Thank you again for each and every one of you who has been praying for my sister - who was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, Jan. 5 with the pneumonia and moved to MICU the following evening, her husband and two daughters and my parents.
As you can imagine, it has been a challenging time for all.
I haven't been providing updates the last couple of days because I wanted to respect individual's news feeds and the changes - at time - in her condition have been minute and would have taken a lot of specific, detailed explanation to communicate.
The best thing to pass along then became, "Please continue to pray for all involved."
As a man and as my sister's brother, I want to fix things, but in this situation I can't. Nor can anybody that's reading this and not involved in her clinical care.
I have to exercise my faith and place my trust in God, the doctors and nurses who are providing her care and the drugs and equipment that are being used - in the right combination and dosages - to help her get well.
As my brother-in-law and I spoke in her room on Sunday evening, it is like watching a shell game in play; however, a delicate life -- one that is loved by many -- hangs in the balance.
She had slowly been making baby steps, but had some small setbacks on Sunday and Monday mornings.
Her body has been trying to outbreath the ventilator, which has numerical measures on how hard she and the machine is working. It has always been a gap of about seven (7) or eight (8). When I left this evening, it was a range of two to three.
They've been adjusting her paralytic to try to allow her body to rest to keep it from trying to outwork the machine.
Yet, an applied positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 14 is much higher than the doctors would like this at this point in the process. It had been as low as 10 last evening; however, it is desired to get to five (5) or below.
I would go into more details, but some would be inclined to do a little reading and ask questions -- more than likely the same that we're asking the doctors as far as the future direction and options in her care.
However, I think it is safe to say that those options are varied and run the gamut.
Some aren't easy to think about, let alone discuss.
I continue to express my appreciation of and pride in how my brother-in-law is handling everything.
It is very, very hard on him, yet he is doing it well - and, at times, with little sleep.
His two girls - my two nieces - are staying with friends who recently moved back to Texas in the last two to three months. They have three girls of their own.
My family appreciates what they are doing to support my sister's family.
It is also tough to see the stress that it is putting on my parents.
When I got the initial call last Tuesday, my Dad - the Marine - was as rattled as I've ever heard him in my 47 years of life -- even with him having gone through as many back procedures as he has over the years.
Yet I teared up this evening as I saw him tell my sister "Good night" for the evening -- and that he loved her.
And we've, unfortunately, in the midst of this situation, have heard pieces of misinformation out and about as well as one vile post -- on a message board, reportedly -- that simply has to be left with God to deal with.
Knowing that you're praying for our families and you allowing me to share with you this information has allowed me to be calm and collected to support my brother-in-law, nieces and parents where and when necessary.
Please trust me that our families covet your prayers and that God will be in complete control of the entire situation.
Thank you for allowing me to share -- and thank you for being a part of my family's life.
Jon
All I can do is pray. I ask the great physician to be with your sister and family during this time. I pray for comfort, healing, strength and patience. God's got this...
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