Most of you know by now that my dad is in the ICU in Baton Rouge and is very ill. Thank you all very much for your love and support, we need it right now and it is so appreciated.
I'm so tired from being up for 2 days straight, taking 3 flights, and spending all day in the hospital. I'm in a bit of a fog so forgive me if I begin to ramble. But I'll try to fill you in on everything that has happened so far, so this initial entry will probably be lengthy. I plan to update this site frequently whenever I visit him or hear anything, so future updates will be shorter.
Background:
My dad has been working out of town in the Baton Rouge area for just a couple weeks on a short assignment. He was due to come home in 2 weeks. This is what I know of that led up to this event:
Thursday 12/1: Per his coworker, he had decreased appetite and was wearing glasses instead of contacts, which isn't typical.
Friday 12/2: Onset of chills, headache, nausea, dizziness, sweating, and dry mouth.
Saturday 12/3: We spoke on the phone and he said he was starting to feel a little better, but still sounded a little "off".
Sunday 12/4: We emailed back and forth and I got a normal logical email from him at 2:30pm stating everything was fine and he was planning on following up with the doctor in the morning. Then at approximately 9:00pm he was found totally disoriented and confused banging on doors in the hotel hallway. The paramedic also said that he had left-sided weakness and a left-deviating gaze and was unable to answer any questions correctly or communicate coherently whatsoever. Initially we were very concerned that he was having a stroke.
Upon arrival to the ER, he received a CT which was normal. His initial bloodwork showed an increased white blood cell count of 20 (indicating infection), sodium was 125, and liver enzymes were mildly elevated. Stroke was ruled out in favor of an infectious process, suspicion at that time was meningitis. He had no hallmark rash, but presented with fever of 103 and very rigid stiff neck. He remained confused, had some seizure activity on EEG, and became increasingly lethargic, all of which led the physicians to intubate him (put in a breathing tube) to protect his airway.
After a very sleepless night, I got on the first flight out of Harrisburg and got here to Baton Rouge this afternoon.
I spoke with the doctor and they are still unclear what is causing this. It appears there are different opinions depending on which doctor you ask. One swears it must be viral meningitis, one swears it is likely west nile virus. All that's clear to me is that he has some serious infectious process going on, whether viral or bacterial I don't know. But they did a spinal tap and the cerebrospinal fluid does not support bacterial meningitis, which is a good thing. The spinal fluid has been sent out to test for West Nile Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and some other stuff too that I quite honestly tuned out. He is currently taking IV Acyclovir (antiviral), Vancomycin (antibiotic), Keppra (antiseizure), Propofol (sedation) and normal saline (maintenance fluids).
Bloodwork this afternoon continued to show a further elevated WBC, but the sodium has improved to 130 which is closer to normal. He has had no further seizure activity since last night. Blood cultures have been sent out, results should come back in a day or so. His urine showed no sign of infection.
He remains on the ventilator, however he is also able to breathe above the vent (on his own) so that is a good thing. But he apparently will stay on the ventilator until he is able to better follow commands. The nurse said she momentarily stopped the Propofol (the sedative drip) this morning to see how he would do, and at that time he was not able to follow commands very well. Mostly he just tried to pull out his breathing tube. I'm hoping after another 24 hours of medication that he'll respond a little better tomorrow. I'm anxious to know once the sedation is removed, what his mental status will be like and what he'll be capable of.
In terms of his left-sided weakness, the initial report I got was that his left side was very flaccid and that even when he was fighting the vent and breathing tube, he wasn't lifting his left arm at all, he was only moving the right side. The doctor said that basically whatever infection is going on has affected his nervous system, thus the limb paralysis. During my first visit I saw this to be true. But then later in the afternoon I saw that although he still favored his right arm, he was definitely moving and lifting the left arm too. This evening I saw him moving his left arm much more. That is a good thing.
He still has a fever. This afternoon his fever stayed at 103 despite Tylenol. The night shift nurse had a cooling blanket and some ice packs on and that started to make a difference before I left.
As for mental status, although he is sedated on Propofol I believe that he was responding well to my voice. When I first got there and was talking to him and holding his hand, he squeezed my hand in return. At first I thought it might be a coincidence and I was afraid to get my hopes up. But this evening, I was talking in his ear about Zoey and Finn and how much they love him. And explaining to him that he was in the hospital and what was happening. I asked him to squeeze my hand if he understood. He furrowed his brow and squeezed my hand. It looked like it took effort, but he did that 3 different times when I asked. He squeezed my hand in a very specific way. That makes me feel good.
As for MY mental status, well this whole thing has been very easy to write so far because that stuff is all very clinical. But I've run the gamut of emotions all day. There were times I felt like all I could do was barely breathe and make it through from one moment to the next. Not knowing exactly what we're dealing with or what kind of prognosis we face is difficult. Honestly, I'm really in no position to share much, I'm just exhausted. And it isn't easy being out here all alone, with no friends and family and nearby.
But I am overwhelmed by the kindness of friends and family who have been calling, texting, and emailing throughout this challenging day. I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to you but I've gotten each message and I love you all. And thank you for the calls about my grandmother as well. She has also been ill and has been admitted to a hospital in PA for further tests, she is in my thoughts all day as well.
I was also so comforted by all the calls I got from my Dad's coworkers and the hotel staff who are all concerned for him and who have nothing but amazing kind words to say. One of his co-workers met me at the hospital to talk and give me a "goodie bag" that his wife put together. Thank you. Thank you everyone.
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