Monday, September 30, 2019

This Boy Has Way More Than 9 Lives.....

Labor Day - 2019 - If it's true that we have nine lives, my middle boy is an example of that x's 100.  He has had many complications in life but continues to "kick them in the a**" with flying colors!
This was the opening weekend of hunting season and the first weekend of Sept. is dove season. It's tradition that all the brothers and their dad and friends and  some of Matt's in-laws hunt together on this "NO GIRLS ALLOWED" weekend.  They love it and us girls do too! (wink wink)  It's just about the only weekend of the year that there are no kids and no wives or girlfriends and they just do "boy" stuff.

Let's back up to recall:  2016 my middle boy had open heart surgery.  2018: he had staph infection that was living on the wire of the defibrillator leading into his heart.  He was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks in our town and in Houston, where he had his heart surgery.  He recovered from all of that and if you didn't know his history, you would never believe he'd been thru so much. His strength, his personality, his humor...all of our Matt was back and strong again!!

On Labor Day weekend, he hunted in the 100+degree temps on Sunday.  Early Monday morning, he called his wife to say he was coming home.  That shot up a lot of red flags.....Matt never DOESN'T hunt.  He has lived for hunting season since he was old enough to hold a gun. He hadn't been feeling well the past few weeks but blamed most of it on working every day in that heat; but had really started having symptoms of the infection again.  He began running fever. Was put on antibiotics for a few days before that weekend.  But by Monday, felt bad enough to come home.  We knew the signs.....his wife took him to the ER.  I hustled to their house to stay with my granddaughters...all the while praying for a better outcome than the time before.  After all day in ER on a holiday, he was admitted that night into the hospital.  Fever was high despite the antibiotics, white blood count was scary and he was having a hard time breathing.  Amy's dad came from Baton Rouge to stay with the girls so I could be at the hospital with my boy and to give Amy a break every now and then.  He was admitted to the hospital that was only minutes from their house, which was nice to be able to get to the girls so quickly.  He was diagnosed with double pneumonia.  Next morning, doctors began to come in, blood was taken and tests were done.  His oxygen levels were scary low.  He was miserable.
Days went by and he just didn't seem to be getting better.  We asked for pulmonary specialist to come in.  And a cardiologist. I was most scared his heart was at risk.  Infectious disease doctors came in because of his recent staph infections.  But something just wasn't right...and I thank God that my daughter in law's "gut" kept telling her to get him to better doctors.  And when she has that feeling...things get done!  Matt's brothers came in and they were scared.  Amy and I were scared.  Something just wasn't right.  After much thought and consultation, it was decided that we would transfer him to Houston Methodist.  His cardiologist was there. A lot of doctors that had worked with Matt in the previous situations were there.  Hell, most of them know us by name!!  But the most important thing is that is what Matt wanted....if by chance, he took a turn for the worse...that hospital is so well equipped to take care of any situation, that we knew that he would be ok there.
After consulting with people who could get us a medical transport by airlift and all the pros and cons were weighed out, it was decided that he would go to Houston in an ambulance.  A 4 hour drive.

*Let me back up just a bit here to tell a funny story...one that needs to be documented.  He hadn't seen his baby girls in 4 days and he was really needing to see them.  And let them see him.  Being the 6&9 yr olds that they are, they weren't fazed....just so happy to see their daddy!  The youngest one had a loose tooth and because their daddy ALWAYS pull their teeth when it's time, she just expected him to do it now too.  And of course, no matter what the situation is, he is a daddy first.  The best daddy!
With a full face oxygen mask and feeling very poorly, he told his Katiejane to get on his lap where he proceeded to pull her loose tooth out.  By this time, I was a basket case and never been so proud in my whole life.  As parents, we all know that we will do ANYTHING for our children, no matter what it entails! 
A very special family that loves each other to the moon and back!

So, after a week in the local hospital, it was time to get to Houston Methodist with the finest doctors and the highest tech technology.
He was supposed to be transported at 3pm.  His bride left at 4 so she could be there when he arrived at the hospital.  I stayed with him.  They didn't get there for transport until 6pm so it was after 10pm when he got there.  As in the most professional manner, he was surrounded by many doctors and nurses upon his arrival.  And also soon after, transferred to the ICU unit.  He was very sick.
This hospital is the one used by the George Bush family and much money has been donated by their family to make it the best possible.  In fact, since we were there in ICU for his heart surgery, a whole new wing has been built by their generosity.  He was in a private ICU room that was bigger than a small apt.  And he was surrounded by all equipment and personel  to make him get well.
She always reassures him and holds his hand, looking him straight in the eye. Telling him he's going to be fine.  That all is going to be fine. How lucky I am that my son found a woman who loves him as much as I do...and knowing that thru thick or thin.....she will always be there for him.   Lucky,  I am!
He remained in the hospital in the ICU unit for 10 days.  He began to improve, being able to get up without using oxygen, as the days wore on. 
 He lost 22 lbs since Labor Day.  He was finally able to be discharged on the 19th.....the day Hurriane Dorian hit Houston.  Hell or high water was not keeping him in that hospital so with oxygen tanks in tow, they took off toward their girls!
9 hrs later, thru hurricane rains, closed roads and a flat tire......they made it home.
Back into the arms of his girls!!!

It cannot be left unsaid that without the help of family and friends, this time away from his family would have been even harder.  But because he knew their babies were being taken care of  in the best ways ever...Pops came and stayed for two weeks with them, Nana - their great grandmother - came to rub their backs and help get dressed in the mornings for school.  Amy's sister came for a week to play with them and 'clean' the house for Amy's return.  Their school and church family had a meal train going every night for 2 weeks!  My youngest boy's wife kept them for days and played and played with them while josh took them fishing with their cousins...
We are truly blessed to have the family we have....sure don't know what I would do without them..during times like this or just on any given day!

I am going to explain what the final diagnosis was because my boy wants this message out there. Of course, I obtained his OK to post this.  But I have a lot of followers who are parents to teenage children.  This issue MUST be addressed, not only to teens, but to everyone out there.
Matt has become one of the numbers now in this country who has become a victim of the vaping epidemic.  He quit smoking back in 2013 and then picked up the vape pen.  Thinking, of course, that it was safe and non addictive.  Wrong.  His lungs have had an injury....."ARDS...a condition in which fluid collects in the lung's air sacs, depriving organs of oxygen.  Acute respiratory distress syndrome can occur in those who have injury to the lungs.  It is often fatal, the risk increasing with age and severity of illness."
It just so happened that the week he was admitted to hospital was the week that the national news went crazy because of all the people being diagnosed.  Which made our experience even worse.
Worse because the doctors know what this is but they do not know how to treat it yet.  That, alone, put the fear of God in us. 
Please educate those you know to the wrath of this injury before it is too late.

Thank Goodness my boy is recovering and getting stronger every day.











Monday, September 23, 2019

Where I've Been...

Even tho I've been a pretty bad slacker about blogging this summer, I never expected one of the reasons to be the hospitalization of my middle boy.  He and his bride spent Labor Day at the ER....and he was admitted that night with what they thought was double pneumonia.

I had planned to write a detailed post today of all that has happened, but I find myself not able to talk about it yet.  After going back thru some pics of the last 3 weeks, I still feel a bit too raw to write.  I do want to include info here because it will become a part of our family diary, and the time will come....just not yet. Driving home in hurricane rains from Houston, closed roads and a flat tire.. he is finally back home where he belongs...with his family surrounding him.
 He is doing so much better now at home and even walked down his street a bit this morning!!

I will be back to tell the story but today I'm choosing to do stuff like this instead!!

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