Unfortunate Update

Hey everyone, I have been waiting a few days to post an update mainly because I needed to get myself under control to avoid updating everyone with an angry/hostile/terrified rant. Now that things are a little more stable I will try to give as much of an update as I can. Good news: Tuesday, a representative from Congressman Walden's office emailed me in response to the petition that we started. He wanted to know how to get in touch with Jesse so that they could look into his situation. More good news: Wednesday, Senator Alan DeBoer overheard Laura's sister discussing Jesse with some co-workers and that same day came to see Jesse. He agreed that Jesse needed a higher level of care and that he should receive it locally. He left saying that he was going to look into what he could do and that he was planning on contacting the congressman so they could work together on it. Bad news: The next morning (Thursday 9/28) Jesse woke up about 3:30 feeling very nauseated. His nausea continued and vomiting began around 6:30am. Around 7:15 the nurse felt like Jesse was dehydrated and encouraged him to drink more fluids. At 9:30 his blood was drawn so they could run some tests. Good news: In the middle of this, Matt Havniear from Team Overland came by! Wonderful man! Wonderful organization for veterans! If you haven't heard of them you should definitely google it! Bad news: Okay back to the blood work. At 10:00 an IV was started for dehydration and he was given phenergan for nausea. At 10:30, the nursing team came back and said they needed to draw more blood! When asked about the results they said a lot was off about it but would not go into specifics. At 10:45 Jesse became unresponsive. The nurses were worried Jesse may be slipping into a coma so they administered Narcan (a medication to counter the effects of an opioid overdose) and IV antibiotics. The second round of lab work came back and they said his white blood count is a little high but okay. 12:30, A VA representative stops by. After talking for a while with our mom she agrees that Jesse may need to be at a different place and says she will try to find Jesse a new nursing home. Nursing home? Really? Why not the rehab facility his doctors (and we) believe he needs? More bad news: They continued to run tests but around 2:30 his blood pressure dropped really low. They administered more Narcam at 2:50. Meanwhile, Jesse continues to be dehydrated even with an IV. A bladder scan showed that his body wasn't taking in any fluids. Finally, at 5:45 the nursing home agreed to send him to the hospital. At 6:30 an ambulance rushed Jesse, unresponsive, to the emergency room. His blood pressure had dropped even further. The ER completed a CAT scan of his head and spine, and another of his belly and pelvis. His scans came back fine, they ran additional tests which determined that Jesse was in acute kidney failure, most likely caused by an overdose of medication. He also tested positive for staph, klebsiella, and E. coli. due to the absence (my words, but true) of wound care. Around 8:30 he was given a room in the ICU. Now for a short rant (and I'm sure you will agree it is well deserved). When blood work was done at 9:30 and the results were ready at 10:30, the nursing staff wouldn't divulge anything other than that his levels were off and they wanted to take more blood. We have since gotten our hands on a copy of that report. On that report, at 10:30 in the morning, in plain writing, it says, "indicates renal failure." THEY KNEW AT 10:30!!! But they chose not call for an ambulance for over 7 hours!!! And then for the ER doctor to say medication overdose may have been the cause!!! I can't take it! The way Jesse has been treated for the past twenty days - I have no words, only tears. It's not just that he is a veteran and we need to do a better job taking care of our veterans, it is that he is a person, A CHILD OF THE KING, and we need to do a better job taking care of people, all people. Getting better: I should follow my rant by saying that the ICU has been amazing to Jesse. Friday morning (9/29) around 12:30 they put Jesse on a CPAP because he stopped breathing every time he fell asleep. 1:45 a blood transfusion was ordered. 8:30 he started dialysis. Good news: 9:00 Senator DeBoer called. He continues working on getting Jesse the care he needs, locally, regardless of whether the VA approves it or not! 9:30 VA representative calls. Agrees that Jesse will never return to the facility where he was, and after informing them about being in touch with senators and congressmen, they agree that the acute inpatient rehab at the hospital sounds best and that they didn't know it existed!!! WHAT!?!? That is what we have been advocating for this entire time and they continually denied it as an option!!! 9:45 Congressman Walden's office calls. They are opening a congressional inquiry into what has been going on. Getting better: 1:00 Jesse finishes dialysis and all of his lab results are getting better! A little anemic and dehydrated with low sodium levels, but better! 5:00 Matt Havniear from Team Overland (also working closely with the senator and congressman) dropped by with a gift bag! Friday evening: Mentally, Jesse wakes up for a few seconds at a time every now and then but remains confused about where he is and why. He also makes some comments that don't make any sense. Saturday morning: Jesse makes a lot more sense when he speaks, still sleeping most of the time but he is able to answer questions about himself and where he is. One crazy miracle out of all of this: he is now completely off of pain medication and is currently able to manage the pain on his own with occasional Tylenol. He will remain in the ICU for a little bit longer. I will do my best to update when he is moved from ICU to a regular hospital room, as well as keep you updated on the progress being made by his senator and congressman! Thank you again to everyone for your prayers, petition signatures, and donations. Much Love, Emily