Recently we talked with the Dr. at the healthcare center who sees Pastor Esposito. She reviewed the CT Scan. Praise the Lord she said that there has been a decrease in swelling since the last scan before leaving the hospital following the last surgery. She did, however tell us that there is still an area of drainage. Please pray for complete healing of all swelling/drainage around the brain. We have been asked by many folks when we are going to take Pastor Esposito home. We are very eager to take him home, but there are many considerations: 1) No medical staff/doctors have yet brought up the possibility that it is time to take him home, in fact they all discourage it at this point, though I have asked questions regarding what steps we would need to take to be ready to do so when the time comes. 2) Pastor Esposito had three major brain surgeries in the last three month period. 3) There is still drainage in his brain 4) He was released from the hospital to a skilled nursing, sub acute center, not a regular convalescent/nursing home. Here they specialize in the types of care he needs. 5) There are trained Respiratory Therapists who drain the lungs regularly, change the trach tube leading into his throat, etc. 6) A pulmonologist regularly monitors him since pneumonia is very common with coma/stroke patients in his state (he had pneumonia already while in the hospital, and it was difficult to cure with a weakened immune system) 7) Labs/cultures are regularly taken to insure there is no infection. There would be no other way of knowing of infections since he is not able to communicate. 8) A medical doctor is on hand and sees him a minimum of twice per week to check basic health and is always available. For example two days ago, one eye was swollen up. So we called a nurse in to request treatment. 9) Another staff member is the treatment nurse who specifically cares for skin issues. Pressure sores are very common with patients who are completely immobile. These can develop quickly, and can become very serious, even fatal when not treated quickly. Last week Pastor Esposito was covered in large hives – some type of allergic reaction. That was immediately treated. 10) One doctor said his immunity is too low for him to feel comfortable with his going home. Illnesses must be caught and treated immediately 11) One doctor (I am sure intending to scare me) stated that if he potentially could drown himself in his own fluids if not properly cared for and watched 24/7 12) If/when Pastor Esposito improves significantly enough, being in this center would offer daily rehab three times per day (PT, OT, ST). At home, a PT would come only twice per week. The above points are not to mention the more minor details of daily physical care (which often require two staff at once): - Turning and changing the patient every two hours - Moving with a crane like piece of equipment - Tube feeding - Administering medications - Showering on a specially made bed in specialized shower rooms So at this time, it doesn’t seem practical to think that we have the capability of doing what all of these trained professionals are able to do, and what Pastor Esposito’s present health requires. When the doctors feel confident that he is strong enough to go home and doesn’t need specialized care beyond our abilities, and encourage us to do so, we will be very happy. It breaks our hearts to have him away from home. (One of the hardest days of my life was the first night I had to go home and leave him there. I had spent 40 nights sleeping in Memorial Hospital by his side. But none of the skilled nursing centers we researched allow overnight stays.) So for now we must not let our impatience cause us to make decisions that aren’t best. Please pray with us that the day will come quickly that we are able to take him home, but we won’t do so until it is what’s medically best for him…and I suppose the doctors will help us to know when that time comes and the Lord will give us peace about doing so.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 21:13:21 +0000
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