We would like to thank all of our friends and family for your support, prayers, and well wishes during this time. We feel so comforted knowing how much Dennis means to so many people, and we can’t wait to get him home! We always joke that Dennis can fix anything, and now we are putting all of our faith into the doctors and nurses that they can fix him!!
On Monday, May 3rd Dennis choked after eating dinner. After a trip to the VA, we were sent home and told he had costochondritis (an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breast bone) . His condition worsened overnight and he was admitted the next morning to Washington Regional where they discovered he actually had a torn esophagus, a fully collapsed left lung, fluid in his lungs, and air around his heart. We also found out he was positive for covid- thankfully he has been a-symptomatic and is fully vaccinated. Dennis underwent a successful surgery on Wednesday to repair his esophagus and re-inflate his lung. The repair to the esophagus was very successful and went as well as it could have gone! He has been on a ventilator in the covid ICU ever since. You can imagine how difficult it is to not be able to see him! As of today, Thursday May 6th, his vitals are stable but his kidneys are struggling, and he has a small amount of bacteria in his bloodstream. He will start dialysis tomorrow to help his kidneys get back on track. He is on a strong antibiotic today to get rid of the bacteria in his bloodstream . While this sounds grim, the surgeon encouraged us that this is all “good bad news”. He expected it to get worse before it gets better, and that’s what we’re going through now.
Regarding the covid diagnosis, he has shown no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated. The doctors believe it is either a false positive or he is an a-symptomatic carrier. They are confident that all of the issues he is experiencing today are not related or worsened by covid in any way. They are completely unrelated. The doctors emphasized that all of his current issues are a direct result of the esophageal tear. The doctor also said that it is a testament to the efficacy of the vaccine, because if he had not been vaccinated and in fact does have covid, he would have been a much sicker man. Because he had a positive covid test when he was admitted, he is in the covid ICU and we are unable to see him. We can’t wait until we can see our sweet dad and husband again!
Dennis is so strong, and we know he can fight this!! He has an amazing team of doctors and nurses, and we are so incredibly grateful for them. Please keep him in your prayers, we appreciate you all more than we could ever express.
“Fear Not” is mentioned at least 360 times in the Bible. We are putting FAITH over fear. We know who goes before us and who walks with us daily, a loving God.
