DJ Torgerson

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement.  On January 31, 2017 DJ had back surgery at the Minneapolis VA, he had waited many months to have this surgery & he was excited to finally have relief from years of back pain!  He had 2 herniated  discs repaired and a laminectomy at 2 levels, during the operation there was a complication where the dura sac surrounding the spinal cord tore (the surgeon had told us this could happen - one in 10 he said!) so this caused the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to leak out but the surgeon repaired it with a patch & DJ had to lay flat on his back for 24 hours after surgery.  They had a hard time getting his pain under control post op & even when he came home 3 days later he was still having a lot of pain.....then the next day (Saturday, February 4) his pain got out of control even using the discharge meds the doctors gave him &  he developed a fever so I brought him to Mayo in Rochester where I work as a nurse, much closer to home than the VA for us.  He was admitted to the ICU at St. Mary's Hospital that night where he remains a patient in critical but stable condition.   He has an infection in his back &  in his lungs, he is on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma in order to allow his lungs time to heal & allow the antibiotics time to fight!  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers......DJ is a friend to all & now he needs all of you!  Thank You for visiting!