Medical related expenses, lost wages

Our Journey began when Kirk went to Lillian M. Hudspeth Memorial Hospital on January 12, 2014 around 10:30 PM. Kirk had fever and a skin irritation on his left inner thigh the week before. The wound became painful and he became more ill by the day and hours leading to his ER trip in Sonora. Dr. Hall quickly realized the urgency of a higher level of care due to the wound and Kirk's over-all condition. He literally spent hours trying to find a facility that had an ICU bed available. There simply were none nearby, so we ended up in downtown Fort Worth at Harris Methodist Hospital. We were one of the first patients in their brand new ER where we spent the majority of Monday, January 13, 2014. When the CT Abdomen and Pelvis was finally completed, the surgeon immediately booked the operating room and frankly stated that Kirk was a very sick man and that he wasn't sure he would survive the surgery or ever make it off the ventilator. Well, for once, I'm glad my brother is so stubborn. He didn't get the memo he was so sick. He also didn't get the memo he would be on a ventilator until a second wound surgery could be done 48 hours later. For that matter, neither did the anesthesiologist. The breathing tube was removed in recovery and Kirk woke up disoriented and angry. He and anesthesia are not friends. It was horrible. He finally got up to ICU and got adequate pain control and calmed. The surgeon came in the next morning not expecting to see Kirk alert and talking. He told Kirk, he really didn't bank on him still being with us. Our God is an awesome God and my brother is incredibly strong. The second surgery on January 15, 2014 went well. Kirk did a little better with waking up from anesthesia, but it was still very difficult on him. Very difficult on his harem that included Leila, Storie, and Tonya, as well. His harem would be the same as my rocks. He had a miserable night due to his Foley catheter being clogged. A urologist had to come in and replace it himself, at one point. Another time, it took a more skilled ICU nurse to clear the line. The catheter remains in place due to the close proximity of the wound. Kirk was diagnosed with Necrotizing Fascitis and new onset Diabetes. His glucose in Sonora was in the 700's. He was considered septic with a white blood cell count that peaked at 33,000 in the Harris Methodist ER. In addition to that, he had a GI Bleed from the stress to his body and most likely the amount of Aleve he took at home for pain and fever. He almost bought himself a blood transfusion with a low Hemoglobin of 7.7. Thankfully his hemoglobin came up on its own. Kirk has his 3rd surgery within a 4 day period on Friday, January 17, 2014. At this time he had a wound vac placed that assists with draining the wound which helps remove infection and promotes healthy tissue regrowth. The wound is in a complicated area and will take up to 3 months to heal, with possible skin grafting necessary in the end. The surgeon and Infectious Disease MD anticipate a total of 4 weeks of a cocktail of antibiotics and anti-fungals from the January 17 surgery. The GI Bleed resolved as far as active bleeding, but Kirk had swallowing difficulties likely from being intubated 3 times in such a short period of time. He also had an NG Tube that contributed to irritation. He was going to have an endoscopy to look for possible ulcerations, but we chose to delay that since the swallowing significantly improved. He's being treated with the same meds either way. His issues now are his lack of nutrition necessary for wound healing. He has no appetite and can barely stand the smell of food, much less to actually eat it. The goal for his diabetes is not to lose weight at this point, though that is happening. He needs all the protein he can get, to heal. Please pray for continued progress and, although we know there are peaks and valleys to come. As far as infection control, the initial wound culture grew Group B Strep and yeast. Subsequent cultures have grown staph. Kirk is on contact isolation. Unless you have an open wound and get drainage from his wound into yours, there is nothing to fear. Logan is not contagious and I am not contagious. As a precaution, visitors have to stand in a "safe zone" which is essentially just inside his door, or wear a protective gown and gloves and use good hand washing. For this reason, we have decided not to have Logan visit at this time. We don't want the school or his Gonzales family to worry that he will bring something home, even though that likelihood is low. I have taken precautions and won't be brining anything home, either. This infection was so virulent that if any of you had it, you would know by now! We would never put anyone in danger. Additionally, Kirk has not had anything amputated despite the rumor mill. It may take a while, but he will recover and will be back home! Praise God. We are blessed to have great Physicians, but know God is the Master Physician and is in complete control. Thank You all for the love and prayers. We appreciate the visits, calls, texts and Facebook messages! We feel the love of extended family and friends. This is a lot for a man who hasn't seen a doctor in 19 years prior to this!