Tristan Arsenault who tore esophagus & got sepsis.

This picture of Tristan with his dad Geoff, the day they left OHSU to bring Tristan home, after 24 days in the Hospital. Tristan was exhausted from that day being released.

Update on Tristan. Tristan switching off the feeding tube this week. Then 3 weeks off feeding tube to eat normally. Tube will still be on Tristan. Tristan color back but Tristan gets tired, slow & the tube beginning to be sore & irritated. Tristan happy to being able to eat & he finally gets to drink Mr. Pibb & Jumba Juice. If you visited the hospital Tristan asked everyone to get him those drinks, even though he couldn't drink them. Tristan wants to Thank Everyone for your donations!!!! Tristan is overwhelmed by your generous generosity ❤️

February 21st, 2023 ambulance came for Tristan, a 26 yr old, who had a seizure Tuesday morning. Half a day later Doctor's figuring out what happened to Tristan with tests, scans & x-ray found out Tristan had tore his esophagus. From the tear in esophagus caused a very bad infection called sepsis in Tristan chest near his organs. Tristan was sedated & put to sleep. The main picture is Tristan in ICU Riverbend, Eugene, OR. Tristan was severely dehydrated from being sick. Tristan probably threw up over hundred times with diarrhea. That morning his mother came to take him to the Emergency room to find Tristan in a daze looking at the wall & his body stiff. While trying to move him out of bed & get his shoes on, Tristan fell & had a seizure. His girlfriend, Jenny called 911 & followed the dispatcher to turn Tristan on his side. Jenny saw blood come from Tristan mouth. The 25 minute wait for ambulance felt like hour.

Tristan in the ICU had lots of IV'S bring him back to life from medicine, antibiotics, potassium, sodium to brain wave machine & a breathing tube. Our once healthy son now laying on a hospital bed in ICU. Doctor's said Tristan is now the sickest patient in the ICU. Tristan had his own day & night nurses. Nurses had there hands full with Tristan it was non stop changing medicine & the daily chores on him. On Wednesday the nurses started to wake up Tristan slowly & put him back to sleep. By Wednesday night Tristan was awake. Tristan does not remember how & why he's in the hospital until nurses told him. Tristan dad, Geoff was there with him. Tristan asked Geoff "I'm I dead?" Geoff said "no". Tristan asked Geoff who are you? Geoff had his mask on & took it off so Tristan could see his face. Tristan said "oh shit your my dad". Friends & family visited with Tristan & looked like Tristan was getting better same with on Thursday. The doctor saiid Tristan young & healthy that will help against the sepsis. Doctor said Tristan now not the sickest patient in ICU.

By Friday Tristan took a turn getting sicker. Tristan looked in pain & was making weird noises through his mouth & groining. Nurses tried to see in a scan if esophagus was healing but Tristan couldn't move to do the scan. Saturday Tristan was getting worse this time they gave more pain medicine & less sedation so Tristan could do the scan on the esophagus. Tristan has to stand for this scan a few seconds. The scan showed Tristan esophagus not healing & obviously the sepsis got worse. About 5 PM Tristan Doctor wanted to perform surgery on the esophagus. Unfortunately it would be like open heart surgery opening Tristan up & was 70% mortality rate. 2 hours later the Doctor informed us Tristan to be LifeFlight out to OHSU in Portland, Oregon. The Doctor told me "this is what I would do if this was my family member". OHSU has better facilities & surgeons to operate on Tristan.

Tristan dad, Geoff went with a friend, Chris to drive up to the hospital to be with Tristan. Of course Portland had its snow ice storm that week. Weather in Portland wasn't good. Tristan mom, Sandra stayed with Tristan until he left. I remember saying to Tristan "just keep breathing & fighting to stay alive". Tristan said "yes mom I'm trying". 4 hours past. Finally LifeFlight crew came & took Tristan in 20 minutes. Tristan & I were very impressed with them & the nurse helping get Tristan out of there. Geoff & Chris made it up to Portland & it wasn't easy with snow, ice & help from a stranger allowing them to drive over there lawn to get to the hospital. One of the roads was blocked & closed from ambulance accident from ice.

Tristan told us this when he was better, about leaving the hospital with LifeFlight. They made it into the ambulance to be told to wait for paperwork 45 minutes wait. Tristan pain came back & they kept giving him medicine so the flight would be dizzy. Once in the small plane Tristan said they were flying fast. One of the crew members said I never transported a level 3 patient before? Coming close to landing they were flying so fast they had to slow the plane down so the plane went straight up for awhile then back down to land. Hours later Tristan was reunited with Tristan dad, Geoff & Chris. Tristan had some tests done & by late morning going into surgery. One of Tristan test came back positive for the norovirus. That's how Tristan got sick. A 7+ hr surgery with 3 surgeries. 8 hrs later Tristan surgeries went well. Surgeons collapsed one of Tristan lungs to get to the esophagus tear. Second, get to the infection areas from the bile from the esophagus tear & add tubes on side of him. Tubes drained the bile that should not be there from the tear esophagus. Third add a feeding tube. Tristan slept all night most of the day. Late Monday Tristan was awake, he remembered why he was there. Tristan had been incubated so he couldn't talk. Tristan looked better & more healthier since it all happened. Tuesday they took off the breathing machine switched to oxygen through the nose. Tristan could talk. But all of a sudden a machine would beep loudly scaring us. It was telling us Tristan blood pressure would go off the charts. Even the nurse was bothered by it letting the Doctor's know. By Tuesday night they had figured it out, add Tristan oxygen 100% more & change the medicine up & it worked. Tristan would be on oxygen not quite a week. Tristan was doing better in the ICU. Until his fevers started to come back. Probably from the infections inside his body fighting it off. They changed up the antibiotics & Tristan knew a fever was coming on, take off the blanket, turn on the fan, tell the nurse & get an ice pack on his body. This was a step back. Couple days of fevers it stopped. Tristan was moved out of ICU to lower level which is good. Tristan is no longer critical patient. This happened midnight Friday. It was a relief to us all, Tristan getting better!!!!

Tristan was getting out of bed to use the bathroom, move to sit in a chair look out the window. These baby steps moved to days later Tristan walking the hallways with a nurse & PT. Tristan was taught how to change his feeding tube & maintain it. Slowly the medicine at the hospital went down. If Tristan wanted to leave the hospital he had to pass no fevers, scan showing esophagus healing & drainage tubes removed. Unfortunately 1st week Tristan didn't pass. The esophagus had a very tiny drip but his fevers had gone away. Week later Tristan 3D scan showed esophagus healing & no fevers so Tristan could go home back to Eugene, OR. Tristan had the rest of the drainage tubes removed. Less then 2 hour drive home with his dad, Tristan was exhausted & happy to be out of the hospital, at home.

Wish I could say it's all over its not. Its Tristan recovery time that will probably take 2 months or more. Tristan will have a feeding tube on month or more. Feeding tube turns on at night for about 12 hours. Every 4 hours of medicine & Tristan can start drinking simple drinks. Week later the medicine goes to every 6 hours. Tristan can start soft food eating & drinking. Tristan heading to the 3rd week. We know Tristan will be on the feeding tube a month then 3 weeks off feeding tube & start eating more soft foods. The feeding tube will stay in place while 3 weeks eating soft foods. A nurse visits Tristan each week to take out the stitches. Tristan recovery will be a slow process. Tristan low in energy. He takes his walks with a cane. Tristan soft food eating like 1/4 of what we normally eat. Tristan eating like a bird not very much because the feeding tube. Interesting to see if Tristan energy gets back when Tristan can only eat soft foods?

What happened to Tristan is a miracle. We would like to thank everyone for their prayers & thinking of Tristan. Definitely thank you to both hospitals Riverbend & OHSU Staff, Nurses, Doctor's & Surgeon's. Without them, Tristan would not be here.

Unfortunately Tristan health insurance does not cover the entire cost of his hospital expenses. Tristan paid for FireMed & LifeFlight but Tristan health insurance says its out of network. Tristan on short term disability with less then half what he makes to cover his bills. Tristan works for Old Dominion in the warehouse loading & unloading, to truck driving like his father, Geoff Arsenault (ABF Freight Trucking Company)

Your donations will help pay Tristan medical expanses.

Tristan would like to thank you for your donations ❤️