Chris' dad was transferred out of ICU at Methodist yesterday. He is now in a long term acute care facility in Pasadena. Ah, Pasadena. Home of the Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses parade. But not that Pasadena. Pasadena, Texas. It's a suburb of Houston that is actually closer to us than the Houston Medical Center was. It's much closer to Chris' brother as well, so from that perspective it was a good move.
Chris thought that the transfer was going to be to another ICU unit. Not so much. The facility was nice enough, but he was on a regular medical unit in a private room. That meant he was not in view of a nurse at all times. When we walked into the room he was moving around in the bed a lot, obviously quite uncomfortable and agitated. He was restrained and hooked up to several IV's and a feeding tube. Chris went up to him and he seemed to recognize her at first. In fact he even suggested they go to K2's for lunch. That's a steak house in Bay City. But then he blinked and returned to the more incoherent mumblings.
He was on a really strong antibiotic, so Chris decided to see if she could talk to his nurse. We went up to the nurse station, but she was at lunch. It wouldn't have mattered, though, because we didn't know the secret code number that would have allowed them to release information. They did send for his case manager to let us know what they could. Problem was, his case manager was gone for the day. Another one came up to talk to us, though. In the meantime Chris managed to get her brother on the phone. He has medical power of attorney. And he didn't know of a secret code number either. The case manager allowed him to "approve" Chris over the phone, though. After all that we finally found out that her Dad has one of those MRSA infections that you get in hospitals and that are highly resistant to most antibiotics. That's why the pneumonia hasn't gotten any better. That makes a tough situation even worse. Chris was able to fill in some of the information blanks in his chart on medical history. Come to find out he had not been officially admitted yet. The transfer happened after hours, so one of those secret codes had not even been assigned yet. In fact while we were still up there, a lady came up from admissions and asked Chris to do the paperwork. She was able to sign most of the admitting forms, but there were a few places that looked like legal documents, so she left those for her brother.
They told us that he would probably be there for up to 27 days. Their responsibility was to get the immediate medical issues under control, then do the evaluations to determine what the next steps would be. The medical team meets every Tuesday to discuss his case, so we can check back on Wednesdays for more information. It was quite a lot to process in a very short amount of time. The family still has some things they need to talk about. Detail after detail. One step at a time.
Isaiah 53:4-5 says, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Father, walk with Chris' family as they attack the many issues that are still before them. And burst through her Dad's confusion to touch him with your presence as well. Amen.
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