Tuesday, February 7, 2023

A Serious Update

This past week has been scary and stressful.  I have not had a lot of computer time and am still catching up on things.  But here is what's been happening.

More than a week ago, Les started to feel bad.  For almost a year, he has had recurring infections.  Several antibiotics have been prescribed; yet they still keep recurring.  By that Sunday, he knew he had another UTI starting.  Monday morning a specimen was being tested.  The doctor will not prescribe anything until the culture is done and that takes a couple days.  By Monday his symptoms were much worse, and around noon I had to call 911.  

The EMTs were great, but we had to convince Les he needed to go to the ER.  They did take him and I grabbed some things and followed in our car.  Since Covid started, no one besides the patient is allowed in the ambulance.

By the time I was checked through the ER and got to him, there were several doctors and staff already working on Les.  They tested him and checked him for many things.  By this time, he was not able to move around, sit up, or speak well.  By Monday evening Les was admitted to the hospital.  

He had good care there. The final diagnosis was that the bacteria from the UTI had moved from his urinary tract into his blood stream.  And this is why I am writing this, a lot of people do not know that untreated UTIs can do this to a person.  You can get seriously ill and in some cases, if left untreated long enough, it can cause death.  So, if you suspect you might have a UTI, don't' wait, get checked.

Pam came up and helped by cooking, and doing other things for us.  Jacquie was here helping, and they both came to the hospital.  Thursday afternoon Les had improved enough to come home.  

He is using a walker because he lost a lot of strength and his balance is "wonky".  He's getting a little better each day.  Home Health is coming and home PT has started.  We have follow-up appointments made with our GP doctor, the Urologist, and the Infectious Disease doctor.   

I am doing okay, but have been very worried about Les and have not been sleeping very well most nights.  But everything is slowly getting better.  

The day Les was taken to the ER, Jacquie was already at the hospital with Chris who was getting biopsies done.  Those were negative, and Chris is recovering.  

Pam had to go back home on Sunday.  She left us with food in the freezer ready to thaw and heat. 

Thank you to our friends who have been sending good thoughts and prayers.  We are both working on getting Les better.  One of his goals is to get back out on the golf course 🏌 😊

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  

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