Katie Update #7

All,

This is the official 7th update on Katie. Those of you who follow
Katie’s status on the her web site saw my post there last night, but for
those who follow only through e-mail, I’ll repeat some of what I wrote
there.

Yesterday was trying for all of us. Katie developed a systemic staph
infection and her fever rose significantly. Doctors added a course of
antibiotics to her treatment, and fortunately, it appears that Katie’s
strength pulled her through at least the initial stages of this latest
challenge. As of around 8 o’clock last night her fever had returned to
an only slightly elevated level which she has maintained since. She also
had to be transported yesterday to get an MRI, which for any critically
ill patient is stressful. Again, Katie demonstrated her passion for life
and made it through this ordeal without incident.

Today has been a much better day, so far. Katie made it through the
night in very good shape. She is back on a full time feed of
Pentobarbitol, which is the drug that keeps her brain resting. However,
doctors have lowered her dosage to one that they believe will keep her
brain from seizing while lowering the negative side effects that the
drug has on the rest of her system. She appears to be handling this
dosage well. As I left, they were still reconnecting her EEG, but they
are confident that this dosage is sufficient to suppress her brain
activity and stop the seizures for now. Also positive, her intra-cranial
pressure (ICP) has held constant at a significantly reduced level, which
indicates that her brain is no longer swelling. The neurosurgeon is
hopeful that they can remove the drainage tube from her brain, thus
removing one of the most dangerous avenues for infection from her body.

Our neurologist is very pleased with the results of the MRI. While Katie
still shows some lesions (inflammation in the brain), they haven’t
spread beyond where they were on her previous MRI taken last Tuesday.
This is very positive because it means that the aggressive treatment
regime appears to be working to prevent any further damage to Katie’s
brain. Now doctors just need time to try and heal the lesions. They have
started her on a very large dosage of steroids, which has been effective
for many patients in reducing neural inflammation. The doctors are
hopeful that Katie will show similar positive results given enough time.
Assuming she stays medically healthy, doctors hope that this five-day
course of steroids, combined with her body’s natural immunodefense
system, will flush out the source of her encephalitis (still assumed to
be some form of virus) and repair most if not all of the damage to her
brain.

If I haven’t yet shared with you how wonderful the staff at MCG is, let
me share it now. It takes a massive team effort to watch over, care for,
and treat a critically ill patient. All of our doctors and nurses are
extremely competent, professional, and compassionate. The Augusta
community is truly blessed to have such a facility in our area.

Davis Parker is returning home tomorrow. His staph infection is under
control. His other recent complication, a blood clot in his groin, is
being treated with a blood thinning agent, which can be administered at
home. He and his parents are in very good spirits. Thank you for adding
your voice to the prayers for Davis’s recovery.

I found out yesterday that Tom Greene, the father of my very good friend
Tony Greene and the director of television ministries at Trinity on the
Hill UMC, is in University Hospital awaiting surgery to determine the
nature of and hopefully remove a growth in his stomach. He is expected
to go into surgery this afternoon. Doctors are hopeful it is benign,
though obviously the family is very scared right now. I know that I have
asked for many prayers from all of you, but please remember Tom and the
Greene family as well. I love Tony and his parents, Tom and Darlyn,
dearly and pray for positive findings and a quick recovery from today’s
surgery.

Thank you all for everything. Your continued support has kept us strong.
We can never hope to repay your love and kindness, but know that we
appreciate all of you more than can be expressed in words.

Sincerely yours,
Paul