Clayton’s back went out back in April. His back has not recouped like we anticipated. And has been on bed rest since then. Recently, his legs had started swelling and nothing was helping that we were trying to reduce the swelling.

Therefore on Sunday September 27th we took him to the ER. He started off with a sonogram to check for blood clots and luckily there were none. But they found he had an abnormal heart beat. He was then admitted. After lots of tests and bloodwork, it was determined that he had a blood infection, heart valve infection, and was in heart failure.

General antibiotics were started, diuretics were started, and a game plan started to be developed.

On October 1st, he was moved from Seton RR to Seton Main in Austin for the heart valve surgery.

It was determined the bacterial infection was from Streptococcus Sanguinis. Which typically grows in the mouth. Due to a bad tooth, this bacteria managed to get into his blood system and wreck havoc on his heart valves.

Antibiotics were changed to target the specific strain of bacteria.

On October 3rd, he had a blood transfusion to boost his blood count as he was anemic. We believe due to everything going on in his body.

He receives daily shots in his belly to prevent blood clots.

The bad tooth will have to be extracted as it is the culprit of the infections and to prevent any further recurring infections. The dentist is scheduled to see him tomorrow October 7th. The dentist may remove the bad tooth then, but if it will be difficult to remove, he will be transferred to Dell Seton (off Red River) to remove the bad tooth. Then will be transferred back to Seton Main for the heart valve surgery.

The doctors are continuing to monitor and pull fluid off his body (via diuretics) to help the survival rate during/after the double heart valve replacement surgery.

Once his blood work is where the doctors want it and most of the excess fluid is removed off his body, the double heart valve (both the left valves - aortic and mitral valves) replacement surgery will happen. Right now, it is just a waiting game.

The medical bills will start adding up quick andwill take a toll on us financially.  This is not something either one of us would ever thought or wanted to do, but any amount you can help will help us stay afloat. Thank you for donations and prayers.