Roger’s Story

Site created on September 7, 2021

Hello Friends & Family, 


Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! We appreciate everyone's texts, calls and emails asking about Roger. Our family and Roger feel the love and greatly appreciate everyone's care and support. It’s been 8 years since we established the first Caring Bridge for Roger’s heart attack. Now, 8 years later, we felt it would be helpful to set it up again to keep folks informed on his current health events. Here is a little summary of what has been happening so far with Roger: 

On Friday, August 20, 2021, Roger was very sick and the symptoms seemed like COVID, but they weren’t.  We were instructed to go to ER. We chose ER at Baylor Scott and White in Sunnyvale since it was 5:00 pm on a Friday and it’s closer to us. After 9 hours sitting in the waiting room, we left at 3 am and went home. I’ll make this a short story, so the next plan was if he was still feeling sick the next morning we would go to Medical City as his Urologist offices at that hospital. We were led to believe it could be a Urology issue – bladder infection.

We arrived on Sunday morning August 22nd at 10:15 am at Medical City Dallas, and fortunately even though the waiting room was full, they recognized he needed medical attention. So tests were run in the ER and by evening we had a room. Various tests were run throughout the week of August 23-August 27th.  Blood tests indicated a high white blood cell count. Blood drawing daily to grow the cultures and antibiotics were started to determine the type of staph infection.  We learned that staph infections like to attach to “things” in your body. Roger has a shoulder prosthesis, pacemaker and watchman for his heart. The TEE (Trans Esophageal Echogram) was performed on Friday, August 27th at Medical City.  The TEE showed vegetation on the leads to his pacemaker and on the watchman.  Series of antibiotics were started and it took 2 weeks for negative blood cultures. Roger’s heart doctors work at Plano Heart Hospital and it was determined that we should transfer to Plano to be under the care of his heart doctors. Took 6 days for a bed to become available and he moved last Saturday, September 4th.

Monday, September 6th Roger had severe headaches, nausea, and high blood pressure so the Plano Hospitalists ordered a CT Scan of his head and determined he had two brain bleeds (stroke). This type of stroke did not affect his speech, cognition, or him physically. We immediately were moved to ICU. He has had 3 CT Scans this week and all show that his brain bleeds are stable.

Newest Update

November 2, 2021 - Day 36 home sweet home!

Journal entry by Denise Johnson —

Good afternoon faithful family and friends, 

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear his voice! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son; And give Him the glory! Great things He has done.
(Chorus from "To God be the Glory")

This song came to mind as we were driving home from the Plano Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospital after Roger's Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) this morning. Repeating the TEE to look at the blood clot (Thrombus) on the watchman heart device to see if it was gone or diminished since the last TEE on 9/10.  Monitoring and managing this blood clot has been very critical to Roger's health. Dr. Wang performed the procedure and advised that Roger is "BLOOD CLOT FREE".  I told her "Praise the Lord"! Everything looked good on both devices she said, and he is to go off the monitored blood thinner - Coumadin (hooray)! She had already called his other heart doctors and updated them. If you don't know about Coumadin, it has many restrictions, such as; you can't have green leafy vegetables!  Bring on the salads and broccoli now!

We are ecstatic, relieved, thankful and in awe of God's goodness and faithfulness.  What a journey this has been with so many health hurdles along the way. Through it all we were supported by your prayers! Today's picture is so true and thank you for praying behind our backs! 

So what's next in the health journey? Continue with home health therapies until Thanksgiving, MRI for his back pain, follow up CT head scan, and continue to "get better"!

Today's verses from Alfie - "I feel these verses reflect what Roger has experienced and lives day by day" Psalm of David. Ps. 23:1-6 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." AMEN

Happy early Thanksgiving y'al!

Love,

Denise & family

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