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Dear friends and family,
As we enter week two of Larry's hospitalization, we have decided to create a centralized location for communicating with loved ones and keeping everyone as up to date as possible. Many of you have already expressed your love and support, for which we are grateful. Feel free to post comments on this site or contact Mark, Scott, Brent, or Jason with questions. You are also free to forward this site to others who might want to stay informed.
We covet your prayers - for Larry, the medical staff attending him, wisdom, diagnosis, treatment, and a full and miraculous recovery. We also ask you to remember Marilyn in your prayers - for her energy levels and emotional/spiritual wellbeing. She visits Larry daily and her energy is understandably taxed by trying to keep abreast of ever-changing medical developments. We are endeavoring to keep her as rested as possible under the circumstances.
Here is a synopsis of what has happened:
On approximately September 26, Larry was doing yard work in Hanston when he got pricked with a sharp stick. He came inside and told Marilyn about it, who applied her home remedies of tea tree oil and colloidal silver to the wound. (The following day, Larry pulled a piece of the stick out of his forearm.) The site was red and irritated at first but eventually healed. From then on, he was never quite the same.
At one point, he told Marilyn that he felt like he'd been poisoned. He also increasingly complained of stiffness. On Wednesday, September 30, he began feeling chilled. The following day, his skin felt sunburned, he said, starting with his chest and moving down to his stomach. He was extremely weak and shaky and felt nauseated but was unable to throw up. That evening, Thursday, October 1, Larry was too weak to get up, (or perhaps, Marilyn now realizes, too stiff with the beginnings of paralysis). Marilyn's brother and nephew drove Larry to the hospital in Hays, KS, where they ran tests, all of which came back normal.
At first, Larry was able to converse, even if very weak. But by Saturday, Oct. 3rd, he had become mostly non-responsive, in which state he remains. He occasionally opens his eyes and responds to simple motor tests, but his Glasgow Coma Scale score hovers around a 5.
In Hays, the doctors determined that he had viral meningitis but did not know the viral source, despite having done a spinal tap. He also had a bladder infection. They started him on antibiotics and an antiviral med. Hays had talked about transferring Larry to KU Medical Center in Kansas City, with whom they were in consultation, if his condition did not improve. But on Wednesday, October 7, the transfer came sooner than expected when Larry's oxygen saturation levels started to decline. He was flown to KU while Marilyn and Scott followed by car.
KU is a teaching hospital. It also has advanced equipment that Hays did not, including EEG technology. At first, the KU medical staff was still stumped as to Larry's condition. One possibility, because of his paralysis, was botulism, though the infectious disease doc doubted this diagnosis. Nonetheless, as a precautionary measure, the hospital worked with the Kansas Department of Health and the CDC, as is the norm, to obtain a vial of anti-toxin, which was flown in from Atlanta and administered to Larry on Thursday, October 8. On Friday, October 9, a second spinal tap was done. Throughout the weekend, Larry remained much the same, hooked up to a feeding tube, catheter, lots of IVs, and breathing support.
Finally, as the lab report results began to roll in, KU was able to diagnose Larry with a severe case of West Nile Virus. The virus attacked Larry’s spine, leaving him paralyzed and unable to speak. There is no cure or treatment for West Nile Virus. Only time and the body healing itself. And God.
We apologize for the technical difficulties with the live stream of Dad’s memorial service on Saturday. Here is a link to a recording of the service on YouTube, thanks to nephew, Andre Miller. https://youtu.be/vFuooxCU8mc
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