Grant Swanson

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On Monday, January 24, Grant began having some minor knee pain. On Tuesday he showed me his knee looked swollen. We took him to be evaluated as I thought it looked odd. We were told to keep a close watch and monitor for redness, heat, and fever. 
As the day progressed, he was having more difficulty walking. I checked his knee and it was red and hot to the touch, took his temperature and it was 100 degrees. After sending a picture of his knee to an PA friend, Tammie, she advised taking him to ER. By that time, Grant could barely walk and by the time I got him to the Emergency Room he needed a wheelchair. 

They processed him immediately and got him into a room. (*Praise report, the waiting room was literally empty.)

They ran a battery of tests on him from 11 pm to 4 am in the morning. They drained the fluid on Grant's knee and took out 55CCs of fluid to culture. The doctor and all the staff attending the procedure were gasping at the amount of fluid removed. The ER staff at the Ridges could not have been more wonderful, knowledgeable and kind. While at Ridges, we discovered that Grant was suspect for septic knee due to bacterial infection, while simultaneously testing positive for Covid. 

At 4 am a transport was ordered to take Grant to a different hospital. This was a blessing as we had gotten about one hour of sleep, it was -22 degrees, and the transport allowed us to avoid the elements as well as walking and trying to find where to go in the middle of the night. The ambulance driver and attendant looked after him well and were so incredibly kind.

Grant was taken in immediately to surgery to flush his knee. I was told intubating him was a risk because of his covid and this was a great worry. Making these decisions on the fly without David (Grant is not allowed visitors and only one parent with him) present was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. But we did decide that though it was a risk to intubate, the knee infection was certainly a greater risk and none of the anesthesiologists recommended a spinal. The CNA told me he would have made the same choice for his own child which comforted me greatly.

Grant did well in surgery and was admitted to the hospital where he is recovering.

We appreciate all of the love and prayers and will be updating this journal to keep everyone informed. 


Michelle, for Grant and all the Swansons