In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 6-10
First off, thank you all for your comments. It is so encouraging for me to read during this difficult time. This morning I woke just before 9am to start the day. I was still exhausted, but didn’t want to waste anytime to see how Kevin had done overnight.
I found Kevin was pretty stable, with his blood pressures around 90/50 and that his heart rate was still in the 130’s. His temp was around 103.6. He was still ventilated and thankfully well sedated.
Our great nurse, Jim was there with some of the doctors who informed me that Kevin definitely has a serious staff infection, and possibly MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus). He was placed in isolation, meaning gloves and gowns are to be worn at all times as a precaution.
I started off by just praying with Kevin, and then wiping his body down with iced washcloths. Kevin was also given tylenol, and over the course of 2-3 hours, his temp dropped down to 99.9. What an amazing improvement, as with it came his heart rate, to around 110!
Kevin did become more aware mid-day, and we got to communicate a bit before I asked for them to keep him as sedated as possible during the vent process.
Linda arrived late afternoon, after my mom, Pastor Curtiss & Robyn and “cousin” Kristen came to visit. We got to sit with Kevin and just catch up, enjoying his stability and definite improvement from the night earlier.
Around 7pm, Kevin’s heart rate doubled to around 200 out of nowhere. We were quickly rushed out of the room, as the nurses scrambled to see what was happening. They gave him some medicine which brought his heart rate down, but his blood pressure dropped to around 70/40 during the episode, then came back up.
He had several episodes of the high heart rate again, until eventually, one attack kept him at 200 with pressures around 75/40. We were very scared. The nurse finally got a hold of the cardiac group and a wonderful doctor arrived within 15 minutes. It was agreed to give him some angio medicine to calm him, and to shock him back to rhythm.
They gave him a slight sedation (they could not give him full sedation due to his pressures dropping), and shocked him. It brought him out of the rhythm issue, and back down to about 115!! Praise God.
The issue seems to be a flutter at the top of the heart. The flutter was running about 300 beats per minute, but the bottom muscle of the heart was keeping the flutter from running that high, however, the flutter still caused his heart-rate to jump to 200. The flutter is still there, but it’s not running as high.
We are unsure what causes the flutter. It could be any number of things: the staff, the tumor, general heart issues. We may never know, but it was under control when we left the hospital.
It’s been a raw, emotional day, and we pray that Kevin’s strong will can get him through this. As I’ve heard many times, “If anyone can get through this, it’s Kevin”, and with his strong faith in God, I am still believing in God’s miracle healing. We trust His will, and know there is an ultimate purpose for this, but also trust that in God, miracles are unseemingly possible!
Pray with us tonight for Kevin’s stability, doctors guidance, our rest, and recovery. Thank you all.
