November 11, 2010

Oh my, Vernell is currently in the hospital at Mercy Gilbert here in Arizona. We have been wanting to call all of her friends and make them aware of her health status... we kept hoping with each new day that we would have uplifting news to report.

Vernell has been in the hospital since Monday, November 1st, so we are now in day 11.

The weekend prior to her hospital admission she was have vomiting issues and by Monday afternoon, she could barely sit up on the edge of her bed without slumping over. We helped her transfer to a bedside commode and she passed out. After lifting her back into bed, the paramedics were called.

At the hospital, it was determined that she had a really bad kidney infection along with dangerously low blood pressure. The doctor decided pretty quickly that she was going to admit Vernell to the hospital while they got the kidney infection under control and then investigate the low blood pressure (hoping that the infection may be causing the low blood pressure).

Once the infection was cleared, Vernell's blood pressure still maintained at very low readings, which dropped even lower when sitting or standing. A consult with a cardiologist was ordered. A new medication was added to increase her blood pressure to normal levels, however, this medicince has now caused her blood pressure to be too high. There is a fine balance to this medication and we are praying that the doctors can figure it out soon.

Over the past few days, she has begun vomiting again, with no apparent reason. The doctor ordered an abdominal x-ray to check for blockages - results did not show anything alarming. The doctor then ordered a GI consult. She had an upper GI series 2 days ago and we are still waiting on the results. The doctor also called in a neurologist to evaluate for autonomic dysfunction.

Don and I went to visit her yesterday morning and I stayed for the afternoon to sit with her and hold her throw-up bin and keep her face wiped clean. The nurse let us know that Vernell had been running a high fever through the night. I was able to speak with her doctor and she let me know that they are still not quite sure what is going on with Vernell. Right now, they are running more labs and cultures to determine the cause of the fever. They are still waiting on the results of the upper GI series. The doctor also ordered a chest x-ray to check for aspiration from the vomiting. Once the source of the fever is determined and treated, they will continue to work on balancing her blood pressure and controlling the vomiting. The neurologist will step back in once the other systems seems to be better managed. Although the doctor cannot give us any indication of how much longer she will be in the hospital... it seems like it will be many more days. At this point, Vernell has not been up out of bed for almost 2 weeks and she is extremely weak... she will most likely be going to a skilled nursing facilty for physical rehabilitation. As history shows us, she typically stays in rehab between 4-12 weeks... which means she will be there through the holidays - that stinks.

Don called and talked to Vernell's nurse this morning. She let him know that Vernell was still vomiting through the night, but it seems to have stopped for the moment. Her fever had spiked to 102. during the night, which is super high for her considering her normal temp runs 97.6 instead of 98.6. We will be heading over to the hospital soon to visit and get the latest updates.

Vernell is blessed to have so many wonderful friends. We appreciate your understanding our need to keep you updated on her health via this blog. I know that Vernell is so thankful for your support and prayers.

I will do my best to post new information as we get it.

This is THE day 5 years ago that we were hit with the devestating news that Papa was dying of lung cancer. He hung in there with us until December 19th. I know that this must be having an affect on Vernell's current health issues. We are not ready for her to leave us yet... so please pray that God provides comfort to her spirit and healing to her body.

Until my next post... hug your loved ones and tell them you love them! Life is so precious!