TJ has been put on Vancomycin again and the hospital's infectious disease doctor there has been brought in. He does have pneumonia in his left lung. The doctors in Bangkok were able to call TJ's doctor here (the one that pretty much walks on water). MA has a flight booked for tomorrow and is getting concerned because, "they are pulling in the big guns fast." It takes a bit for MA to get concerned.
We are also working on getting her an international cell phone within 11 hours (from now). Don't know if that is going to happen.
The link to hospital's website is http://www.samitivejhospitals.
This post may be updated in the next 10 minutes as I get MA to look it over (she just got off the phone with Chip, there may be updates that I didn't hear).
And for everyone asking, no, I (Jon) am not getting a flight at this point. I am planning on waiting another 24 hours or so, or at least waiting for more concrete information to fall into place.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Little More on Bad Things
K, Things Are Now Getting Bad
I've been asked by more than one person how I am doing, compared to last year this has largely been an annoyance, until now.
The doctors think that TJ is in the first stage of septic shock. Very bad. His urine output is low, probably due to that. He is running a fever of 37.9'C, which equates to 100.2'F, and is feeling cold. His blood pressure remains low.
There are placing a central line in now (more or less like the pic line he had in last year).
MA is working on travel arrangements as I write.
Feel free to comment with questions, I'll answer as soon as I can.
Update on Previous Post
First, if you didn't read the post below, do so.
Second, MA just got off the phone with the Thai pulmnologyst who said that TJ either has pneumonia or a scar from his last plural effusion. It is most likely pneumonia. It is also worth noting that pneumonia is a symptom, not a disease. So why TJ has pneumonia is up in the air.
TJ does not have a fever, but his blood pressure is low and his on five liters of oxygen. He and MA were able to talk over the phone a few minutes ago.
Finally, the CT scan has been put off for the time being. Which means almost nothing other than that they are not doing it now.
Possible scenarios...
I was just able to speak to the doctor in Thailand. Tim was not feeling well on the plane, got very sweaty, and then does not remember exactly what happened, although another passenger reported that he was shaking. The CAT scan of his brain was fine, his pulse and heart rhythm are good. The doctor thinks that it may have been a syncopal episode (low blood pressure leading to passing out and sometimes shaking) vs. a first time seizure. They may do an EEG tomorrow. He is getting a cardiology consult and an endocrine consult for the diabetes. He does not want to add a medication for possible seizures since TJ is pretty complicated medically and the doctor does not want to add unnecessary medication. The doctor is concerned that his blood pressure is remaining low and on a chest x-ray it looks like he may have pneumonia. That part makes me nervous!
Chip has a room down the hall-like a hotel room that is part of the hospital and a couple men who work with Tim are also with them.
MA
Admitted
So TJ has now been admitted to a hospital three times in his life, and has managed to be in the ICU every time!
The doctor that checked him over didn't like something he heard in TJ's heart (not really a surprise) and checked him into the ICU for 24 hours and ordered a CT scan as well. It would be a surprise if the staff there found anything new. His neuro checks (strength equal on both sides, oriented, etc.) were good. The doctor was wondering if it could be a clot (hence the CT scan), but he seemed to be throwing possibilities out for consideration.
There have been some Thai people from a similar organization that have been helping to translate, but the doctor speaks English well enough for Chip to understand him. Also fortunately, there is a hotel at the hospital where Chip is getting a room.
Two other people from TJ's organization -- one who lives in Hong Kong currently, previously in China -- will be on hand as soon as TJ actually gets his room. The staff did not want them in the ER (again, not surprisingly).
We'll update as things come back to us. You can pray for Chip as well, who apparently is going on a mere three hours of sleep and no food as yet. Guess he wasn't expecting a crisis at the airport.
On the Way to the Hospital
Chip just called and they are on the way to a hospital in downtown Bangkok (they were told this is the "best"). He has an IV and on o2- pretty standard. The medical staff wanted Chip to take care of passports before leaving for the hospital and they did get their luggage. Chip thought that they were not in too great a hurry. TJ will need a signed certificate from a doctor to fly.
Without seeing him and just guessing, I am speculating that he was exhausted, dehydrated, and perhaps getting sick..He seems to get food poisoning every other time he is in Bangkok.
He is stable right now and this does not appear to be anything life-threatening. Everything we know has been posted so far and there is no a diagnosis from Thailand yet or how sick he is or whether there was an actual seizure or not is unknown.
Please pray that everything is cleared for them to get a flight home tomorrow and all the details of getting sick in a foreign county get worked out.
MA
A Major Concern in Thailand
TJ and Chip (his younger son) are at the Bangkok airport right now where TJ may have had a seizure on the plane, and the were subsequently deplaned.
The details are scarce for me at the moment, but TJ did black out on the plane, possibly due to low blood pressure (which can look like a seizure without actually being one). The airport medical staff are checking him out right now and giving him a IV flush in order to make sure he is hydrated.
I'll update as soon as I know more. Thankfully Thailand is one of the better places in Asia to have something like this happen. With travel health insurance it is common to have a plan in place to medivac someone out of another country, such as China, to Thailand.
P.S. (6:08CST) TJ is conscious and does not appear to be in a serious condition at this moment. But, again, the info is coming through slowly. Thank God for international cell phones!
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