JERRY KASTEN

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, JERRY HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITH SOME PRETTY BIG HEALTH ISSUES FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.  1 1/2 YEARS AGO HE FELL WHILE VISITING HIS BROTHER IN CALIFORNIA AND BROKE HIS HIP.  ALTHO HE SEEMINGLY RECOVERED FROM THE HIP REPLACEMENT, HE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING ONE HEALTH DILEMMA AFTER ANOTHER.  IN THE PAST 8 MONTHS  HE HAS HAD THREE MAJOR HOSPITALIZATIONS.  IN OCT. HE HAD  A 5 DAY STINT IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A UTI THAT TURNED INTO SEPSIS.  HE HAS ORTHOSTATIC HYPOTENSION, ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA (A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL,) A MELANOMA ON HIS ARM WHICH THEY SURGICALLY REMOVED, BLOOD ISSUES THAT ARE SO FAR SO GOOD, AND ACALASIA WHICH IS A CONDITION CAUSING   A NARROWING OF AND A WEAKENING  OF THE ESOPHAGUS.  THE TREATMENT FOR THIS, RATHER THAN SURGERY,  IS A STRETCHING OF THE ESOPHAGUS BY A BALLOON PROCEDURE.  DURNG THIS PROCEDURE, THE ESOPHAGUS EXPLODED, AND HAD TO BE REPAIRED.  HE WILL HAVE A FEEDING TUBE FOR 4-6 WEEKS, CHEST TUBES THAT ARE CAUSING HIM SEVERE PAIN, MEDICATION TUBES,  A BELLY TUBE,  A PEE PEE TUBE, ETC. ETC.  NO FUN, FOR SURE!!! THE REPAIR TO THE ESOPHAGUS WAS SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE RECOVERY IS LONG AND HARD.  TODAY IS DAY 3, AND POSSIBLY THE WORST AS FAR AS THE PAIN GOES.   DURING THE NIGHT HIS HEART WENT INTO A FIB, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO TRANSITION IT BACK INTO NORMAL SINUS RYTHEM.  PLEASE KEEP HIM (AND ME) IN YOUR PRAYERS!   I WILL KEEP ALL POSTED