Nutrition for Mitchell

Hi! My name is Ashley Whisenhunt, and I have set up this account for my husband Mitchell Whisenhunt. We are a wonderful family of 3. We have a beautiful 14 month old baby girl, and we can't forget our furbaby Pip! Let me start with his current needs, and if you wish, you can read a little from his past....it's a lot.

Mitchell has been in the hospital since May 20th with severe double pneumonia caused by aspiration. The first week he was very lethargic. The GI doctor said his Epiglottis acts as if Mitchell has had a stroke. It is paralyzed. Which is causing the aspiration and in turn has caused this severe infection in his lungs. He had a high fever for several days. That is now under control. He has also been on oxygen. At one point he was on 7L...he is now stable at 4L. Now 2 weeks later, his pneumonia is getting better and clearing up, and he has his second permanent feeding tube.

Mitchell was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital June 5th...he was only here for a few days before we almost lost him on June 9th. He had aspirated again on his own vomit. Everything went straight to his lungs. He was transferred back to the main hospital for 9 days. In the time back at the main hospital, Mitchell had another "drowning" episode. They did emergency surgery to reposition feeding tube into his small bowel. This helped tremendously! He has now been back at the Rehabilitation hospital since June 17th. His Medicare will only be paying until July 1st. So mitchell will be transferred back home at that point. he will have 6 weeks of home health until he is at an out patient level. He will have a hospital bed, feeding pump and feedings, oxygen and much more that we will have to pay for. Please keep our family in your prayers as we struggle to keep our heads up.

Rewind:

Mitchell and I began dating back in 2008. We both worked at Fastrack in Longview, TX. Shortly after we got engaged and married July 10, 2010. The night we got married is when it all started.

Mitchell began experiencing chest pain and not feeling well. We were in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and I was very scared. Although I worked at our local hospital....it was dificult for me to stay calm. I went to a Walmart that happen to be close by to get a thermometer....106.7, it's time to go to the hospital.
He had Pneumonia in both lungs. Fast forward to September 2010. I came home from work one evening to find Mitchell in the floor, struggling for each breath. As soon as we get to the hospital, they immediately take him back and get started. He has had a spontaneous pneumothorax...a collapsed lung. For 5 days he was on 100% O2 and he had not gotten any better. They decided he needed to have a Pluerodesis. Lung surgery. After surgery he coded in recovery. He ended up in ICU for about a month. Went home on oxygen, had reaccurent chest tubes and pneumonia over the next year and also found out he has Marfan Syndrome.....July 2011, we've been married a year....Just got the news Mitchell will be having open heart surgery. August 19 I lost him twice. Thanks to the skilled SICU staff they were able to revive him both times. He was re-intubated several times because his body just couldnt breath on its own. He was a fighter! He still is a fighter! A week after surgery, he had pneumonia again. This time, it was aspiration pneumonia. After several tests, it was determined he needed a feeding tube. He has nerve damage from surgery that has paralized his epiglottis. The flap that covers your airway when you eat. Once again, after a couple months in the hospital, he came home on O2 and this time, tube feedings. Shortly after he got a very severe infection and was transferred to Baylor hospital. He then was in their rehab program there. He had pneumonia off and on, about once every 2 months. August 2012 he had his feeding tube removed. YAY! We also found out we were expecting. We have had 4 previous losses. Maybe this is God saying it's all over! This is our new beggining. 

Mitchell had started getting better. It was longer in between hospital visits. We were releived. Our daughter was born April 2013. After her arrival, Mitchell did well at first, but then started to get ill again. He has been in and out of the hospital again. This time, he is aspirating again. He is in ICU at a new hospital. He currently has a dobhoff tube until he is stable enough to have his new feeding tube placed in his stomache. Mitchell has had Pneumonia at lease 20 times a year. Possibly more, since 2010.