On sept 1, 2024,Friday morning, Rick was getting ready to go to a follow up exam for his recent eye procedure. He had been sick with Covid-19 for 6 days prior. He began feeling light headed and dizzy and collapsed. 911 was called and he was transported to the Temecula Valley Hospital emergency room. Upon arrival, they discovered low blood oxygen saturation and he was admitted to the ICU where they found a large Saddle Pulmonary Embolism. The decided course of action was placing him on Heparin and taking him to radiology to perform a catheter procedure to help with breaking the clot up. During this time, Rick was awake, alert, and talking. Six hours into the eight hour process, he began to experience symptoms such as slurred and incoherent speech and loss of function on his left side and it was determined he was having a stroke. Imaging revealed that a different blood clot had traveled to his brain restricting oxygen to the right side of his brain causing a stroke and he had emergency surgery to remove the clot. This surgery was successful and blood flow was returned to his brain. He had an MRI done to assess damage from the stroke. The MRI showed further potential bleeding in his brain, separate from the clot, and the decision was made to place a sensor in his scalp to monitor his brain pressure and discontinue the blood thinners. Since that surgery, Rick has been sedated and intubated on ventilation support. In addition, they placed a filter in his groin to prevent potential detached blood clots that had been identified in his leg from moving throughout his body. His case is a very complex and complicated one, so various teams of doctors are collaborating to determine the least risky course of action. There is a dangerous interaction between blood clot treatment and bleeding in the brain. This evening, the risk assessment prompted a return of the administration of Heparin. Therefore, they are watching his brain pressure sensor monitor to make sure there isn’t any brain bleeding or swelling. Earlier today, they began to reduce the amount of ventilator support he needs by decreasing his oxygen support and watching to see if he can sustain saturation on his own. He has made good progress with it so far.
Please pray for his care team of doctors and nurses to be knowledgeable, skillful, and continue to make the best decisions for him. Pray for the strength and fortification of his body to sustain the trauma that it is experiencing and be able to recover. Pray for our family that we experience peace that surpasses our own understanding in the face of such an unexpected and volatile situation. We know that God is a miraculous healer and believe that he will move in a way that only He can. We know that He only wants good for us and we trust in his perfect will. We believe that God’s not done writing Rick’s story. Each of you knows how much Rick loves to tell a story, and this will just be another amazing story to tell.
We will be updating this web site daily, so if there are needs, meals etc., we will communicate those here. We are greatly blessed to have a variety of families (fire departments, TV schools, sports, church, neighbors, etc.) surrounding us and supporting us with prayer, time, food, transportation, and much more. We love and appreciate each of you.
What’s going on?? I walk a little more than a mile a few times a week around my neighborhood. I have a “Give-Moore” sling that lets my arm be straight but provides shoulder support. Good for walking and standing and it is supposed to get my shoulder muscles. “ wake up” and build connection in my brain to start controlling my arm again. I do enjoy a walk, as does our dog , but spring weather makes me pay with allergies😝
Cataract surgery scheduled for may 16, one more step to restoring vision.
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