Update #103 on Kevin

We’ve been requesting a pulmonologist since Monday. Kevin has been having so many coughing bouts and throwing up, etc… that we wanted to have one of the pulmonologists see him. Finally, tonight, the pulmonologist came in. This was after I went to the charge nurse and told her that this was becoming a ‘delay in care’ issue. It’s interesting, if you know the right phrases, how quickly they will fulfill your needs. The pulmonologist didn’t like what he saw was coming out of Kevin’s lungs, and thinks there is most likely an infection, like pneumonia. He is ordering blood work to be done, and thinks Kevin should get some medicine to combat this. The pulmonologist thinks that is why he has been coughing so much.


Even tonight, Kevin was having another coughing spell. Coughing, then throwing up his food. His food comes in cans and is given to him through a tube directly into his stomach. They have been trying to get him calmed down with meds and breathing treatments. He also has a fever tonight of 103. They were going to give him Tylenol to break the fever.

They have been trying to change medicine throughout the week to see if there is something that is making him vomit. Took him off Metamucil and put him on Colace (I think that’s it). They also took him off Vitamin C and increased his reglan.

We continue to search for the personnel on a home health care team of doctors. We have called a few, sought out several, but still have not heard back from them. The rest of his care team is being shaped too (nurses, therapists, suppliers, etc…).

A few pieces of equipment were delivered to Kevin’s house today. A hoyer lift (it is hydraulic), a geri chair (temporary until Kevin’s wheelchair is done – a few weeks), and a hospital bed. The bed is okay. I am not impressed with the swimming poolesque air mattress that lays on top of the mattress. It is supposed to prevent bed sores, but I have my doubts and concerns. We have raised and lowered the bed. A few times now, as it was going up or down or into position, we hear the motor humming “zzzzzzz” then a loud POP! It sounds like something is breaking on the bed. It has happened when it is moving into different positions.

Since we have moved into the new room, we seem to have had issues every day with his nursing care. We have to follow up on things constantly, like eye ointment, and the time to put him in his neuro chair. There have definitely been some shining moments though. Those are the times, when we lean back and go “ahhhh” as we leave Kevin in the capable hands of those staff members we trust.

I got permission for female family members to stay with Kevin at night, so that opens up more than just a couple of us in a weekly schedule.

And on a note on our mom, they have begun a new antibiotic for her cellulitis. I guess her blood cultures came back and they found a medicine that works better than what she has been on. Not sure when she will get out of St. John’s Hospital.

There still seems to be a myriad of tasks to do before Kevin gets to go home, like finding a generator. And we want him over any infection before he does.

Thanks for reading and praying,
Matt, Angie and family
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