Help Mike Heal!
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On June 19, Mike had orthopedic surgery to repair a torn meniscus and severed ACL in his left knee. He had been injured at the end of May playing sand volleyball. The surgery went well overall, and he was sent home from the hospital the same day. He began the process of recovery at home and started physical therapy a week after the surgery.
On July 2, Mike had his first post-op appointment at the orthopedic clinic. At that visit, he began to feel short of breath and dizzy, almost like he was going to pass out. The feeling eventually passed and he wrote it off based on the fact that he had walked on his crutches a long distance from the parking lot and it was 90+ degrees. On Saturday July 6, Mike was at home when he again started feeling like he was going to pass out—dizzy, short of breath and had some chest pain. At that point, Katie (his wife) brought him into the ER per medical advice. We are SO fortunate that he went in! They found several sizeable blood clot clusters in both of his lungs. The ER doctor immediately started him on IV blood thinners and admitted him to Sanford Hospital.
The next day, July 7, is a day none of Mike’s family and friends will ever forget. The hospitalist at Sanford was preparing to discharge Mike after taking him off the IV medication and starting an oral blood thinner. She had second thoughts, and decided to discharge him after he showed that he was able to complete his knee physical therapy on his own. He walked a little with the physical therapist and started doing his leg exercises. After PT, once he was back in the bed, he suddenly told Katie he couldn’t catch his breath. The nurse was luckily in the room at the time and she called the “Rapid Response Team” and Mike was rushed down to the intensive care unit. Katie and his daughters, Liv and Danika, and I went with him. Katie never left his side. Mike remained unable to catch his breath and was eventually sedated and intubated. Then he crashed. There were some issues trying to stabilize him, and the doctors had to take emergency measures by blasting him with lots of clot-busting medication. His oxygen levels and blood pressure were dangerously low for longer than we would have liked. The medical team worked tirelessly while Katie waited and watched the whole thing from right outside the door. When they finally got Mike stable, the doctor in charge came to talk to Katie. He stated that they “almost lost him twice,” but reassured her that he seemed ok for the moment. It turned out that Mike had broken another, larger clot loose and it traveled up to his lungs. He had what is called a Saddle PE or Saddle embolus. He wanted to do another procedure to break up the clots once he remained stable for a few hours which was done a little later than evening. The whole thing was an absolute nightmare.
Fast forward to Monday July 8. Mike had been unconscious since about 4pm the day before, but the nurses in the ICU had been checking his neurological signs every 2 hours. Katie stayed the whole time in the room with Mike and assisted wherever she could. They noticed that every time they brought Mike out of sedation to check his neuro signs, he could move his legs and squeeze his right hand, but they felt nothing from the left hand. The sedation was lifted as his vital signs got stable, and he was extubated on Monday afternoon—sooner than the docs anticipated! As they pulled the tube out of his throat, Katie and I noticed that the left side of his face drooped down. Lots of tests were completed, and the doctors came back to tell Mike that he had suffered two strokes at some point during the ordeal the day before. Mike couldn’t feel anything on the left side of his face or his left arm and hand. His speech was affected as well. The team of neurologists told Mike and our family that he has a good chance of rehabbing and getting back most of what the strokes took away from him. He has been determined to recover and working very hard ever since that day.
Mike stayed in the ICU for 5 days, then he was transferred to Sanford’s inpatient rehab program. Now he needed to recover from the strokes. He completed 5 full days of intensive inpatient rehab and therapy. He participated in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. When he was discharged, he was set up with tons of outpatient rehab appointments that he has been faithfully attending. Mike is extremely determined to get back to where he was before this whole nightmare began. Katie and the girls are helping him with at home therapies in addition to the outpatient appointments. Mike’s goal is to get back to work at GE as soon as humanly possible.
This Go Fund Me has been set up to help Mike and his family deal with the astronomical medical bills that have resulted from Mike’s ordeal over the last month or so. Mike is a very independent person, and he & Katie are very private. They are hesitant to ask for help, but they’re going to need it. Mike is unable to work during his outpatient rehab and Katie was not working for a full 2 weeks while this happened. Any contribution will help, as will prayers and sharing this Go Fund Me campaign with others. We are very lucky that Mike survived this, as the doctors tell us that most people don’t survive a saddle embolus. For that, we are blessed and grateful. If you can help at all to take some of the financial burden off of Mike and his family, it would be appreciated more than you realize. Thank you so much for your consideration and support!
On July 2, Mike had his first post-op appointment at the orthopedic clinic. At that visit, he began to feel short of breath and dizzy, almost like he was going to pass out. The feeling eventually passed and he wrote it off based on the fact that he had walked on his crutches a long distance from the parking lot and it was 90+ degrees. On Saturday July 6, Mike was at home when he again started feeling like he was going to pass out—dizzy, short of breath and had some chest pain. At that point, Katie (his wife) brought him into the ER per medical advice. We are SO fortunate that he went in! They found several sizeable blood clot clusters in both of his lungs. The ER doctor immediately started him on IV blood thinners and admitted him to Sanford Hospital.
The next day, July 7, is a day none of Mike’s family and friends will ever forget. The hospitalist at Sanford was preparing to discharge Mike after taking him off the IV medication and starting an oral blood thinner. She had second thoughts, and decided to discharge him after he showed that he was able to complete his knee physical therapy on his own. He walked a little with the physical therapist and started doing his leg exercises. After PT, once he was back in the bed, he suddenly told Katie he couldn’t catch his breath. The nurse was luckily in the room at the time and she called the “Rapid Response Team” and Mike was rushed down to the intensive care unit. Katie and his daughters, Liv and Danika, and I went with him. Katie never left his side. Mike remained unable to catch his breath and was eventually sedated and intubated. Then he crashed. There were some issues trying to stabilize him, and the doctors had to take emergency measures by blasting him with lots of clot-busting medication. His oxygen levels and blood pressure were dangerously low for longer than we would have liked. The medical team worked tirelessly while Katie waited and watched the whole thing from right outside the door. When they finally got Mike stable, the doctor in charge came to talk to Katie. He stated that they “almost lost him twice,” but reassured her that he seemed ok for the moment. It turned out that Mike had broken another, larger clot loose and it traveled up to his lungs. He had what is called a Saddle PE or Saddle embolus. He wanted to do another procedure to break up the clots once he remained stable for a few hours which was done a little later than evening. The whole thing was an absolute nightmare.
Fast forward to Monday July 8. Mike had been unconscious since about 4pm the day before, but the nurses in the ICU had been checking his neurological signs every 2 hours. Katie stayed the whole time in the room with Mike and assisted wherever she could. They noticed that every time they brought Mike out of sedation to check his neuro signs, he could move his legs and squeeze his right hand, but they felt nothing from the left hand. The sedation was lifted as his vital signs got stable, and he was extubated on Monday afternoon—sooner than the docs anticipated! As they pulled the tube out of his throat, Katie and I noticed that the left side of his face drooped down. Lots of tests were completed, and the doctors came back to tell Mike that he had suffered two strokes at some point during the ordeal the day before. Mike couldn’t feel anything on the left side of his face or his left arm and hand. His speech was affected as well. The team of neurologists told Mike and our family that he has a good chance of rehabbing and getting back most of what the strokes took away from him. He has been determined to recover and working very hard ever since that day.
Mike stayed in the ICU for 5 days, then he was transferred to Sanford’s inpatient rehab program. Now he needed to recover from the strokes. He completed 5 full days of intensive inpatient rehab and therapy. He participated in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. When he was discharged, he was set up with tons of outpatient rehab appointments that he has been faithfully attending. Mike is extremely determined to get back to where he was before this whole nightmare began. Katie and the girls are helping him with at home therapies in addition to the outpatient appointments. Mike’s goal is to get back to work at GE as soon as humanly possible.
This Go Fund Me has been set up to help Mike and his family deal with the astronomical medical bills that have resulted from Mike’s ordeal over the last month or so. Mike is a very independent person, and he & Katie are very private. They are hesitant to ask for help, but they’re going to need it. Mike is unable to work during his outpatient rehab and Katie was not working for a full 2 weeks while this happened. Any contribution will help, as will prayers and sharing this Go Fund Me campaign with others. We are very lucky that Mike survived this, as the doctors tell us that most people don’t survive a saddle embolus. For that, we are blessed and grateful. If you can help at all to take some of the financial burden off of Mike and his family, it would be appreciated more than you realize. Thank you so much for your consideration and support!
Organizer and beneficiary
Colleen Aaron
Organizer
Sioux Falls, SD
Katie Christopherson
Beneficiary