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Larry J’s Story

Site created on June 2, 2018

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On Wednesday, May 9, 2018, dad's nightmare began. In the early morning hours, dad was experiencing a severe headache, this was alarming as he normally does not have headaches. At this point, he had been having headaches for around three weeks, with them getting increasingly worse. Everyone that knows dad is aware he is a bit stubborn, so it took some convincing to get him to agree to go to the ER. Mom (Sarah) brought dad into the Sanford ER in Fargo ND. The ER doctor ran some tests including blood work and an MRI/MRA. The MRI showed that dad was suffering from a significant subdural hematoma, otherwise known as a brain bleed. The neurosurgeon, Dr. Keep, explained to us that there was an 11mm shift on the right side of the brain pushing to the left. Dr. Keep said that dad needed to have emergency brain surgery that night to drain the blood. Dad was admitted to the ICU floor of Sanford and given platelet infusions due to his platelet levels being so low. Platelets are the clotting factor in the blood and when they are at very low levels, you run the risk of bleeding out during surgery. Dad was given four bags of platelets, but due to his liver failure, his platelet levels were still very low. Dr Keep made the decision, and we agreed, that the benefits outweighed the risks at this point and dad needed to be taken down for surgery. Even though he was having extreme pain and heading into brain surgery, dad was his normal jokester self and kept a smile on his face. Dad's surgery was successful. The doctor completed what is called a burr hole procedure, where he drilled a hole into dads skull and placed a small catheter. The catheter drains the blood and was kept in for three days. During these three days, dad was kept laying flat in bed unless he was eating. This was very difficult for dad. After the third day, the drain was removed and he was monitored for a couple of days in the hospital. On May 15th dad was discharged to go home. We were all very happy and so was he.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Sarah Iverson — Jun 15, 2019

I am beyond heartbroken while I write this final entry. Friday, June 14th at 6:20 p.m., Larry took his last breath. This past week has been filled with many emotions. He was able to visit with us last Saturday and Sunday and we had a lot of laughs and tears with him. Monday was the turning point where he started to become non-responsive. I had all the kids with me all week, along with other family members and visitors. We are very heartbroken and sad that he has left us, but we know he is in not suffering anymore and he is pain free! For that we are very thankful. We want to thank everyone who has stopped by, called, left messages, etc. It means the world to us and the love we felt through this whole journey has been very special. I want to send a special thank you to my sisters, Karen and Judy, for being my support throughout the week, and our kids, who have been my rock and by my side. I love you all very much!!
Love & Hugs,
Sarah

Read More of the journal titled "On to build that big bridge in the sky!"

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