My fighter

My Jim won a big battle last night. Yesterday there was a rapid decline in his condition. It was so fast, so dramatic, so overwhelming, so scary. Yesterday morning we woke up at home after a restful evening and night at home. Jim was weak, but we were home and so happy to be there together. We had a 1:00 radiation appointment at Methodist Hospital so we left at about noon. It really tired him out getting to radiation. While waiting for treatment, he began to ramble and not make sense. He was weak and it appeared he was having tremors on his left side. I quickly called for help and they evaluated him. We all thought that if we could complete his radiation and return home to rest....and the home health care nurse could make sure he was okay. On the drive home I called my son, Luke, to come and help me get Jim into the house. But, by the time we arrived home, Jim was hallucinating and he didn't look good. Thank God the home health nurse happened to be arriving when we got home....she quickly evaluated him and his vitals were not good....and declining fast. She called 911 and he was taken to Northfield Hospital. Jim's brother, Rob, met us there. They prepared us for the desperate situation that was before us. They stabilized him as best they could and then transported him back to Methodist Hospital. We were presented with more grave news and decisions. The doctors believed that he may have developed a blood clot in his lung....and that he may not make it through the night. Rob and I were in agreement that fluids and antibiotics were to continue. We waited and watched. I stayed by his side all night. At about 4:00 am his skin felt better....no longer cold and clammy. He was clearer in his thoughts this morning. They now believe that he had some sort of infection and not a blood clot. The situation is serious, but not as dire as the blood clot would have been. He has been heavily medicated all day. Comfort is our main priority. Rob stayed with Jim so I could go home, take a shower, and gather enough things so stay at the hospital for several days. Thank God for Rob. Jim is resting now....heavily medicated and sedated. He is fighting whatever this is, and we are giving him whatever help we can. He has a strong IV antibiotic, lots of fluids, morphine drip and other comfort drugs. I do have a sweet story to tell you....When we were at home he paged through the new Cabella's fishing catalog that had come in the mail. It was one of the last things he did at home. While Jim was hallucinating he kept making comments and actions indicating that he was fishing. I find it sweet and comforting that he was on a nice fishing trip yesterday during all the chaos. He was probably having fun. I hope he caught a big one!
Thank you for your prayers. Please keep him in your thoughts...he has a big fight ahead of him.
With love,
Elizabeth