P.S. We just found out a few minutes ago that Katie's TAILBONE is broken, and is so bad that she'll have to have it removed! Say what???? It's from an injury 10 years ago!
Katie, the animal lover, with her dog Oreo and her cat, Katniss!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Yeast
My wife and I would like to thank you for fasting and
praying for Katie 10 days ago before her surgery. Our entire Stake did a
fast the day before, which wasn’t something we expected or asked for, but it
made a big difference. We felt you should know the results.
Katie is recovering very well. We were surprised at a
couple of things:
-
The surgeon did not find as much infected bone
as was suspected; in fact, there was very little, but enough to harbor
infection; that little bit was removed without having any significant impact on
losing bone mass that was previously gained
-
In the cultures taken during surgery, MRSA did
not show up, meaning the antibiotic is killing that particular bug.
However, pseudomonas did show up, which can be equally as difficult to deal
with. A change of antibiotics was prescribed to target the new bug.
We also just received notice yesterday that she has yeast growing in there too, so
they’ll add another medication today for that.
-
The swelling was not as bad or as long-lived as
we’d expected.
-
Her energy levels are slowly increasing day by
day.
-
She’s in great spirits!
So, our deep, heart-felt thanks for your efforts in Katie’s
behalf. As I keep telling her, she’s a complicated woman! But
thanks to the many prayers offered in her behalf, she’s getting through this
and plans to go to youth conference and girls camp this month.
-
Glenn, Pam & Katie
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Positive
My wife and I would like to thank you for
fasting and praying for Katie 10 days ago before her surgery. Our entire
Stake did a fast the day before, which wasn’t something we expected or asked
for, but it made a big difference. We felt you should know the results.
Katie is recovering very well. We were surprised at a
couple of things:
-
The surgeon did not find as much infected bone
as was suspected; in fact, there was very little, but enough to harbor
infection; that little bit was removed without having any significant impact on
losing bone mass that was previously gained
-
In the cultures taken during surgery, MRSA did
not show up, meaning the antibiotic is killing that particular bug.
However, pseudomonas did show up, which can be equally as difficult to deal
with. A change of antibiotics was prescribed to target the new bug.
We also just received notice that she has yeast growing in there too, so
they’ll add another medication today for that.
-
The swelling was not as bad or as long-lived as
we’d expected.
-
Her energy levels are slowly increasing day by
day.
-
She’s in great spirits!
So, our deep, heart-felt thanks for your efforts in Katie’s
behalf. As I keep telling her, she’s a complicated woman! But
thanks to the many prayers offered in her behalf, she’s getting through this
and plans to go to youth conference and girls camp this month.
-
Glenn, Pam & Katie
Monday, June 11, 2012
Home
We arrived back home tonight in St. George. Katie's pain levels are decreasing each day - she had a pretty good day today, despite the travel. We're very hopeful the surgery did the trick!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Cefepime
The infectious disease Dr called tonight with word that pseudomonas grew in KT's surgical culture, so they took her off the ertapenem (once a day) and changed her to cefepime (twice a day). Not sure if that means MRSA is gone, or if it just hasn't had time to grow yet.
Katie has felt pretty good today, comparatively, with decreased swelling and redness. I got her a promise ring today, since I had forgotten to do it on her 16th birthday.
Your prayers are definitely helping!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Contact
Primary Children's, Room 3077. Visiting hours 9 - 9. Please don't come if you're sick. She looks great and is resting well.
Encouraging News
Well, we haven't seen her yet, but she's in recovery. Here's what we know:
A. Her teeth are a mess, but they were able to put 4 caps on some of the bad teeth, they pulled one that was unsalvageable, and they did one gigantic filling. The rest of the dental work will have to be done in a dental chair, but this should start the reversal process of the horrible decay in her mouth.
B. The cheekbone is vital! There was no dead bone in there, on either side. All he found was some soft bone cement that he was able to scrape off, but he found no dead bone.
Conclusions: Though the dental team did not feel they found anything that could be identified as the source of the infection, Dr. Siddiqi, the surgeon, is certain that the teeth were the source of her pain because he found nothing in the cheekbone that was "bad bone."
Next steps: Infectious disease will grow the cultures to see where the bone infections stands, and adjust the antibiotics to more specifically target the bugs. We'll let the infection resolve completely, and then start looking at what we can do to build up her dental bone such that she can eventually be fitted with a dental prosthesis, as she will most likely lose all her teeth in the end. Actually, a prosthesis may be the best overall solution because it would allow the creation of a good chewing surface, which is something she hasn't had all her life.
We are relieved about the fact there is no mushy bone! Yeah! Your prayers and ours have been answered. She will be very swollen the next two days - even to the point of her eyes swelling shut.
A. Her teeth are a mess, but they were able to put 4 caps on some of the bad teeth, they pulled one that was unsalvageable, and they did one gigantic filling. The rest of the dental work will have to be done in a dental chair, but this should start the reversal process of the horrible decay in her mouth.
B. The cheekbone is vital! There was no dead bone in there, on either side. All he found was some soft bone cement that he was able to scrape off, but he found no dead bone.
Conclusions: Though the dental team did not feel they found anything that could be identified as the source of the infection, Dr. Siddiqi, the surgeon, is certain that the teeth were the source of her pain because he found nothing in the cheekbone that was "bad bone."
Next steps: Infectious disease will grow the cultures to see where the bone infections stands, and adjust the antibiotics to more specifically target the bugs. We'll let the infection resolve completely, and then start looking at what we can do to build up her dental bone such that she can eventually be fitted with a dental prosthesis, as she will most likely lose all her teeth in the end. Actually, a prosthesis may be the best overall solution because it would allow the creation of a good chewing surface, which is something she hasn't had all her life.
We are relieved about the fact there is no mushy bone! Yeah! Your prayers and ours have been answered. She will be very swollen the next two days - even to the point of her eyes swelling shut.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Surgery Update
KT will undergo the 24th surgery of her young life tomorrow, Monday, at about 9 am (we have to have her there by 8) at Primary Children's Medical Center in SLC. First, a dental team will go in, headed by Dr. Bailey. They will do extensive dental work to try to save the teeth that have become involved.
They will be followed by the craniofacial surgeon, Dr. Sidiqi, whose job it will be to clean out the dead bone in her cheek. Only when all necrotic material is removed can we hope to eradicate the MRSA infection in her bone.
We are very grateful for the many prayers you and so many others have offered and continue to offer in her behalf!
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