Here are the Saturday morning and Friday evening updates from Dave and Sue Guiles regarding the progress of their son, Dan:
June 10, 2006
10:00 am
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 62:5-8
“I feel less foggy than yesterday,” was Dan’s encouraging comment when we returned to the Coronary Intensive Care Unit this morning. Other than the fact that they should continue removing tubes and disconnecting machines through the day, there’s not much new to report this morning. They are flushing him with antibiotics to prevent infections that could occur because of all of the rapid activity associated with the moments he was in crisis. We are still waiting on reports from the neurologist and will update later today.
Dozens of notes from many friends continue to encourage us. Our prayers are focused on preventing possible infections (he currently has a low-grade fever), sharpening short term memory and (tomorrow), trying to take first steps…
Thanks for praying!
Friday, June 09, 2006
June 9, 2006
8:00 pm
“How’s he doing?” asked the blue-suited medical person, sticking his head in the door of Dan’s room. “I was with him during the crisis yesterday.” “A lot better,” we responded. He’s talking, moving his arms and legs, and seems pretty alert.” “You are REALLY lucky,” he said as he headed back down the hall. “Well, there’s no luck involved in this case,” I thought. But he was gone quicker than I could respond. “A world-wide network of prayer has been keeping this young man before God on a 24/7 basis.”
So what exactly happened? Apparently one of the five catheters placed in his heart during yesterday’s procedure left a small puncture wound. Shortly after telling us that the procedure was a great success, the doctor was called back into the ER because Dan was acting irrational. His first thought was that the medicine was producing the problem, but a change in dose didn’t effect Dan’s irritability. Immediately a number of specialists were called in to assess if he was experiencing a stroke or another problem. Soon they were administering CPR while determining that the sack around his heart was filling with fluid. His arterial pressure was dangerously low and his heart stopped beating, requiring electrical shock to start it again. The moment the fluid was removed, his heart resumed its normal rhythm.
So, what’s the concern? The time lapse while reduced blood flow robbed his nervous system of oxygen. The need to stabilize the heart meant he was sedated until today, leaving all of us wondering what, if any permanent damage may have occurred.
We are really encouraged with Dan’s progress today. Lots of tubes have been removed and he is feeling a lot better. His long-term memory is pretty good, and he is now feeding himself jello and broth. Tomorrow the neurologist will do a more complete assessment. He still keeps asking a lot of the same questions about today, though, so let’s keep praying that his memory will completely return. The next few days should reveal much.
Dan was very moved to hear about the outpouring of concern and prayer on his behalf (Almost 300 hits on this blog in the first few hours!). I asked him what he would like to communicate to you, and he said, “Tell them I’ll be watching Argentina in the World Cup tomorrow, and that I am REALLY grateful for everyone’s prayer for me.”