BEAST

This kid...so tough, so brave.  Many times I've heard people refer to Cael as "beast" because of his abilities on the field or on the mat.  Well, this week he took it to a whole different level.  Monday evening he was admitted to the hospital for severe pain in his side and chest.  It was discovered that he had blood clots in both lungs.  Pain killers and blood thinners were started immediately.  Thursday morning he was diagnosed with pneumonia, transferred to the ICU, and had surgery to place a chest tube which drained over a liter of fluid off his right lung (and it's continuing to drain).  Through his pain (level 9/10), terrifying moments when we couldn't breath, blood thinner shots every 12 hours, and surgery he has stayed strong, and positive.

Cael is currently on day 6 in the hospital, day three in the ICU.  There have been some ups and downs.  We have been told that this is marathon, not a sprint, and that we should expect 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.  This morning was a bit of setback as his oxygen requirements increased overnight, and there was really no change in his labwork/chest x-ray.  This afternoon and evening, however, he's crushing it!  He has not required any supplemental oxygen and he has not a fever for the first time since Monday!  His oxygen levels are still trending on the low side, so it's very possible that he will need it later - but this is a HUGE step in the right direction.   Praise God!  It seems like the doctors have found a sweet spot in regards to pain management, antibiotics are working, and breathing treatments every 4 hours are proving to be very beneficial.  Tomorrow he will have another CT scan to determine the status of the blood clots and pneumonia.  

Cael has a long road ahead of him, and is not yet "out of the woods".  He will most likely be on IV antibiotics via a PIC line for 6 weeks.  He has suffered lung damage, but we have been told that the lungs are incredible at healing over time.  His only priority over the next three months is going to be his recovery, and coming back stronger.  Other than telling me that he feels like he is in a "real life nightmare" he has not been afraid or scared...just ready to fight and "do whatever I got to do to get better".   

Support from the community, friends, and family has been over whelming!  We are blessed beyond measure with people who truly love Cael!   

I am going to use this family blog as a central place to post updates...