as they prepare for a meeting with one of Tony's doctors and the Ethics Board at UT to determine if and how they should continue treatment.

It's been a gray and rainy Thursday in Knoxville, but I keep looking for a rainbow, knowing that God is still working and tomorrow is another (hopefully sunny) day. More soon...