Right after Christmas break, my parents both got horribly sick. After 6 days of misery, my mom started to improve but my dad did not. On the 7th day, New Years Day, my mom rushed my dad to the ER because he was horribly weak and couldn't breathe very well. At the ER, they both tested positive for Flu and my dad's xray showed that he had viral pneumonia. They were given meds and steroids and sent home. My mom was good as new and my dad slowly improved the first day but the second day he was so much worse. On Jan 4, My mom texted my sisters and I that she was taking him back to the ER and it took my parents 60 minutes to get my dad from their bedroom into the truck. He was that weak and disoriented. In hindsight, they both see that they should have called an ambulance but at the time they were in panic mode.
Once at the hospital, it was clear that the pneumonia was not improving. In fact, it had turned from viral to bacterial and he was septic. PURE TERROR. Sepsis kills. They admitted my dad and over the next 3 days, his health just spiraled. He went from being cognitively with it to being so disoriented and low on oxygen that he was in and out of consciousness. They started him on oxygen and when that didn't work they put him on a bipap machine. I asked all weekend if I should come home but no one believed his life was in danger so I was told to stay put. On the first day back to school after break, I called my mom from my classroom around 9AM to check in. After 2 days in the hospital it was clear that he would need to be put into a medically induced coma, intubated and would need a vent to breathe for him. It all happened so quickly that none of us really knew what to do. She was in horrible distress and when I told her I was getting on a plane she said "Ok. Hurry."
The next 12 hours were a blur. I called Dustin at work and told him I was getting on a plane. He was so amazing at working out the kinks in the schedule while I was gone and I didn't have a single thing to worry about in Florida. I was at the Jacksonville airport by noon and before I got on the plane, I got a horrible update from my sister. The xray of the day showed that my dad's lungs were completely white. They were non-existing. Completely full of fluid. Also, his body was refusing the vent so they had to medically paralyze him. After a layover in Baltimore, I landed in Indy at 9. Throughout this whole traveling process, my dad's health steadily declined. I was only able to get updates while on the ground so there were long hours where I feared the worst. It was pretty clear that my dad was dying and I didn't expect him to be alive when I got to the hospital.
But, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, when I landed I was given the first glimpse of hope. The paralytic worked and they were able to get the vent to do the job intended. He was stable and his sats were steady.
I arrived at the hospital and was so overcome with emotion. I collapsed on my dad's still and silent body and just sobbed. My sisters and mom reassured me that things were moving in the right direction and he would be ok. I stayed that night at the hospital until about midnight. Kylee and I then drove to my parent's house and slept there together until the next morning.
I ended up staying in Indiana 6 days. Throughout these days, I spent every waking moment in ICU and he got better and then worse. They'd fix problems and then new problems would arise. On my second day there, we thought all was well and then we were told that he was not getting any better and his xray was still white. They ordered a rotoprone bed from Indy that arrived at midnight that night. This was so scary. This bed looks like a giant space capsule and it suspends and turns the patient to help drainage. It is reserved for worst case scenarios and we knew that.
He remained on that bed for the rest of my trip. When I left on Saturday, he was steadily improving. This is the only reason I was able to bring myself to leave. We had hope that he would make it. My mom insisted I get back to my babies and job and husband and all the things that were waiting for me.
I can think of one thing I have gone through in this life that could even begin to compare to this nightmare. It was truly the most horrific week.
I did not take many pictures during the week and many of the ones that I did were not to post for others. Below are just a few moments that I feel comfortable posting, most of which were sent from Dust or friends helping out on the home front. I am more thankful than ever for my people. We would never have gotten through it without them.
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| The devotions I was reading the morning that I ended up leaving. |
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| SO many wonderful people brought meals, snacks, gifts and love |
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| My dad on the Rotoprone bed |
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| Saying Goodbye |
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| Spending the day with Gramps after Sports |
When I arrived home, it was a weird feeling. My dad was improving but things were still so critical and fragile. I held on tight to my babies and tried to get back to normal.
