Kenna's Hospitalization

Sunday July 5th

Hi everyone... FYI: 

We spent yesterday morning in the ER with Kenna having debilitating pains of unknown origins. It turned out she has 3 kidney stones. One in the ureter. They gave us Rxs for pain and nausea. 

This morning her speech was slurred so around 11:30 I brought her to the ER again.

The kidney stone coupled with a previous UTI has caused sepsis and they're now taking her into the ICU. She'll be here for at least a couple days maybe more. They're going to insert a drain in her kidney and drain the infection as much as they can. Then they will determine if they need to go in surgically to remove the kidney stone.

We need your prayers. 

We're in the AF hospital. This is from Rylee: 

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We visited and I looked at all Kenna’s results. This is my summary so far. To start with she is very sick but she is doing ok and everything should be easily treatable with a hospital stay for the next 2-4 days. I would say this scenario is in the top 5 things I treat in the hospital so it is common.

She has a bad urine infection that led to sepsis, which is a term used for any infection (usually bacterial) that has the potential to cause systemic organ failure. I suspect the urine infection may have spread to her bloodstream which is how she got so sick so fast, but that will be confirmed on testing in the next 24-48 hrs. This is treated with antibiotics through an IV which they already started as soon as she got to the ER.

She also has a kidney stone that is blocking the flow of urine on the left side, and this might need to be drained with a tube through her lower back into the kidney. These tubes usually stay in a few weeks until any infection is gone. They haven't said for sure if this is happening tonight yet. Then you need to have the kidney stone removed if it hasn't passed on it own by then.

Because of these things plus probably the pain medication making her sleepier yesterday she got very dehydrated and her kidneys aren't working as well as they should. Some of her regular medications probably made it worse. I expect this to get better with IV fluids but they will keep checking her kidney function every day. Because her kidneys aren't working as well as usual the pain medication built up in her system and made her confused and slur her words.

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They'll let us know what's happening with draining the kidney in a little while. That's a given that they're doing that. Surgery is a tomorrow decision. 

Monday July 6th

The doctors and nurses told us yesterday that it was going to get worse before it got better. This morning it was worse. They had a hard time getting a blood pressure reading as well as an oxygen level reading so they eventually intubated her. They have life-flighted her to Provo and she'll be in the ICU there. There's no discussion on the surgery for the kidney stone until they get the sepsis under control. I'm just getting to the ICU unit now and will give you another update when I know more.

She's sedated. That's a good thing considering she just was flown to Provo in a helicopter. They are keeping her sedated until they see more improvement. ICU rules are more strict here than AF. they told us when we go back they'll only allow 2 at a time. I'm here with Joe, Rachel, and Mel and we haven't gone back yet as they're trying again to put in arterial line to help get a better monitor her BP.

Call me if you have questions. 

This is Katie. They just let us back into the ICU to see her. Her BP has finally started to go up. And they've been able to lower the medication for that. She is sedated and intubated. And her oxygen is what they are most worried about right now, but moving in the right direction. They were able to get the ART line in to get a better read on her blood pressure. They are doing an echocardiogram of the heart right now too. So when we get that information back we'll let you know. 

If you want to visit, you can. They'll only let us in two at a time. Also, please be aware. She is going to be in the ICU for multiple days. Today she is completely sedated and can't talk. She isn't aware of who is here or what is going on. So you don't need to rush down today. But keep sending all the love and prayers. And we'd love if you could put her name in the temple as well. 💗 

Feel free to call or text me with any questions.

Tuesday July 7th

She's doing a little better. They were able to decrease the meds pushing her BP higher but it's still low. They also decreased the % of oxygen being forced into her breathing tube. She's still in pretty rough shape. The nurse is with her almost constantly. The Drs monitor things and check in regularly. We set up a schedule so someone is with her always. Joseph stayed last night. 

Tiny update: they were able to take her off all but one blood pressure medication. And her BP is staying in a better range than yesterday. They also lowered the numbers on the respirator and she handling that too. Still a ways to go, but tiny things are improving.

She is doing a bit better. Almost all of her numbers are moving in the right direction. She is still intubated but the % is down to 50% when they had her at 90% yesterday. Her fever is coming down. Her BP is up and she is only on one medication for that. The lactic acid in her blood has lowered as well. The only thing they are worried about is her urine output which is an indicator of how well her kidney function is. So that is concerning but everything is looking better and she even is responsive to certain touches (her feet are still ticklish). Things are looking up! Thank you for the prayers!

Wednesday July 8th

This morning they tried putting Kenna on a CPAP to see how she would handle breathing on her own. She's still on the BP presser but her BP levels are good. She has opened her eyes and is moving more but not sure how conscious or aware she is. She's still intubated. Rachel stayed the night with her and Melanie's headed in to be with her this morning. Her kidney output is still not there so that's still a worry.  

I'll send more details when I get to the hospital. Love you all and I'm so grateful for each of you and our families. All the Walkers, the Jones, the Alms, the Prices, the Jacobsons, the Andersons, the Curtins, and my kids. Thank you for your love and prayers. 

Update: she's still breathing completely on her own. Earlier, she was opening her eyes, moving, and got quite agitated. They gave her some oxy and that helped her relax. She's sleeping again. Her hands and feet look much better today so they're not as afraid of her losing any part of her hands or feet. They still want her kidneys to start doing a better job. Her BP is all what her body is doing - nothing medical stimulated and it's where it needs to be. 

She's doing a little better each day. This morning the dr told us he's encouraged with the color coming back to her hands and feet. This afternoon her urine and kidney output has been more than the past 3 days combined. 

They're going to put O² back into her breathing tube tonight to give her lungs a break. They're also giving her oxy as she's becoming more agitated but still not coherent. 

She is improving even though it's little by little. She's getting better. 

If anyone has questions that I'm not answering, please call me. 

She's not recognizing us yet. But I feel like sometimes she's responding when we tell her to breathe deep or things. She hasn't yet responded when the nurses ask her to squeeze their hand. But I think she's close! -Katie

Thursday July 9th

Update: both the nephology Dr and the ICU Dr just came in. Kenna's kidneys are not functioning very well at all. The kidney and liver numbers are still bad but the rate of their increase slowed from yesterday to today. They expected things to get worse before they got better. IOW - things should plateau then get better. They are going to put a dialysis catheter in her neck and get her blood flushed off toxins and residual pain meds that may be keeping her from being more coherent.

That's happening now. I just signed one consent form and Dr Sperry said Dr Barlow would be in with the dialysis consent form. Dr Sperry is the ICU Dr. Dr Barlow is the Nephrologist.

She's still breathing on her own without additional O². She's still intubated and opens her eyes and pushes her tongue out in an effort to get the tube out of her mouth. They're still giving her pain meds as she gets very agitated at times due to the pain and discomfort she's in. The Nephrologist says her circulation is better he's fairly confident she won't lose any fingers or toes - which happens in cases like this. He's also confident her kidneys will return to normal function.

 Dialysis is still going on. It won't finish until about 8:00:00 p.m. maybe a little after. She hasn't had any pain meds since 1:00 p.m. and seems to be doing very well.

I just spoke with Melanie. She's staying the night with Kenna. Dialysis went well. Her electrolytes were low but they expected that. They're starting another session of dialysis tomorrow at either 8 or noon. 

No one explicitly said this but I suspect the Nephrologist will have updated kidney and liver #s tomorrow morning. I'll be there early to make sure I can talk to him.

 I came home early tonight to mow my lawn. I finished it in record time - just over 90 minutes. I also have about 3 batches of laundry to fold and dishes to put away. 

I love you all and am so very grateful for all your prayers for my sweetie. ❤️

 If any of you need a place to stay, you're welcome to stay in our home. There's also a newly renovated shower in the bath room downstairs. 

Friday July 10th

The dialysis yesterday helped. They just cycled her own blood, letting the machine remove as many toxins as it could. They'll run another session today and let the machine also remove some of the fluid her body is retaining. How much depends on what her BP can tolerate. They're not giving her any pain meds, hoping that will help her progress to being more coherent. Her hands and feet don't look as good as they did yesterday. That's worrisome. 

One of the nurses yesterday told us to talk to her and let her grandkids talk to her over the phone. We call her name and she opens her eyes but won't follow specific commands yet. She still is moving a lot and they say that's good too. 

Saturday July 11th

Update: 

They're just starting dialysis. 

Kenna's white blood cell count is still very high so they added another antibiotic. Her urine output for yesterday was very good. The output in the nephrostomy bag (from the left kidney) was good for volume and color.

She responded to Dr Sperry this morning. He asked her if she could cough and she nodded her head yes and took a second and then coughed. They said they'll extubate today or tomorrow. 

She's making good progress. ❤️

Sunday July 12th

The Dr hasn't been in yet. She hasn't had anything for pain since last night at 9. She's not very much more responsive this morning than she was yesterday.

They took the tube out and are going to take the Art line out as well. Dr Sperry thinks she'll make more progress today. Her white blood cell count is still high but did go down slightly from yesterday (49k vs 50k). The Dr said "at least it didn't go up." Her platelets were up and her kidney #s look good and her fluid output is still good.

The nephrologist ordered a diuretic which should help the water retention in her hands and feet. They also have her more potassium. She pretty delirious. She is trying to form words and they must don't come out. The nurse says that's common and could take up to a couple months to clear. 

Her mouth is sore. Last night the respiratory therapist noticed she was biting on her tube so he put a solid block on the front of the tube. The support for the tube was supposed to be on her upper lip below her nose but she had moved her jaw so it was resting on her teeth. Because she was chewing on it for a few minutes it made her gums raw. She keeps saying poison. I keep telling her that the sepsis is the poison and that we're trying to get it out.

She's making progress but it's heartbreaking to see her this way.

They're leaving the dialysis catheters in because they won't know if she needs more dialysis until after today. The nephrologist is not ruling it out.

I stopped by and was able to release Joseph. The nurse came in and asked kenna if she knew me. She shook her head - then the nurse asked what is her name and she said (not to clearly but clear enough) Louann. She also told us shad had an itch. We located it on her back and asked if we got it and she said yes.  -LouAnn

Monday July 13th

It's been a busy morning. Three different dr's, PT, OT, and the Speech Therapist all came in. She's making progress but it's slow.

-Her fluid output is the best it's been.

-Her white blood cell count went down.

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The Dr thinks her kidneys will recover fully mostly due to the fact that she's never had kidney problems previously. They want to wait until they she how everything goes today to determine if they need more dialysis.

With the breathing tube out, she's trying to talk more. She was pretty delirious at first and is still not making sense with some things. They said her cognitive blur would start to clear. The PT and OT got her standing, and it took all her energy. Through the night, she bit through her feeding tube (even though it's in her nose). They gave her some ice chips to make sure she could swallow. Then a teaspoon of applesauce. The applesauce didn't go as well so they're limiting that based on how hard that was to swallow. They'll reevaluate that tomorrow. 

When everyone left, she looked at me and said, "it's real, isn't it. All this really happened." 

Kenna is awake and joking. So happy with her progress.  -Kelly

Tuesday July 14th

 ​Kenna's doing better every day. The Dr said her liver, kidney, and white blood cell count continue to improve. The Nephrologist came in and he's not convinced she needs dialysis again and wants to see what everything looks like tomorrow. She's not swallowing as automatically as they'd like so she still has a feeding tube. They'll reevaluate that again tomorrow. She's more coherent today than yesterday. She sat up in the recliner for an hour and 15 minutes. Then she said she was exhausted.  

Wednesday July 15th

The Drs were here. All her #s were better again today. They brought a vascular surgeon in to talk about her fingers and toes. He said the lack of circulation will come back slowly. They sent some medication to put on them. They're just going to watch them.

The nephrologist says she will not need dialysis again unless her #s get worse again. So, they took the dialysis catheters out. 

The speech pathologist came in and checked her swallowing. She now can have liquids and soft foods. As a result, they took her feeding tube out. 

They have an order to move her to a regular patient room but don't have an available room. 

Thank you so much for your prayers. They are working. 

Thursday July 16th

She just moved to a new room. (Literally) 

Now we're in room 911.

 Any visitors are welcome 😊 

She has also graduated to small, soft, bite-sized food. So she's excited about that. 

The two Drs came in earlier. Her #s had improved again slightly. The PA for the vascular surgeon also came in. The PA was following up on a test they ran on her hands and feet to determine how open or constricted the blood vessels were. The PA said the only thing they're worried about is her pinky on her left hand. She said it just takes time. 

Her hands and feet hurt and she doesn't have complete feeling in them. 

Kenna still has the kidney drain and the PICC line but nothing else. Having the drain removed is a wait and see situation. 

They moved her to room 911. She's talking a lot and has a little challenge in remembering some things.

Friday July 17th

The hospital Dr came in this morning. Her numbers continue to look better. Her white blood cell count is almost normal. She's been going to the bathroom and the Dr said that sometimes is a better marker than the chart can be. She's had PT and speech this morning but OT has not been here. She's worn out from even the little bit the other two had her do. 

The Dr talked about next steps to go home. She has to be able to move and walk so that's the next speed bump. 

The speech pathologist put her on a normal diet so that's another step to being normal. 

Her speech is still suffering a little but I think it's mostly worse when she's tired.

She loves visitors and can talk more than you can imagine. 

Sorry this was a late post but I fell asleep writing this earlier. 

Saturday July 18th

The Dr came in earlier. Kenna told him she could hear very well in her left ear. He looked at it but with that not being his field of expertise, he said she may have some residual congestion that has kept some water behind her eardrum. PT came and wore her out by walking her down the long hall. Then, she was able to sit in the shower. Now she's talking a nap. Her fingers and toes are trying to get better, but that's a process. She's struggles with her coordination and feeling in her hands. Her legs and feet hurt when standing but not when walking. She's a fighter though. 

Thank you all for your love and prayers. ❤️

Correction: ...COULDN'T hear very well. 

I forgot to add this. This was this morning after PT, then breakfast, then a shower. 

Monday July 20th

The Dr was in earlier. He said he #s are all looking good. As far as discharge is concerned, it's getting close to needing to plan for that. She's doing well except for her fingers and toes and they're getting better everyday. The OT folks are working on her fine motor coordination. She's walking better everyday even though it still hurts to just stand - where walking is ok.

They have talked about having her go to a rehab center but she doesn't want to do that. We've also discussed having Home Health come in with a nurse assist for a while. That's likely the direction we will end up

Tuesday July 21st

The Dr said she could go home today but she's not ready. The nurse we had yesterday is here today and tomorrow. She talked to me about her care when we get home. We'll still be putting ointment on her fingers and toes. She did stairs with PT and she's comfortable doing that. We'll still have to have home health come in on occasion but not sure of the frequency needed. She's talking and thinking a little more clearly. We're making progress - little by little. 

She wants to go home. She's leary about going home and the nurse says it would be better to go tomorrow than today. There are just a lot of arrangements... arrangements that have to be made to make sure she's still properly cared for. She will still have the nephrostomy bag and we'll still be applying nitroglycerine to her fingers and toes. 

The last 12 business days, I've taken as sick days. I have 30 more. My last day was supposed to be 7/31. We'll see if that stays or changes as we look at insurance considerations. 

Wednesday July 22nd

Here's the update for today.  We're on our way home!