On March 14th, while I was away at a business conference, my wife LoriLynn, was suffering from what she thought was a migraine & fibromyalgia but also developed blue fingertips! Thankfully, she asked to be taken to the ER by my mom & sister. She was quickly admitted to ICU for diagnosis and treatment and the team was deciding on best options for LoriLynn.
Early on March 17th, her condition worsened and she was placed on a breathing machine where they continued further testing. Only several hours later, she was transferred to a more equipped cardiac hospital to determine the cause of her illness.
The main issue was a blood infection that was immediately treated with antibiotics. The medical team was very concerned about organ failure when they couldn't find the source of infection, as it spread throughout her body and into the brain. The infection began in her blood, but as it spread throughout her body, a large portion became attached to a lead wire from her pacemaker. So the only way to treat the infection, and save her life, was to remove the pacemaker. This was successfully done on March 22nd and she underwent weeks of antibiotics treatments until her discharge on April 20th. Many prayers were answered to reach this milestone!!
As you can imagine, having been in such a fragile state, she lost a lot of motor skills and had to undergo physical therapy to relearn simple things like, talking, walking, eating, etc. She has gone through outpatient therapy for the past couple of weeks and continues to show good improvement. We are also trying to make sure she has proper nutrition to get her strength back to look at what is ahead: re-implanting the pacemaker to protect LoriLynn from unsafe heart rhythms, restore her strength and quality of life.
Through all of this, I have had to take a leave from work to be at the hospital for daily updates and now care for LoriLynn at home. I am grateful for the help from our daughter Hannah Jane, my sister-in-law, niece, sister and many coworkers taking on extra to let me concentrate on LoriLynn. It's been a very challenging time for me emotionally and physically.
Now, we face the daunting task of managing & paying off multiple medical bills from the 37-day hospital stay between several ICU units & InPatient Rehab. The bills are already starting to grow. Although we have insurance, we also face several more weeks of recovery, another surgery to re-implant the pacemaker and then several weeks of recovery afterwards.
LoriLynn, Hannah Jane and I are humbly seeking any support from those who feel encouraged to help us tackle this challenge. We are estimating this based on the multiple doctors, hospitals, rehab and at- home care that has been given. It's a large number, but every little bit counts. We will count each day as a blessing as we move closer to a new normal family life. GOD BLESS!
Early on March 17th, her condition worsened and she was placed on a breathing machine where they continued further testing. Only several hours later, she was transferred to a more equipped cardiac hospital to determine the cause of her illness.
The main issue was a blood infection that was immediately treated with antibiotics. The medical team was very concerned about organ failure when they couldn't find the source of infection, as it spread throughout her body and into the brain. The infection began in her blood, but as it spread throughout her body, a large portion became attached to a lead wire from her pacemaker. So the only way to treat the infection, and save her life, was to remove the pacemaker. This was successfully done on March 22nd and she underwent weeks of antibiotics treatments until her discharge on April 20th. Many prayers were answered to reach this milestone!!
As you can imagine, having been in such a fragile state, she lost a lot of motor skills and had to undergo physical therapy to relearn simple things like, talking, walking, eating, etc. She has gone through outpatient therapy for the past couple of weeks and continues to show good improvement. We are also trying to make sure she has proper nutrition to get her strength back to look at what is ahead: re-implanting the pacemaker to protect LoriLynn from unsafe heart rhythms, restore her strength and quality of life.
Through all of this, I have had to take a leave from work to be at the hospital for daily updates and now care for LoriLynn at home. I am grateful for the help from our daughter Hannah Jane, my sister-in-law, niece, sister and many coworkers taking on extra to let me concentrate on LoriLynn. It's been a very challenging time for me emotionally and physically.
Now, we face the daunting task of managing & paying off multiple medical bills from the 37-day hospital stay between several ICU units & InPatient Rehab. The bills are already starting to grow. Although we have insurance, we also face several more weeks of recovery, another surgery to re-implant the pacemaker and then several weeks of recovery afterwards.
LoriLynn, Hannah Jane and I are humbly seeking any support from those who feel encouraged to help us tackle this challenge. We are estimating this based on the multiple doctors, hospitals, rehab and at- home care that has been given. It's a large number, but every little bit counts. We will count each day as a blessing as we move closer to a new normal family life. GOD BLESS!