How we got here..

This has been the wildest ride I have been on in a very long time. I have been shocked, scared, confused, amused, light headed, and tired. I have also been so blessed with the amount of love and concern that has come through from all our friends and family. I really appreciate all the help and encouragement Jami and I and the kids have received. Not much can go wrong with chocolate chip cookies and marshmallows at your side. Well, maybe but the're great to hand out to all the nurses and doctors coming in! It puts everybody in a better mood. :o)
So, my wonderful sister had the idea to help me keep everyone as up to date as possible without repeating or forgetting and retelling the situation over and over again. I thank you all for your concern and I still appreciate talking with everyone. Your voices are always an encouragement. But, this should make things easier to communicate correctly. So, I will do my best to update Jami's progress through this blog... If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them here. Jami is sedated and on a ventilator but when he wakes up (and he WILL) he will truly LOVE to hear from you and read your notes.
Now the story and update:
Jami has been dealing with a bad cough and respiratory problems for about a month or so. We weren't too worried because he is in pretty good shape and has never had any asthmatic or respiratory problems in his life. After a few weeks we went into Urgent Care to be checked out and they did a few things; meds, and tests and sent him home. He seemed to be getting better after a few days. Not completely but was showing signs of improvement but, after about two weeks things started to go bad very quickly. We were back in Urgent Care on Thursday and a few more tests were run and more meds prescribed. Unfortunately, by Saturday he was in respitory distress and I hauled him into the ER in Albany. Since then it has been just a whirlwind of every emotion I can think of. The most unnerving part is the fact that they can't pin point why his system crashed so fast and so hard. When we left Urgent Care on Thursday he was doing "okay."
He stayed in the Albany CCU for about 24hrs and was transferred to Corvallis Critical Care. Since then he has been "stable" and his vitals are all in good shape. He is on a ventilator and completely sedated. Until they can get his lungs functioning at a safe level by themselves he will stay this way. He has made some improvements and his lungs are opening back up and moving air... little by little. I've observed that sometimes patience is the worst tasting medicine but gives the most comfort and relief. Yesterday afternoon they pulled down his sedation level to a point where he was able to open his eyes and recognize me :o) They checked to make sure there was no signs of stroke or neurological issues. When your brain goes without oxygen for too long this becomes an issue. Thankfully, Jami was in great shape... so much so, he started to get rambuncious and didnt like his ventilator and they had to sedate him. They told me that was a good sign and they like to see their patients fight back! So, today he is resting and little by little the swelling is going down, the mucus and leaving, and his breathing is improving. Thank you so much for all your prayers... We serve a BIG God and I am so thankful to have all of you with us! And one more thing... the kids are doing great! Kathy grabbed them up on Saturday and they are at Grandma's house for the week and Alicia is in charge of breaking them out of school when necessary LOL!! You guys are amazing!!