March 15th

Dear Friends and Family,

Jerry was taken via ambulance to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo last Saturday night (3/10) due to severe abdominal pain that just got worse and worse for 3 hours….even the Paramedics’ morphine didn’t touch the pain.
We spent 8 hours in the ER where we found out several things….
Jerry was very anemic, again
He was in severe kidney failure and
A medicine called dilaudid finally helped settle him down.

They did a CAT scan of his belly and moved him to a floor. Within hours, they reevaluated his pain and his situation and got a team of specialists involved and moved him to CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit-room 11…no,there’s no phone!~)
He was thoroughly checked out by the pulmonologist (who actually treats Pulmonary Hypertension patients and is familiar with the treatments); the internists, the GI guys and gals and the kidney (renal) specialists. As a result,
1. He was on 24 hr dialysis for about 36 hours. After that, his kidney function hadn’t returned so they planned for more…..
2. The CAT scan showed that the pancreatic stone, which the UCSD GI guy said was NOT the cause of his pain, was causing the pain, as it was causing pancreatic enzymes to leak down the insides of his abdomen and pool near the bottom where the pain originated each time.
3. His PH is pretty stable-still has pressures of around 80 (high but the same as a couple of years ago) and his cardiac output is about 4.5 same as last year.
4. After 3 units of transfused blood, his anemia is improving but still not there.
5. He now requires oxygen to keep him oxygen saturated even when he’s awake.
TODAY, Thurs, March 15th, he started daily hemodialysis (about 3 hours a day). They will re-evaluate how much and how long he’ll need that after every treatment.

Sunday, they will transfer Jerry to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to see a doc who specializes in pancreatic duct stone removal. It will be done thru and endoscopy tube with a camera. If all goes well, he will be returned to CICU at Mission Hospital 24 hours after the procedure. Transportation will be by ambulance.

Since I have no computer access at the hospitals, please send any email to Michelle @ sweitzerm@svusd.k12.ca.us

As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Betty Lou


*This is the day that the Lord has made - I will rejoice and be glad in it!"