looking forward to your return! from tom

Dear Bill,
You're grace period for not being bothered by my nuclear medicine questions is about to expire.
It sounds like you have been making steady progress, and that each day is a little easier than the last...of course untill you arrive at EMMC then it will be back to the rock pile. We have been making preparations for your return...your "corner office" at the "consults" desk has been made ready...two half empty coffee cups are on the counter along with 3 old ball point pens that nolonger write, and twelve scrawled notes from last week...make that last year...some of them might be yours!
Now for the good news! We have had a wonderful summer in Maine this year. You will be arriving just in time for the beginning of winter!! You do like winter, don't you!
I hear that new diet you have been on is working, and that you have lost some weight. Seriously, you should think about writing a book "How to loose xxx pounds in 4 months without hardly trying" by G. Olivos M.D. .
see you soon, tom cubberley

LAST POST IN THE SAGA

Finally home today! Graduated to home nursing care with PICC Line antibiotics and blood draws and home OT and PT until I graduate to outpatient therapy. Was hospitalized from 28 July until 5 August at National Naval medical center in Bethesda and then transferred to National Rehabilitation Hospital in D.C. where I underwent extensive/intensive therapy and testing. Today, was discharge day to ongoing home care!!!!!

So now, the challenge is to get better and manage the logistics of all of the medical and therapy appointments. Saw Ortho and had sutures removed this week, and shoulder and back are coming along......Still have followup with Infectious Disease for antibiotic management (treatment will be 12 months in length), Nephrology as my renal status continues to improve, and of course the Coumadin Clinic in Cardiology for management of the planned 6 months anticoagulation for the PE. Once the PICC line antibiotics segue to oral antibiotics, I will graduate to outpatient PT and OT. Then eventually, after more testing and medical clearance , I look forward to returning to work!

So, this will be my last post to the blog. Thanks to everyone for all of your support.

Bill Olivos

National Naval Medical Center

Bill finally made it back to East Coast, arriving via medevac from Coronado to Andrews Air Force Base last night after midnight. Now, he needs to be transitioned off IV heparin and onto oral medication ( coumadin) and he will be ready for discharge either to inpatient rehab or home with outpatient rehab and home health nursing for PICC line management. That is all still to be decided, but he continues to strengthen and improve (Cr today is down to 4.4 and H/H is up to 8/24!!!!) So, slowly but surely he is continuing to progress. Case Management will arrange all of his subspecialty follow up and therapy, but he is so happy to be back in Maryland. His family visited today, and I return to work tomorrow.......Thanks everyone.

Maura

Bill and Maura,
Bob and Deanna Karl here. Glad to hear the good news. Hope you have a smooth transition to Bethesda. At least the earthquakes are smaller and less frequent in Maryland. It will be good for you to get back to the East Coast and a little more familar settings. Our continued thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bob

Update:Awaiting Medevac To NNMC (Bethesda)

Hi All;

Maura here, and sorry for the long delay since my last post. As many may know already, things took a downward turn after my last post. However, after many cascading medical challenges, Bill is finally recovering from his original injuries, and sequellae of his surgeries. His course was complicated by a need to revise the screw placement from the original spinal surgery. Then the surgical site became infected, the infection spread to his blood, he developed a blood clot in his lung, and he developed kidney failure. So, not only was Bill very, very ill (sepsis) but he had to return to surgery 3 more times in order to open the surgical site and place a wound vac to draw out potentially infected debris, cut away infected tissue and washout the infected surgical site with antibiotics. He spent some time in the Intensive Care Unit, but finally, last Monday the surgeons were able to close the surgical site.

Since then he has stabilized with no fever, no blood transfusions since the day after his last surgery, and his renal failure is resolving. He has a central IV, called a PICC line, that will be used to continue to give him IV antibiotics for at least 6 weeks, afterwhich he will be on oral antibiotics for a year. He is on IV blood thinner (heparin) so that he won't form additional blood clots while his existing lung clot resolves. However, he is going to be transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital to continue a little more inpatient care. We believe the transfer will be by medevac on Tuesday!

So, while there were many frightening downturns and challenges over the past 2 weeks, he got throught it. Now he can focus on recovery with physical therapy and occupational therapy , and ongoing medical care to manage the infection and blood clot. In the end, he survived and is getting stronger daily.

So that is the summary of events, and thank you all for your support and prayers. I apologize for not posting, but events were coming so quickly and I just couldn't manage to report his status before it was changing again. Thanks for bearing with my delinquent entries.

See you soon on the East Coast at least!

Maura (for Bill)

Bill,

Bob and Deanna Karl here.

Don also updated us. Stay strong. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Bob

Bill:
Greg and Linda Haines here. Don has updated us with respect to your latest challenges. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Greg