Lee McKinnon

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The following is a journal that Allison has been keeping to let everyone know Lee’s Journey…

Lee’s journey:
4/18/22- Open heart surgery to receive a mechanical valve. Lee was born with a bicuspid valve instead of tricuspid valve and it was not working anymore. Praise God our sweet boys were not born with this birth defect.🙌❤️

4/22/22: D/C from
Hospital. We spent 5 days in the hospital.

4/23-4/28- Lee is doing great! Up and walking. Just a little pain from incision. 🙌🙌🙌🙏

4/29/22- Lee starts getting very sick and runs fevers up to 103 that can’t be brought down with Tylenol. Numerous calls made to on call Dr. Davies staff. Treat with Tylenol is all we get night after night.

5/2/22- Lee is worse and still high fever. Ambulance called and he is taken to UAB ER. Blood cultures are drawn and seen by Davies NP who said “it is probably just a fever virus, my friend has one!” 😡 Brushed us off and our concerns and said don’t ever come to the ER.

5/2/22- Lee is still sick with high fevers and feels terrible. Call the office again and a different NP says call the ambulance if fever is 105!!! 😡

5/3/22- Dr. Davies office called (after my brother Doug who is a doctor, emails him personally regarding Lee being so sick) and says he is being admitted and to head straight to the hospital because he has a blood stream infection. Admitted to W502 and infectious disease docs come to see us and start very strong IV antibiotics around the clock.

5/7/22- We are still here. Getting a picc line now for 6 weeks of antibiotics. 😢

5/9/22- still in the hospital getting antibiotics.

5/10/22-About to be discharged. We aren't leaving, literally I was about to get him dressed and his BP dropped and he got a sudden sharp pain his back. Please pray for us😓.

5/11/22-Text forward from this morning: (I am too exhausted to type). It has been a very rough day and he has so much going on.🙏😞

We just got back from surgery. They said he has a pleural effusion and a pericardial effusion. He has two chest tubes 1 in each and drains. Getting morphine pump. So much pain but is resting now. Please pray for us and that he heals quickly. We are going to be here for a few days.

5/12/22- Things are rough. He is extremely weak. Creatinine tripled, 15 pound fluid wt gain. Had to get a catheter overnight. WBC count back up and
Low fever so doing blood cultures again. Short of breath, on oxygen so weak. Chest tube putting out too much so can’t get out and still has other chest tube and drains. Y’all please pray for my precious husband!!! ❤️🙏

If you can let people know, I had two friends that came to be with me and talk through things and see Lee and they made me go home. I lost my car in the parking deck so thank God my bestie helped me find my car. 🤪 Lee’s step dad is with him now and his dad is coming to spend the night so I can pull myself together and go to Isaac’s end of the year party tomorrow for a little normalcy. So, now his kidneys aren’t working because his BP dropped to 60/35, contrast dye from the cat scan and the IV antibiotics (they have been changed to a different ones now). I had to meet with Nephrology which is so ironic that I have worked with dialysis patients for all these years. He is in Acute Kidney Failure and we need to pray his kidneys start working. He may have to do dialysis hopefully just for the short term. Please pray!!!!!❤️🙏

5/13/22
Morning:
He made some urine!!🙌🙌🙏 Sounded much better this am!! Prayers are working!!❤️🙏

Update 5/14:
Hanging In there. Very weak. Got a sponge bath and he is sitting in chair. AFib last night, nausea/vomiting. Doesn't have AFib now still some nausea. He has 20 pounds of fluid on so we have got to pray these kidneys start working. The doc last night (a different one-sent by new angel friend 😇) said that basically everything bad that could happen has happened to Lee. He has been checking on him more and a different Cardio thoracic surgeon is seeing him this weekend which is much better for information. I won't stop fighting for him!!!❤️ I have pleaded for 9 nights to get a bigger room and we finally got moved last night! 🙌 Hoping to get him to walk he has to get stronger. Excuse all the typos, I haven't slept a wink. So, we gotta keep praying for his healing and strength!!! Thank you! Thank you!! Love you all!!❤️🙏❤️🙏

Update 5/14:
He walked!!! Got lung chest tube pulled. 🙌 Small steps!!!❤️

Update 5/14:
Y’all please pray Nephrology just came by and his creatinine is 7. His kidneys are getting worse! Please pray!!!!🙏🙏

Update 5/15/22:
His spirits are better, still a little nauseous and eating some. Chest tube and drain still in, may be able to come out tomorrow. He hasn’t been weighed yet so don’t know if he has gained more fluid then the 22 pounds. Doctor said to be patient, walk and eat. Nephrology said creatinine is 6.9 so not moving much but hopefully has plateaued and will come down prayerfully. 🙏 No dialysis today as of yet. I am bringing the boys to see him today since he is more stable and to cheer him up. ❤️🙏 Thank you all for your love and support!! We are so grateful! ❤️🙏