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November 19, 2009 -
11:35 AM (PST)
- A Reception will be held after the Memorial Service (see below for details) and all are invited to attend.
- The location is:
1705 Diamond Woods Circle
Roseville, CA 95747
November 15, 2009 -
06:36 PM (PST)
- The Memorial Service for Doug will be held Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 2:00 PM.
- The location is:
Lambert Funeral Home
400 Douglas Boulevard
Roseville, CA 95678
(916) 783-0474
November 13, 2009 - The Doug Report: (Part 2)
10:37 PM (PST)
- Today, at 1:39 PM Doug passed away after a long and courageous fight. He is survived by his wife, Melinda, two
sisters, Sandy and Sue, his brother, Mitch and his mother Joanne.
- There will be a memorial in the near future and I will ensure all pertinent information is posted so anyone/ everyone
can attend. All family, friends and acquaintances of Doug's are welcome to come.
- I would ask that prayers be sent Melinda's way for the difficult time ahead for her.
- My brother will be greatly missed....
November 13, 2009 - The Doug Report: (Part 1)
11:15 AM (PST)
- Doug's conditon remains basically unchanged. The acidosis in his body has lessened some, but all else
is the same.
- I will be posting updates later today after getting home from the hospital. I will also be taking any phone calls
if any one needs a current update. ~m
November 12, 2009 - The Doug Report:
07:44 PM (PST)
- Doug had a very bad night again and his outlook is critical.
- He is fighting a massive infection that antibiotics are not yet affecting.
- He has low blood pressure, even though the VADs are pumping for his heart and he's being given every drug possible to
keep his pressure up. The infection affects the blood vessels and basically collapses them, further exacerbating the already low blood pressure.
- The low blood pressure along with the fluids in his body and lungs, is causing a situation of low oxygenation. The low oxygen flow has him on a ventilator to assist his lungs with breathing.
- The shock to his body from the surgery has also caused fluid to be retained.
- Doug's liver is not working and is severly damaged due to the infection.
- The doctors are hoping that he will respond to the antibiotics and his kidneys will begin working again so as to remove some of the fluids he's retaining.
- Tonight is the night for prayers on behalf of Doug. He will need every one of them.
November 11, 2009 - The Doug Report:
06:41 PM (PST)
- Doug had a very bad night last night. His blood pressure was low and he was running a fever from an infection.
- The patch to his heart that had been installed originally blew out after the VADs were removed, resulting in the low blood pressure and internal bleeding.
- This morning he was returned to surgery where the Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) were reinserted and the hole in the heart
repaired.
- Because of the situation with his heart being unable to support him and the fact that he is still alive, he will be placed on the heart transplant
list, very near the top. He is a VERY SICK young man.
- The process of removing the VADs to determine heart function is performed on potential heart transplant patients to determine whether their own hearts
have the possibility of supporting them. In cases where it won't, the VADs are restored and the patient is listed for transplant.
- The doctor that performed the surgery today said Doug had a 50/50 chance, that he'd beaten the odds thus far and the doctor believed that "spark"
may be all the difference, but the next 48 hours were critical.
November 10, 2009 - The Doug Report today: (Part 2)
01:50 PM (PST)
- Doug is heavily sedated and being watched after the VAD removal this AM.
- His heart is working on its own and being watched closely. His blood pressure has been restored to normal, given his circumstances.
- His kidneys did not like the low blood pressure that existed after the surgery and are being watched to see if any type of assistance will be
required. They were not working shortly after the surgery.
- Any talk of heart transplants, pumps etc. is premature and will depend on Doug's continued stubborness and recovery.
November 10, 2009 - The Doug Report today: (Part 1)
01:50 PM (PST)
- The VADs (Ventricular Assist Devices) were removed this morning and Doug is being sustained by his own heart.
- Doug is out of surgery and his doctors are attempting to stabilize his condition. His blood pressure is low and his
kidneys are not working yet. They are currently working to change these conditions.
- I will put up another report later today once his condition is stable.
November 9, 2009 - The Doug Report today:
12:22 PM (PST)
- Doug continues to improve and tomorrow morning (11/10/2009), the doctors will attempt to remove him from the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)
that has been helping his heart to beat. They will make a determination early tomorrow morning as to whether they can remove it.
- The doctors took a look at Doug's lungs because he's had an issue with mucous in his lungs and they have removed "stuff" a few times.
They were checking for bleeding to make sure his lungs are in good order.
- His awareness and activity improve daily as does his attitude. He's still Doug, but he's getting healthier.
November 8, 2009 - The Doug Report today:
03:15 PM (PST)
- Doug is alert, following conversations and responding to questions - at least the ones that don't strike him as utterly foolish.
When the heart surgeon stopped by, he asked Doug to nod his head if Doug could see him (as Doug was staring at him). Needless to say,
Doug thought the question rather stupid and just stared until the surgeon left, then nodded and smiled. Melinda explained that he shouldn't do that
no matter how good it makes him feel.
- The nurses are very happy with recent progress and don't seem to be having the trouble with Doug that he gives to surgeons.
- The cantakerous Doug is definitely back - God help us all. :>)
November 7, 2009 - The Doug Report today: (Part 2)
05:43 PM (PST)
- Doug is alert, following conversations and responds to questions. When asked if his feet were cold he looks at the questioner and shakes his head yes.
- He is unable to speak because of the tube, but nods, blinks and moves his hands/ fingers and feet/toes.
- He is being fed through a feeding tube (I teased him and asked what flavor it was - steak?)
- He is still under some sedation and would drift in and out occasionally. He was surprised at the length of time
he's been in the hospital, but was handling the way things are quite well.
- His eyes are alert, clear and he makes "his" faces when iritated, tired or frustrated.
- The rash on his body is almost completely gone and looks much better (it came from a reaction to blood thinners).
- He was trying to sit up more, actively moving his arms to push himself higher in the bed and had to be reminded of all his
tubes, ventilator, etc.
- Today has been the best day I've seen since his admitting.
November 7, 2009 - The Doug Report today: (Part 1)
09:50 AM (PST)
- All Good news! Doug is responding to requests to move his fingers and toes and will shake his head yes and no when asked questions. He wasn't happy
that the Yankees won the World Series.
- The ventillator is at 50% which means he is taking over more of the breathing and doing so on his own.
- His kidneys continue to improve, as does his overall condition.
- He is more alert and aware than in the past and sedation is being kept as minimal as possible. When Doug is asked if he is in pain, he has shaken his head no.
- The slight bleeding around his trach yesterday has stopped and was probably due to the movement from one bed to another.
- There will be a second report later this evening upon my return from the hospital.
November 6, 2009 - The Doug Report today:
04:05 PM (PST)
- Doug's condition remains relatively unchanged. He had a new pick line placed today and was being fed by tube at the time of my call.
- A very small amount of blood was seen around his trach tube, but the charge nurse felt this was due to the amount of movement
Doug underwent today more than anything else. Anytime Doug bleeds, extra attention is paid because of the issues he's had around bleeding.
- His bed was changed today to allow him to lay more erect than he was previously.
November 5, 2009 - The Doug Report today (part 2):
03:08 PM (PST)
- Doug is having one of his best days to date. The Nurse from Saturday said he is more active, awake and responsive than at any time in the past.
- They had to sedate him because he was so active. That is a nice change.
November 5, 2009 - The Doug Report today (part 1):
11:40 AM (PST)
- Doug is looking "perkier" today - the nurses are busy so there will another post in a couple of hours.
November 4, 2009 - The Doug Report today:
04:35 PM (PST)
- Another day of good news! The third CT scan done shows that the bleeding found in an earlier scan is definitely not increasing. The CT scan done today was to check
and make sure the blood thinners given to Doug weren't causing the bleeding to re-start.
- The nurse reports that he was awake while Melinda was there a bit earlier and that the doctor's reduced the use of the ventillator because his breathing had improved.
- The nurses's overall impression was that today was a good day for Doug.
- Starting today I will post the time of the updates so you will have a better understanding of what's going on with Doug when.
November 3, 2009 - Doug's condition today:
- GREAT NEWS! The CT scan done today shows that the bleeding found in yesterday's CT Scan is actually not currently bleeding.
The bleed is not causing pressure on Doug's brain and the blood that is present will eventually be reabsorbed into his body.
- He is awake, although still sedated. He is turning his head and responds with eye blinks to Melinda and family - he's stubborn with the
nursing staff, but that's Doug.
November 2, 2009 - Doug's condition in a nutshell to date:
- he's in Sutter Memorial, currently utilizing their advanced technology devices called Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD).
These twin devices are acting in unison as his heart to keep his blood circulating. He's a pretty sick young man.
- he's on dialysis, although his kidneys are improving daily and the fluid he's retaining is lessening
- he's breathing through a tracheostomy (a long-term version of a tracheotomy) although his lung function is good. His breathing
is strong enough that it disturbs the VAD functionality, hence the tracheostomy.
- today the doctor's will run a CAT scan to check brain function based on the fact that during the actual heart attack, his blood
pressure was low which means oxygenation to the brain was low. These results will be known later today or tomorrow at the latest and
will be updated at that time.
- Melinda is holding up well and handling everything with dignity and grace and says she will be at the hospital on a daily basis
until Doug is out of the woods.
More updates to follow. . . .
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