A SERIOUS SETBACK FOR RON

10:00pm I was not sure if I was even going to have the energy tonight to write this blog. I tried earlier today and just stared at my computer and I just couldn't do it. But, as I sit here in Ron's room now, I knew it was something I had to do. I needed to get the word out to everyone so that the prayer warriors out there could help us out once again. At appromately 12:30pm this afternoon Ron went into cardiac arrest. I had just made my way back into the hospital entrance when the nurse called me on my cell to inform me there was an emergency in Ron's room....they had started compressions immediatetly .....I told him I was in the hospital and I was on my way up .....I ran down the hospital hallways towards the elevators...had I felt better I probably would have taken the stairs to the 4th floor but I had just left urgent care and was afraid I would pass out. I made it to the ICU and ran towards his room ...it was a mini-OR once again....everyone was in there working on him ....doctors and nurses and techs...all taking turns to do compressions on him....meds were being pushed through IV lines. The only option they had was to put Ron on an ECMO machine...it is like a bypass machine that basically takes over for his heart and lungs. It is pushing the blood through his body for him. He is back on the ventilator as well and heavily sedated. They are keeping his temp very low right now so as to preserve his brain function. They are not sure how much oxygen was lost to the brain during his cardiac arrest,. We had to move him to the pediatric ICU on the 6th floor because there are only a certain number of nurses that are certified on the ECMO machine. The best nurses are in this ICU for this type of equipment. No one really knows for sure what caused this. He had been having issues with his bowels and his stomach for a few days but they were giving him medicine to help with this. He had been trying to go to the bathroom when all this took place so the nurse thinks he may have pushed down too hard and strained too much causing him him to go into v-tach and asystoli. Or, it could also be that his electrolytes may have gone out of balance. We are really just not sure right now. They did a quick echo and found that his heart function did not decrease at all and his blood pressure is doing well....which they tell me are all good signs. At one point he came out of the sedation and they stopped the paralytic drug to see how he would respond ....he responded to my voice and squeezed my hand when I asked him to and he would blink his eyes ...I asked him to squeeze my hand if he was in pain and he didn't ...I then asked him to squeeze my hand if he was o.k. and he did. That was very comforting to me. I told him everyone was here and he had nothing to be afraid of. I explained there were machines around to help it out and he was doing really well. I don't know what the next 24 hours will bring. I can only keep the faith and hope that all will go well for Ron. He has been through so much. It breaks my heart to see him go through this again. We were so close to moving out of the ICU this week ..just days away. He has once again taken everyone by surprise. I am fortunate that there have been so many people here to support us ...the nurses have been wonderful... The hospital chaplain stayed by my side the whole time they were working on Ron to get him stablized. He prayed with me and helped with some of my things to bring to the new unit. I called one of the nursed whom we have become good friends with to let her know what was going on...she immediatley came to the hospital to sit with me until Ron's family arrived. She was nice enough to go and get my prescriptions filled at the pharmacy for me as I had just returned from urgent care when everything was happening. I have an ear infection and a really bad cough. Ron's family arrived ...Thomas is here too. It was good to put him in my arms and get lots of hugs from him. I really don't know what to feel right now. I am quite numb from all of this....mostly because I am just so exhausted. My heart aches for Ron and everything he has had to endure. Tomorrow morning they plan to bring his temperature back up and take him back to the O.R. They will have repair his sternum...when they were doing compressions ...his incision was torn. We are in desperate need of prayer ....Once again I am giving this to God...it is completely in his hands. I love you all .... P.S. One more note. Please keep my friend Cheryl Britton in prayer too. I received a call from her husband this evening and it appears she took a turn for the worse today as well. If you can go online and find the Sunday edition of the Arizona Daily Star, you will find the article on transplants on the first page and our picture is on the pages following.