Just explaining why I haven't been around for about a week and why I may not be around for quite awhile.
This is a letter I sent to my Email contacts:
Our daughter, Kimberly Felknor, lives in Dallas.
She is in RHD Medical Center, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Please DO NOT SEND FLOWERS, BALOONS, ETC.
The ICU will just throw them out.
On Friday, December 30, she went back to the Dr who had been treating her for Influenza since Dec 27. She was feeling pretty bad of course, and had a ragged cough.
He gave her a prescription for Cough Medicine and gave her the usual Lots of fluids and rest.
By mid evening though, she was feeling very, very bad.
She went to the ER.
They admitted her with Pneumonia.
The full title is Bilateral Pneumonocal/Streptococcal Pneumonia.
By Saturday Dec 31 noontime she was feeling better (massive antibiotics)
And called us to tell us she was in the Hospital (Rm 522) but was OK and would likely be discharged on Mon or Tues (Jan 2 or 3).
We sent flowers.
By Saturday evening, we had been called by her friend Debbie, who told us Kim had been moved to the ICU “for superior monitoring purposes”, but that she was probably going to be alright.
We booked a flight the next morning to Dallas.
On Sunday afternoon we arrived in Dallas and went to the ICU.
The situation had worsened.
She was now in very bad shape.
Her White Cell count was down very, very low.
We talked briefly to her, but she could hardly talk, since she could hardly breath.
The Drs determined that it would be best to sedate her and place her on a Ventilator (breathing Machine).
Later that night they decided that she needed to be put into a deeper state. So a “Paralytic” was administered to put her into a coma.
At this time, she is in septic shock, cannot breathe on her own, and has perhaps 10% of her lungs functioning. Although they are not calling for a fatality, neither are they willing to predict survival.
Because of certain criteria, she is being administered an Experimental drug, Xigris, which can only be administered in life threatening situations, but which has had very good results in early trials.
At this point they have done everything they can and it is up to God.
The most likely scenario is that she will survive, but be in the Hospital ICU for at least a month and then, if she is sufficiently out of the woods, be transferred to a Rehab Hospital where she could spend a month, 3 months or even 6 months. No one knows if this would allow complete recovery.
I know all this sounds dire.
But this is where she is at this time.
We have returned to Ft Myers and we will be closing our house up and moving to Dallas for the duration.
We anticipate leaving Ft Myers Tues morning.
A million details need to be attended to such as our Drs, Financials, etc.
We ask our friends to have patience with us as we are not operating at our highest efficiency right now and could use your prayers and understanding.
And we absolutely will not resond to every Email.
We will be very busy for sometime.
Thanks.
Homer and Edna
This is a letter I sent to my Email contacts:
Our daughter, Kimberly Felknor, lives in Dallas.
She is in RHD Medical Center, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Please DO NOT SEND FLOWERS, BALOONS, ETC.
The ICU will just throw them out.
On Friday, December 30, she went back to the Dr who had been treating her for Influenza since Dec 27. She was feeling pretty bad of course, and had a ragged cough.
He gave her a prescription for Cough Medicine and gave her the usual Lots of fluids and rest.
By mid evening though, she was feeling very, very bad.
She went to the ER.
They admitted her with Pneumonia.
The full title is Bilateral Pneumonocal/Streptococcal Pneumonia.
By Saturday Dec 31 noontime she was feeling better (massive antibiotics)
And called us to tell us she was in the Hospital (Rm 522) but was OK and would likely be discharged on Mon or Tues (Jan 2 or 3).
We sent flowers.
By Saturday evening, we had been called by her friend Debbie, who told us Kim had been moved to the ICU “for superior monitoring purposes”, but that she was probably going to be alright.
We booked a flight the next morning to Dallas.
On Sunday afternoon we arrived in Dallas and went to the ICU.
The situation had worsened.
She was now in very bad shape.
Her White Cell count was down very, very low.
We talked briefly to her, but she could hardly talk, since she could hardly breath.
The Drs determined that it would be best to sedate her and place her on a Ventilator (breathing Machine).
Later that night they decided that she needed to be put into a deeper state. So a “Paralytic” was administered to put her into a coma.
At this time, she is in septic shock, cannot breathe on her own, and has perhaps 10% of her lungs functioning. Although they are not calling for a fatality, neither are they willing to predict survival.
Because of certain criteria, she is being administered an Experimental drug, Xigris, which can only be administered in life threatening situations, but which has had very good results in early trials.
At this point they have done everything they can and it is up to God.
The most likely scenario is that she will survive, but be in the Hospital ICU for at least a month and then, if she is sufficiently out of the woods, be transferred to a Rehab Hospital where she could spend a month, 3 months or even 6 months. No one knows if this would allow complete recovery.
I know all this sounds dire.
But this is where she is at this time.
We have returned to Ft Myers and we will be closing our house up and moving to Dallas for the duration.
We anticipate leaving Ft Myers Tues morning.
A million details need to be attended to such as our Drs, Financials, etc.
We ask our friends to have patience with us as we are not operating at our highest efficiency right now and could use your prayers and understanding.
And we absolutely will not resond to every Email.
We will be very busy for sometime.
Thanks.
Homer and Edna
