The Story of Big Jer….for those of you who have only heard bits and pieces and want to know the whole story. Jerry has had severe heart problems since his first heart attack in 1992. He now suffers from Chronic Heart Failure and COPD, and uses oxygen on a constant basis. His heart only functions at a fraction of what a normal heart does, and is also constantly kept in check with his implanted defibrillator and pacemaker. Jerry was also diagnosed with Lymphoma 3 years ago. He is unable to tolerate treatment for the cancer, so it has advanced quickly. We recently found out that his bone marrow is unable to make blood, and he has required many blood/plasma transfusions recently. Recently, Jerry fell off the porch of a home/business in Stevens Point. The people were not home and Jerry was unable to use his cell phone to call 911 for help. However, he did poke at the phone enough to call Robyn and tell us that he was hurt badly, but didn’t know where he was. We were frantic and unable to help him. He laid on the dirt and gravel in the hot sun for over 45 minutes. Thankfully, a neighbor went out to check his mail and found Jerry in the driveway. The man called for help, tried to make him as comfortable as he could, and even helped the paramedics load him into the rescue squad. Later that day I went to find dad’s truck and tracked the man down to thank him. Since it was a holiday, we waited for doctors to be called into the hospital. When the orthopedic doctor finally came he informed us that Jerry had broken his entire hip off. The only option was a complete hip replacement, and surgery was extremely risky. Since Jerry was on blood thinners, the medical staff had to try and thicken his blood very quickly, which put him at high risk for blood clots, stroke and a heart failure. Thankfully he was able to tolerate the operation, and to everyone’s surprise came out of the operation without a ventilator. However, he did experience some post-operative complications. He completely lost his mental capacity from the trauma, and didn’t even know his own name. This has improved greatly in the past couple days. His memory is mostly back, but remains in terrible pain. Other complications include being unable to maintain his blood pressure, wound closure issues and needing several blood transfusions. He is at Saint Michaels’s hospital in Stevens Point, in room 3 of the Intensive Care Unit. I deliver all of your well wishes and messages personally. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated. Yesterday was his first day of “visitors” and Remi and Allie got to go and see grandpa. He was cheered up by their short visit. Today, he finally began to eat and drink again. Hopefully this helps his body heal better. His blood levels are dangerously low, and they are having trouble thinning his blood back to safe levels. He is much more alert and can focus, however he tires very quickly. I know many of you are waiting to give him his birthday cards/gifts and visit him in the hospital. He shouldn’t have visitors yet, but I will check on this daily and update you as soon as he is able to. When visiting is possible, please keep in mind that he is unable to visit for long periods of time and don’t risk visiting if you are sick or have been exposed to a sickness recently. We don’t need any more problems than we already have. Mom delivered his phone today, but he is still having trouble using it. You can try to call his cell (the number is 715-321-2323), but keep in mind that he may not be able to answer. You can always leave a message. He was happy to hear his brothers and sisters sing Happy Birthday to him over the phone, and other get well messages. If you have questions or want to know more, feel free to call me at 715-310-0023. The best way to contact me is usually via FB, and now we can utilize this page to do that. Or, for people who have trouble navigating FB, you can message me the same way you have been. Thanks again for your support and well wishes, they are greatly appreciated. -Kelly
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 03:02:10 +0000
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