Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
07-08-2004, 06:25 PM
#21
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
Here is the most recent information I received from Doug's wife Leeanne this morning....
Doug continues to hold on and fight. No athlete I know of could endure what he is going through and remain as steadfast and focused on his goal. I stayed with him until 6AM and then went home to change and go back. He's in renal failure but the doc believes given time and with Doug's sheer willpower can possibly bring them back. He'll be having another round of dialysis today then more plasmaphersis. They infused 2 more compacted units of red cells and 2 more bags of plasma. He was still bleeding freely from the groin area where they put the catheter in that dialyzes him. He was having difficulty breathing even with oxygen so I requested that a doc come up and see him. Doug is understandably very anxious and said so (the reason for the out-of-breath feeling). The doc said there was no significant fluid in his lungs or around his heart. They took some x-rays to confirmed that. He asked for some Jell-O around 2:30 AM which we stole from another floor.
I'm sorry I can't call each and every one of you, especially you Lisa, Kelley and Dan. Please know that I care and that I'm trying the best I can to be there for your Dad. With a little bit of luck, lots of love and a whole lot of prayers - we can get him to Seattle yet. No one is giving up - especially your father.
Thank you everyone for your role in our lives.
Leeanne
Doug continues to hold on and fight. No athlete I know of could endure what he is going through and remain as steadfast and focused on his goal. I stayed with him until 6AM and then went home to change and go back. He's in renal failure but the doc believes given time and with Doug's sheer willpower can possibly bring them back. He'll be having another round of dialysis today then more plasmaphersis. They infused 2 more compacted units of red cells and 2 more bags of plasma. He was still bleeding freely from the groin area where they put the catheter in that dialyzes him. He was having difficulty breathing even with oxygen so I requested that a doc come up and see him. Doug is understandably very anxious and said so (the reason for the out-of-breath feeling). The doc said there was no significant fluid in his lungs or around his heart. They took some x-rays to confirmed that. He asked for some Jell-O around 2:30 AM which we stole from another floor.
I'm sorry I can't call each and every one of you, especially you Lisa, Kelley and Dan. Please know that I care and that I'm trying the best I can to be there for your Dad. With a little bit of luck, lots of love and a whole lot of prayers - we can get him to Seattle yet. No one is giving up - especially your father.
Thank you everyone for your role in our lives.
Leeanne
07-09-2004, 05:23 AM
#22
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
Just received this:
July 8th, 2004
Hi Everyone:
Today was an extremely ugly day that could have been a lot worse. Most of you know that Doug went into respiratory failure while having dialysis early this AM - only a few hours after I left him at 6 AM. They put a ventilator tube down his throat immediately and rushed him into surgery. The doctors performed a new procedure using a very slim gizmo to find the source of where his liver was bleeding AFTER injecting dye into him. They found the source, which coincidentally was the site of his liver biopsy and plugged it with a special foam. Afterwards they installed a drainage tube in his upper abdomen to relieve the area of the accumulated blood that they had been transfusing into him. By doing this it allowed his lungs to return to their proper position and he could breathe. Doug is currently in ICU in a chemically induced coma on a ventilator (to give his lungs a break from the trauma they've been going through since last Saturday). This happened almost without warning and we are fortunate that they were able to figure out the problem instantly.
The doctors are pleased with their handy work and are optimistic about his recovery. He is stabile and looks wonderful (compared to the past several days). His skin is normal now in color and is warm instead of cold and clammy. I was told even though he couldn't respond to me that he could hear everything I or anyone else was saying so I told him he was doing great and that everyone loves and wants him to get better soon. A tear rolled down his cheek. He will not remember any of this when they bring him out of it.
Please don't come visit yet he's far from out of the woods. As I said he is in ICU and visiting hours are strict and limited. There is no point since he is not in any condition to talk. The plan is to continue dialysis and plasmaphersis throughout the night and after 24 hours bring him out of his fugue to assess his mental state. If he is coherent enough they will remove the ventilator and let him breathe on his own. Everyone is cautious and with good reason. In a few days they will begin a new regiment of chemo. Hopefully this one will work better than the last two.
Thank you all again for your prayers, emails and phone calls. I'll try to keep everyone updated as I learn more.
Leeanne
July 8th, 2004
Hi Everyone:
Today was an extremely ugly day that could have been a lot worse. Most of you know that Doug went into respiratory failure while having dialysis early this AM - only a few hours after I left him at 6 AM. They put a ventilator tube down his throat immediately and rushed him into surgery. The doctors performed a new procedure using a very slim gizmo to find the source of where his liver was bleeding AFTER injecting dye into him. They found the source, which coincidentally was the site of his liver biopsy and plugged it with a special foam. Afterwards they installed a drainage tube in his upper abdomen to relieve the area of the accumulated blood that they had been transfusing into him. By doing this it allowed his lungs to return to their proper position and he could breathe. Doug is currently in ICU in a chemically induced coma on a ventilator (to give his lungs a break from the trauma they've been going through since last Saturday). This happened almost without warning and we are fortunate that they were able to figure out the problem instantly.
The doctors are pleased with their handy work and are optimistic about his recovery. He is stabile and looks wonderful (compared to the past several days). His skin is normal now in color and is warm instead of cold and clammy. I was told even though he couldn't respond to me that he could hear everything I or anyone else was saying so I told him he was doing great and that everyone loves and wants him to get better soon. A tear rolled down his cheek. He will not remember any of this when they bring him out of it.
Please don't come visit yet he's far from out of the woods. As I said he is in ICU and visiting hours are strict and limited. There is no point since he is not in any condition to talk. The plan is to continue dialysis and plasmaphersis throughout the night and after 24 hours bring him out of his fugue to assess his mental state. If he is coherent enough they will remove the ventilator and let him breathe on his own. Everyone is cautious and with good reason. In a few days they will begin a new regiment of chemo. Hopefully this one will work better than the last two.
Thank you all again for your prayers, emails and phone calls. I'll try to keep everyone updated as I learn more.
Leeanne
Platinum Member
07-10-2004, 01:41 AM
#24
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
Hi everyone:
Another long day in ICU. Doug is still on a ventilator. The doc said less is more right now for him. He remains stabile and looks great (all things considered). Today they did dialysis and plasmaphersis again and gave him another 4 bags of platelets. His IGa numbers are coming down and his kidneys are beginning to produce. Another surgeon insisted they remove this silly little tube they installed to take blood samples with. It has been a major problem since they put it in - it leaked like a sieve and a lot of the transfusions went in his arm came out there. So they put a 10 lbs. sand bag on Doug's groin to stem the bleeding. Finally a doc got smart and deleted both the problem (bleeding) AND the sandbag!
They installed a feeding tube today and will give him something to eat tonight. Doug hasn't had any food in 2.5 weeks due to tests that required an empty stomach then he got that awful thrush that closed his throat down - then of course there was everything that happened this week.
They lowered his oxygen level on the ventilator as in beginning to wean him off of it. It will be a few days yet but he is doing incredibly well.
The nurses said he responded a bit last night (in their words he was extremely agitated) during repositioning him and he wasn't liking it - A GOOD THING!
I'll keep you posted. Thanks again to you all for your support during this stressful time.
Leeanne
Another long day in ICU. Doug is still on a ventilator. The doc said less is more right now for him. He remains stabile and looks great (all things considered). Today they did dialysis and plasmaphersis again and gave him another 4 bags of platelets. His IGa numbers are coming down and his kidneys are beginning to produce. Another surgeon insisted they remove this silly little tube they installed to take blood samples with. It has been a major problem since they put it in - it leaked like a sieve and a lot of the transfusions went in his arm came out there. So they put a 10 lbs. sand bag on Doug's groin to stem the bleeding. Finally a doc got smart and deleted both the problem (bleeding) AND the sandbag!
They installed a feeding tube today and will give him something to eat tonight. Doug hasn't had any food in 2.5 weeks due to tests that required an empty stomach then he got that awful thrush that closed his throat down - then of course there was everything that happened this week.
They lowered his oxygen level on the ventilator as in beginning to wean him off of it. It will be a few days yet but he is doing incredibly well.
The nurses said he responded a bit last night (in their words he was extremely agitated) during repositioning him and he wasn't liking it - A GOOD THING!
I'll keep you posted. Thanks again to you all for your support during this stressful time.
Leeanne
07-11-2004, 12:49 AM
#25
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
7-10-04
Latest from Leeanne:
Hello:
Doug is still stabile. They've lowered his sedative. Today when I got there I told him he was doing great and said that if he understood me to squeeze my finger...he did! They were doing dialysis early in the AM, no plasmaphersis pending test results. They've started some of the new chemo drugs. He moved his head a bit in my direction when I changed to the other side of the bed. He actually tried to shift positions and get up. All good indicators that he is aware that I am there and is very unhappy about being tied down. Beyond that there is nothing else to report. The oncologist came and confirmed that Doug is indeed doing great. It is all we can hope for right now. They are taking good care of him (now). Don't know yet when they plan on pulling him out of this coma. I suspect sometime early in the week. Naturally I plan on being there to make sure everyone does their job right and things go smoothly! ;o) We don't want or need anymore screw ups.
That's it. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather we're having. Thanks for your continued prayers and well wishes. He isn't out of the woods by a looooooong mile yet.
Leeanne
Latest from Leeanne:
Hello:
Doug is still stabile. They've lowered his sedative. Today when I got there I told him he was doing great and said that if he understood me to squeeze my finger...he did! They were doing dialysis early in the AM, no plasmaphersis pending test results. They've started some of the new chemo drugs. He moved his head a bit in my direction when I changed to the other side of the bed. He actually tried to shift positions and get up. All good indicators that he is aware that I am there and is very unhappy about being tied down. Beyond that there is nothing else to report. The oncologist came and confirmed that Doug is indeed doing great. It is all we can hope for right now. They are taking good care of him (now). Don't know yet when they plan on pulling him out of this coma. I suspect sometime early in the week. Naturally I plan on being there to make sure everyone does their job right and things go smoothly! ;o) We don't want or need anymore screw ups.
That's it. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather we're having. Thanks for your continued prayers and well wishes. He isn't out of the woods by a looooooong mile yet.
Leeanne
VIP Member
07-12-2004, 12:03 AM
#29
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
Sunday July 11, 2004
Hi All:
Doug is hanging tough. They lowered the sedative some more and I was able to communicate with him a bit by hand squeezing. The next couple of days will be important ones - the docs hope to remove the ventilator.
His vital signs remain stabile and he looks good even with all the wires, hoses and tubes coming out of him.
It's been another long day so I'm calling it a night so I can get an early start and meet the doctors first thing in the AM.
Thanks for your concern.
Leeanne
Hi All:
Doug is hanging tough. They lowered the sedative some more and I was able to communicate with him a bit by hand squeezing. The next couple of days will be important ones - the docs hope to remove the ventilator.
His vital signs remain stabile and he looks good even with all the wires, hoses and tubes coming out of him.
It's been another long day so I'm calling it a night so I can get an early start and meet the doctors first thing in the AM.
Thanks for your concern.
Leeanne
07-13-2004, 05:13 AM
#30
OSO Content Provider
Commercial Member
Re: Prayers Need For Doug Lewis Of Professional Marine
Leeanne's latest email:
July 12th, 2004
Hi:
Doug had a setback today. They lowered his sedative dose and because he was conscious and able to communicate, he wanted his vent tube removed. When it wasn't he got very agitated to the point where his blood pressure jumped up to 160/101 and his heart rate 141. In response to that outburst they increased his dose and knocked him back out. He isn't ready to come off yet. The doc did a sonogram of his liver area and it shows some blood around his lung and diaphragm. He's still draining. Tonight they are doing some more testing to be certain he isn't bleeding elsewhere internally. I should know something tomorrow when I see the docs in the AM.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Leeanne
July 12th, 2004
Hi:
Doug had a setback today. They lowered his sedative dose and because he was conscious and able to communicate, he wanted his vent tube removed. When it wasn't he got very agitated to the point where his blood pressure jumped up to 160/101 and his heart rate 141. In response to that outburst they increased his dose and knocked him back out. He isn't ready to come off yet. The doc did a sonogram of his liver area and it shows some blood around his lung and diaphragm. He's still draining. Tonight they are doing some more testing to be certain he isn't bleeding elsewhere internally. I should know something tomorrow when I see the docs in the AM.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Leeanne
