Dec. 16, 2009 - complaining of a sore throat
Dec. 21, 2009 - first faint case of rigours (no fever yet)
Dec. 22, 2009 - vomiting and diarrhea - slight fever
Dec. 23, 2009 - Dr. Visit - misdiagnosis - Gastrointestinal flu - Prescribed anti-vomit med's
Dec. 24, 2009 - Elevated fever - 104 - ER visit for 8 hours - sent home after fever was regulated
Dec. 25, 2009 - Elevated fever 104 - and increased rigors and complaint that his 'lungs hurt' -ER visit - sent home after 8 hours - prognosis 'viral', "it'll work itself out in time, nothing you can do" - prescribed Zofran and Motrin/Tylenol every 4 hours.
Dec. 27, 2009 - Rigours much increased - fever every 4 hours controlled by Motrin/Tylenol - complaint that his shoulder and foot hurt really bad.
Dec. 29, 2009 - Unable to walk, unable to eat in several days, large baseball sized mass on right upper chest; right foot beginning to swell; continued fever. 3rd ER visit at midnight. After much discussion and paperwork (despite the fact we have insurance coverage which had already been verified) and pleading Dean finally admitted after 7 hours in the ER.
Dec. 30, 2009 - many tests including CAT scan and ultrasound - moved to ICU - hooked up to a variety of IV's - Prognosis Sepsis - Gram Negative rod -Septic emboli - surgical aspiration of many parts of his body to release the puss including his Liver.
Dec. 31, 2009 - emergency surgery on right foot to stop the toxins from attacking Dean's ankle bone. 4 inch incisions (very evasive) on each side of ankle successfully got the poison out.
January 1, 2010 - Sepsis identified as Lemierres and treated aggressively with various Antibiotics.
January 5, 2010 - Moved out of ICU into Critical Care. Continued IV therapy - no mobility.
January 8, 2010 - Physical Therapy begins - very painfully due to the surgery on right foot and all over elsewhere. CAT scan still shows area of bacteria on spleen. Lungs and all other sites stable.
January 10, 2010 - CAT scan shows infection free and spleen bacteria reducing.
January 14, 2010 - Blood clot located on right neck area - Coumadin introduced. Weight loss at 35 lbs. Starting to regain appetite. Severe pain all over.
January 16, 2010 - all sites clear of Lemierres except Liver (original site) which continues to drain.
January 17, 2010 - moved out of Critical Care to a regular 'medical' ward. Very good for Dean 'psychologically'.
January 19, 2010 - liver clear of Lemierres - drain removed from liver.
January 21, 2010 - Discharged from Mission Hospital - Home Health Care and continued IV 'Ertapenem' treatment and oral meds at home for next three weeks.
January 26, 2010 - Home Physical Therapy starts along with Home Health Care. Moving about a few times a day and up the stairs to bed with a cane and very slowly and painfully. Improving with each and every day.
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Dean - July 2010
Dean & his Miracle Workers 2-19-10
Dean & Two of his Amazing ICU Nurses 2-19-10
ICU - New Years Day 2010
Sprinter Dean
Dean & His Girlfriend Hilary - January 20th, 2010
Post Gym-April 2009
Thank you Everyone for your prayers. Dean is amazing! He has been fighting and winning this battle. He will be better than ever in no time - Godspeed, for sure! Please scroll down for timely updates and many thanks for your positive healing wishes. May God bless you and yours and keep you safely in His arms.
Dean - July 2010
Dean & his Miracle Workers 2-19-10
Dean & Two of his Amazing ICU Nurses 2-19-10
ICU - New Years Day 2010
Sprinter Dean
What is Lemierre's Syndrome...?
"It", Lemierre's, is not your average infectious disease.
This condition is not contagious.
It attacks the body faster than cancer.
Doctors say it is rare but that is just not true anymore.
In the past 5 years the number of cases has jumped from 120 in 100 years to 1,000 cases & 100 deaths a year.
The symptoms are very similar to the flu and strep throat.This disease attacks a different organ in every case.
Lemierre's attacks (only) the healthiest of our youth between the ages 15 and 30.
Pretty scary stuff. It is on the rise.
How do we combat?
Please be aware and spread the word. Thank You.
What’s truly sad is that the Lemierre’s is curable, if diagnosed quickly with a simple throat swab in the doctor’s office and treated accurately with a simple dose of penicillin.
This condition is not contagious.
It attacks the body faster than cancer.
Doctors say it is rare but that is just not true anymore.
In the past 5 years the number of cases has jumped from 120 in 100 years to 1,000 cases & 100 deaths a year.
The symptoms are very similar to the flu and strep throat.This disease attacks a different organ in every case.
Lemierre's attacks (only) the healthiest of our youth between the ages 15 and 30.
Pretty scary stuff. It is on the rise.
How do we combat?
Please be aware and spread the word. Thank You.
What’s truly sad is that the Lemierre’s is curable, if diagnosed quickly with a simple throat swab in the doctor’s office and treated accurately with a simple dose of penicillin.
Home
Dean & His Girlfriend Hilary - January 20th, 2010
Links to Learn More
Post Gym-April 2009
Exact Symptoms
Many Lemierre patients develop sepsis, and doctors don't always recognize the symptoms of sepsis when they see it - very high fever, night sweats, fatigue and rigours, which is described as a "sort of a shaking chill."
"What does it take for God to answer our prayer?
How to Pray: Prayers That Get Answered - anonymous
Have you ever known someone who really trusts God? When I was an atheist, I had a good friend who prayed often. She would tell me every week about something she was trusting God to take care of. And every week I would see God do something unusual to answer her prayer. Do you know how difficult it is for an atheist to observe this week after week? After a while, "coincidence" begins to sound like a very weak argument.So why would God answer my friend's prayers? The biggest reason is that she had a relationship with God. She wanted to follow God. And she actually listened to what he said. In her mind, God had the right to direct her in life, and she welcomed him doing just that! When she prayed for things, it was a natural part of her relationship with God. She felt very comfortable coming to God with her needs, her concerns, and whatever issues were current in her life. Furthermore, she was convinced, from what she read in the Bible, that God wanted her to rely on him like that.She pretty much exhibited what this statement from the Bible says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."1 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer..."2So, Why Doesn't God Answer Everyone's Prayers?It may be because they don't have a relationship with God. They may know that God exists, and they might even worship God from time to time. But those who never seem to have their prayers answered probably don't have a relationship with him. Further, they have never received from God complete forgiveness for their sin. What does that have to do with it you ask? Here is an explanation. "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."3It's pretty natural to feel that separation from God. When people begin to ask God for something, what usually takes place? They begin with, "God, I really need your help with this problem..." And then there's a pause, followed by a restart... "I realize that I'm not a perfect person, that I actually have no right to ask you for this..." There's an awareness of personal sin and failure. And the person knows that it's not just them; that God is aware of it too. There's a feeling of, "Who am I kidding?" What they may not know is how they can receive God's forgiveness for all their sin. They might not know that they can come into a relationship with God so that God will hear them. This is the foundation for God answering your prayer.How to Pray: The FoundationYou must first begin a relationship with God. Imagine some guy named Mike decides to ask the president of Princeton University (whom Mike doesn't even know) to co-sign a car loan for him. Mike would have zero chance of that happening. (We're assuming that the president of Princeton is not an idiot.) However, if that same president's daughter asked her dad to co-sign a car loan for her, it would be no problem. Relationship matters.With God, when the person is actually a child of God, when the person belongs to God, he knows them and hears their prayers. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me...my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."When it comes to God then, do you really know him and does he know you? Do you have a relationship with him that warrants God answering your prayers? Or is God pretty distant, pretty much just a concept in your life? For those of you that are unsure simply "open your heart" and the Lord will enter. It is quite simple and real! Blessings will follow. You will know.(1) 1 John 5:14 (2) 1 Peter 3:12 (3) Isaiah 59:1,2 (4) John 10:14,27-28 (5) John 15:7 (6) 1 John 5:14,15 (7) Isaiah 30:18 (8) Psalms 18:30 (9) Psalms 147:11 (10) John 15:13 (11) Romans 8:32 (12) 1 Peter 5:7 13) Philippians 4:5-7 (14) John 14:27 (15) Jeremiah 31:3 (rsv) (16) Psalms 62:8
Have you ever known someone who really trusts God? When I was an atheist, I had a good friend who prayed often. She would tell me every week about something she was trusting God to take care of. And every week I would see God do something unusual to answer her prayer. Do you know how difficult it is for an atheist to observe this week after week? After a while, "coincidence" begins to sound like a very weak argument.So why would God answer my friend's prayers? The biggest reason is that she had a relationship with God. She wanted to follow God. And she actually listened to what he said. In her mind, God had the right to direct her in life, and she welcomed him doing just that! When she prayed for things, it was a natural part of her relationship with God. She felt very comfortable coming to God with her needs, her concerns, and whatever issues were current in her life. Furthermore, she was convinced, from what she read in the Bible, that God wanted her to rely on him like that.She pretty much exhibited what this statement from the Bible says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."1 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer..."2So, Why Doesn't God Answer Everyone's Prayers?It may be because they don't have a relationship with God. They may know that God exists, and they might even worship God from time to time. But those who never seem to have their prayers answered probably don't have a relationship with him. Further, they have never received from God complete forgiveness for their sin. What does that have to do with it you ask? Here is an explanation. "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."3It's pretty natural to feel that separation from God. When people begin to ask God for something, what usually takes place? They begin with, "God, I really need your help with this problem..." And then there's a pause, followed by a restart... "I realize that I'm not a perfect person, that I actually have no right to ask you for this..." There's an awareness of personal sin and failure. And the person knows that it's not just them; that God is aware of it too. There's a feeling of, "Who am I kidding?" What they may not know is how they can receive God's forgiveness for all their sin. They might not know that they can come into a relationship with God so that God will hear them. This is the foundation for God answering your prayer.How to Pray: The FoundationYou must first begin a relationship with God. Imagine some guy named Mike decides to ask the president of Princeton University (whom Mike doesn't even know) to co-sign a car loan for him. Mike would have zero chance of that happening. (We're assuming that the president of Princeton is not an idiot.) However, if that same president's daughter asked her dad to co-sign a car loan for her, it would be no problem. Relationship matters.With God, when the person is actually a child of God, when the person belongs to God, he knows them and hears their prayers. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me...my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."When it comes to God then, do you really know him and does he know you? Do you have a relationship with him that warrants God answering your prayers? Or is God pretty distant, pretty much just a concept in your life? For those of you that are unsure simply "open your heart" and the Lord will enter. It is quite simple and real! Blessings will follow. You will know.(1) 1 John 5:14 (2) 1 Peter 3:12 (3) Isaiah 59:1,2 (4) John 10:14,27-28 (5) John 15:7 (6) 1 John 5:14,15 (7) Isaiah 30:18 (8) Psalms 18:30 (9) Psalms 147:11 (10) John 15:13 (11) Romans 8:32 (12) 1 Peter 5:7 13) Philippians 4:5-7 (14) John 14:27 (15) Jeremiah 31:3 (rsv) (16) Psalms 62:8