(Sorry to be so long in finishing the post)Over the next four weeks, we administered the IV antibiotics twice a day. Everything Tim touched had to be sterilized. A daily routine developed including getting him up and to his chair in the morning, home health care nurses coming in, vestibular therapist coming, etc. He had to learn to walk all over again due to the loss of strength as well as the loss of vestibular on the right side. It was finally determined after 2 weeks that the double vision was not med. related and we were able to schedule an appointment to begin trying to figure out just one of several things that were residual effects of him being so ill. His appointment with the retinal specialist revealed a Roth's spot had occured in his right eye possibly affecting blood flow to the occular muscle. The good news was the double vision could be corrected with glasses. The hearing was more complicated. We started with a followup appointment with the ENT. He referred us on to a neuro-otologist(Dr. Knox). This was the first time we heard that a possible septic embolism could have caused the double vision, hearing loss, and loss of balance. Our first appt. with Dr. Knox went well. He ordered addtional MRI's and CT scans. Again the possibility of a septic embolism came up. He also recommended we see a neurologist and possibly a neuro-opthamologist. Per Dr. Knox Tim began receiving steroid injections to his right ear in the chance that it might restore at least a small amount of his hearing and possibly improve his balance.
Both the MRI and CT scan showed no indication of a septic embolism. So the questions remained, why was he continuing to experience the symptoms and balance loss. We began to get answers when we finally saw the neurologist(Dr. Toenjes). Dr. Toenjes ruled out septic embolism right off the bat.(I'm amazed by these doctors that can trace the nerves through the brain and know what affects what) He believes most of the damage came from the original Strep infection that triggered the whole illness.(The crown was on the right side of Tim mouth which is where they believe the infection started and all the residual symptoms involve the right side)Tim continued the treatments until December when no improvement in the hearing or balance occurred. From the time the IV antibiotics ended, Tim had been in vestibular therapy. The month of November was literally spent going to some type of appointment or another almost everyday. Certain symptoms began being more pronounced one of them being sound induced vertigo(Tullio's phenomenon) as well as visual vertigo(just walking into a grocery store or the mall would send him spinning). Once the steroid treatment stopped it seemed the Tullio's became worse. Towards the end of December, Dr. Know was recommending going forward with a Gentamycin treatment by February in the hopes it would kill off the remaining vestibular on the right side with the hope of improving Tim's balance. We had reservations based on reading we had done and at our next visit with Dr. Toenjes, he said he would seek a second opinion before doing something so drastic. (During this time Tim also saw a cardiologist at Toenjes recommendation to be certain that his heart was indeed okay and while he was left with a level 1 heart murmur, there wasn't any need to be concerned. Dr. Stroh did let Tim know that every health care provider going forward needed to know he had a history of endocarditis.)
God is so amazing. When we asked Dr.Toenjes for a referral, he gave us the name of Dr. Goddard at Jax Hearing and Balance. We were already at the point of being willing to go anywhere we needed too so Tim could have the best possible care. Just a few days later we met a woman while at different doctors visit and she had similar symptoms to Tim's. She ranted and raved about her doctor. We asked her for his information and it turned out to be Dr. Goddard's office. We had been praying about what step to take next and where to go. God so obviously orchestrated our meeting. We went home and scheduled an appointment with him.
Dr. Goddard has been wonderful. Our first visit he was able to point to the MRI and show us the canal dehiscence that is causing Tim's Tullio phenomenon. He was able to explain why he agrees with Dr. Toenjes' opinion that it is all a result of the original infection using the MRI images to support what he was saying. Dr. Goddard ordered a new CT scan to confirm this as the original was not of a high enough resolution to pick up the minute bones of the ear. He also ordered additional testing that would help determine exactly what part of the inner ear is causing the balance issues. We see him the end of February for the results and to find out where we go from here.
So, where are we at now? Learning to trust God on a daily basis. Tim was blessed to have short term disability available through his company(Bayer) and we just transitioned to long term at the six month mark(February 3rd). The company has had to fill his position here in Jax.. It is possible that surgery can correct at least the dehiscence and possibly also the balance. If the surgery is successful, he has the potential to be able to return to a normal job, possibly even at Bayer if something is available at that point. It has truly been a faith walk. Tim nor I would trade all that we have learned and the growth we have experienced throughout this time. God is good no matter what our circumstances look like. He NEVER abdicates His throne. He alone is the Sovereign Ruler over all. Our Creator and Redeemer. Nothing absolutely nothing catches Him by surprise! Thank you for your prayers and support!! Your are loved.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
How It All Began Pt. 1
So many of you have asked, " How did this all begin?" I hope through this blog to answer that question.
August 5th, 2011, Tim was admitted to Baptist downtown for a high fever and undetermined illness. The doctor in the ER began running CT scans and blood work and started him on antibiotics based on what he suspected was sepsis.(although he did not share this suspicion with us)Tim had started running a fever on the 2nd but we really didn't think it was anything more than a virus because Hannah and I had been sick a few days before with similar symptoms. By the 4th, it was obvious that he was getting worse and he planned to call the doctor's office first thing on Friday. But by Friday morning, his fever shot up and he was mentally disoriented and very weak.
Saturday morning the results for the blood cultures came back positive for sepsis caused by MRSA/ORSA. It's hard to put into words the emotions we experienced when we heard "sepsis". We looked at each other with tears in our eyes with the realization how critical the situation was. Before we had time to catch our breath, one doctor after another came in to talk with us and gather as much info as they could about where had he been, what had he been doing the day before starting with the fever, etc. The infectious disease doctor asked about any recent dental work and it dawned on us that he had just had a crown seated the day before he started with the fever. It seemed that we may finally be narrowing down where this started. The doctors seemed encouraged that his heart still sounded clear. Their speculation was that when the crown was seated strep was introduce into his blood stream which caused pericarditis and the pericarditis allowed the MRSA to infiltrate the bloodstream. Due to the diagnosis of MRSA Tim was moved to a private room. During this time, I tried to keep everyone as updated as I could so everyone could pray specifically.(Words cannot express our gratitude for the prayers and messages. We felt those prayers and felt so carried and uplifted.)Tim started complaining about double vision by Saturday afternoon.That night I was able to stay in the room with Tim. It was a very long night as the alarms on the monitors were going off every few minutes due to his condition worsening. When the doctors came in to see him on Sunday, they determined he had developed endocarditis and were moving him to ICU. Tim was coherent enough to ask Dr. Kapoor if he was going to make it and Dr. Kapoor looked at each of us and said, "I don't know." Once Tim was settled in ICU, the nurses looked at me and said, "Mrs. Sharron, he is being well taken care of. You need to go home and rest." As I left the hospital and drove home, I cried. The realization that he may not come home from the hospital hit me so hard. I felt a mix of emotions from feeling very alone to grief to a peace and calm that comes only from being carried by the Spirit. When I got home, I checked facebook and was blown away by the messages. People all over this country were praying for Tim..... for us. God is good no matter what happened. Not just if Tim made it but also if God chose NOT to heal him. I called and checked on Tim during the night, his nurse assured me he was resting and was stable. The first 24 hrs of him being on the antibiotic it was getting into the body but the next 24 to 72 hrs would be critical because his body could reject the antibiotic. Vancomycin is one of only a couple of drugs that can treat MRSA/ORSA and it was wait and see if his body would respond.
(We've learned in recent days that he was so critical that they could not sedate him for the TEE because they would have lost him).
By Monday morning, his condition began to turn around. The kids and I spent the morning trying to be tested for MRSA(per the nurse we needed to do so before coming back to the hospital). That turned into a fiasco and we finally got back to the hospital Monday afternoon. Tim had a stream of visitors all morning and continuing into the afternoon and evening. Thank you is so inadequate to express our gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers. Even now it blows me away when I think about it! Shortly after we arrived at the hospital, Dr. Kapoor came in and gave us the news that the MRSA had not colonized in his heart and his body was responding to the antibiotics. He assured us that Tim would be going home at some future point.
By the middle of the week, Tim was moved to the step down ICU. At this point he still wasn't able to eat, had vertical double vision and had lost all hearing in his right ear. As physical therapy evaluated him late in the week, it was decided that he would need at home vestibular therapy. It also meant that he would receive a picc line because he would require 6 weeks of Vancomycin twice a day. ( Never knew I would get to learn how to administer iv antibiotics at home but I did). It was another week before Tim would be discharged(just in time for our 28th anniversary). He was so very weak and required a walker to get around. Everything he touched had to be sanitized. But he was home and able to sleep in his bed and considering what we had faced two weeks before we were so grateful. To be continued.............
August 5th, 2011, Tim was admitted to Baptist downtown for a high fever and undetermined illness. The doctor in the ER began running CT scans and blood work and started him on antibiotics based on what he suspected was sepsis.(although he did not share this suspicion with us)Tim had started running a fever on the 2nd but we really didn't think it was anything more than a virus because Hannah and I had been sick a few days before with similar symptoms. By the 4th, it was obvious that he was getting worse and he planned to call the doctor's office first thing on Friday. But by Friday morning, his fever shot up and he was mentally disoriented and very weak.
Saturday morning the results for the blood cultures came back positive for sepsis caused by MRSA/ORSA. It's hard to put into words the emotions we experienced when we heard "sepsis". We looked at each other with tears in our eyes with the realization how critical the situation was. Before we had time to catch our breath, one doctor after another came in to talk with us and gather as much info as they could about where had he been, what had he been doing the day before starting with the fever, etc. The infectious disease doctor asked about any recent dental work and it dawned on us that he had just had a crown seated the day before he started with the fever. It seemed that we may finally be narrowing down where this started. The doctors seemed encouraged that his heart still sounded clear. Their speculation was that when the crown was seated strep was introduce into his blood stream which caused pericarditis and the pericarditis allowed the MRSA to infiltrate the bloodstream. Due to the diagnosis of MRSA Tim was moved to a private room. During this time, I tried to keep everyone as updated as I could so everyone could pray specifically.(Words cannot express our gratitude for the prayers and messages. We felt those prayers and felt so carried and uplifted.)Tim started complaining about double vision by Saturday afternoon.That night I was able to stay in the room with Tim. It was a very long night as the alarms on the monitors were going off every few minutes due to his condition worsening. When the doctors came in to see him on Sunday, they determined he had developed endocarditis and were moving him to ICU. Tim was coherent enough to ask Dr. Kapoor if he was going to make it and Dr. Kapoor looked at each of us and said, "I don't know." Once Tim was settled in ICU, the nurses looked at me and said, "Mrs. Sharron, he is being well taken care of. You need to go home and rest." As I left the hospital and drove home, I cried. The realization that he may not come home from the hospital hit me so hard. I felt a mix of emotions from feeling very alone to grief to a peace and calm that comes only from being carried by the Spirit. When I got home, I checked facebook and was blown away by the messages. People all over this country were praying for Tim..... for us. God is good no matter what happened. Not just if Tim made it but also if God chose NOT to heal him. I called and checked on Tim during the night, his nurse assured me he was resting and was stable. The first 24 hrs of him being on the antibiotic it was getting into the body but the next 24 to 72 hrs would be critical because his body could reject the antibiotic. Vancomycin is one of only a couple of drugs that can treat MRSA/ORSA and it was wait and see if his body would respond.
(We've learned in recent days that he was so critical that they could not sedate him for the TEE because they would have lost him).
By Monday morning, his condition began to turn around. The kids and I spent the morning trying to be tested for MRSA(per the nurse we needed to do so before coming back to the hospital). That turned into a fiasco and we finally got back to the hospital Monday afternoon. Tim had a stream of visitors all morning and continuing into the afternoon and evening. Thank you is so inadequate to express our gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers. Even now it blows me away when I think about it! Shortly after we arrived at the hospital, Dr. Kapoor came in and gave us the news that the MRSA had not colonized in his heart and his body was responding to the antibiotics. He assured us that Tim would be going home at some future point.
By the middle of the week, Tim was moved to the step down ICU. At this point he still wasn't able to eat, had vertical double vision and had lost all hearing in his right ear. As physical therapy evaluated him late in the week, it was decided that he would need at home vestibular therapy. It also meant that he would receive a picc line because he would require 6 weeks of Vancomycin twice a day. ( Never knew I would get to learn how to administer iv antibiotics at home but I did). It was another week before Tim would be discharged(just in time for our 28th anniversary). He was so very weak and required a walker to get around. Everything he touched had to be sanitized. But he was home and able to sleep in his bed and considering what we had faced two weeks before we were so grateful. To be continued.............
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