Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Making Progress Takes Time

Clark has had a couple of good days in a row! He continues to be isolated due to the bacteria in his blood that is contagious and it will be days before they retest to see if it's gone. It is a "serious bug" and resilient to antibiotics. They are going to start him on an antibiotic that is very hard on the kidneys so will give it to him every other day and are hopeful to have positive results. He does run a possibility of needing another kidney dialysis today due to the many medications that the body is trying to filter out. Clark's white blood cell count was up to 2.8 last night which normal is 5, give or take. It had been as high as 7 but then dropped to .1 when he got this bacteria in his blood. His fever has been gone for 2 days now. Clark has eaten vanilla pudding, vanilla ice cream, and last night got to have mashed potatoes. He doesn't eat much at a time but after 2 months of NO food, I'm sure his stomach shrunk. He enjoyed watching football over the weekend. His favorite team is the Atlanta Falcons. This week they will continue to advance his diet, get him up more, and hope to see the bacteria gone so possibly he will be moved to intermediate care and then can have more visitors. I'm sure he must be getting sick of "just me". He has had a few other visitors but it is usually just Clark and I for about 12 hrs a day. Its been a blessed time for me.
Some of his first bites of food after two months without it.
They sewed a mesh like material in which will dissolve. This is when they said it was sewn down to the tissue. You can see he is also sutured part way up on his left side. Look at how taunt they are. Clark is very thin so you can tell that there is still a lot of swelling. The tubes are drainage tubes for the bile that was leaking.
This is his incision now. They use a Wet-to-Dry Pack to help with healing. They stuff the incision with wet gauze and it dries throughout the day. His dressings are changed every twelve hours to keep everything clean, moist, and healthy. They have removed one tube but left two in as a precaution. From this point on, the incision will heal from the inside out.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it MRSA that he has? Hopefully the antibiotics will help and his levels will keep on getting better. What a fighter. There is a reason what he is "SuperClark" ay?

Melissa Roby said...

Keep on moving Clark...you are so strong to have come this far! Every time I hear the Black Eyed Peas song "I gotta feelin" I immediately think of you and how much you have gone through. Makes me appreciate the ability to live life the way I do. You are truly an inspiration...thanks Clark! :)

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Rhonda! Dad's birthday is the 11th. You 2 need to have a little celebration together when you make it back to SD!

Clark, keep the faith in all the healing processes you continue to go through. I spent 9 hours in the hospital with my son for a broken arm yesterday. I can't imagine spending several weeks there! You truly are one of God's soldiers. We continue to pray for you.

JoLynne Mack - Dick & Lois

Karla said...

Having worked in the medical community for many years, I've gotta say "I can hardly wait to see Clark's 8x10 glossy photo's". How exciting! Bring em on!

These scars will be your badge of courage! Wear them proudly!

God bless you for your tenacity and mental and spiritual strength!

So proud of you my friend!

Jana M. said...

Wow! The difference in the pictures is amazing! Keep on healing :)

On a side note, my little boy saw a picture of Clark (the one on the side bar as SuperClark) and he wants to hang a picture up :)

Ricky said...

wow, the difference in your progress shows tremendously in the pictures.. Keep up the fight clark.. love ya like a brother!!

Ricky

Eric & Kate said...

WOW, to say the least! What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. I don't know how you could be any stronger. You have for sure made me stronger in many ways. Keep up the good fight!

Karla said...

Excellent. You look GREAT, and the incision is healing really well. That is one fine incision you can be proud of.

Lookin GOOD! That hardy food you're eatin' looks good too ;-)

Karla in St. George

Bart said...

Clark, that scar is going to be awsome, that will be something to be proud of. Keep up the great fight Clark you are winning every match. Love ya,
See ya soon. Bart

Unknown said...

Mashed potato's ay? Sounds good to me! :) You are healing up wonderfully! So excited to see a fully healed pic! Keep on truckin Clark! Your almost there :) Gods angels are taking good care of you :) *hugz*
-Cassie

Anonymous said...

Clark and family,
You are truly an inspiration. You all remain in my daily prayers. Hang in there, God bless you all.

Janeanne said...

Great picture, Clark. That's the smile we've been waiting for!

How in the world did the Atlanta Falcons become your team? There must be a story.... Maybe you are just fond of falcons (the bird). (?)

Did you know falcons are the fastest birds of prey? They can fly about 31 mph. As they dive to attack their prey, they fly about 186 mph. They eat about 2 blackbirds a day. Heck, that's probably more than you are eating now.

One time when I was a kid, my brother, cousin, and I built a teepee in our shelter belt, shot some blackbirds and roasted them. Couldn't bring myself to eat them though. Luckily, we didn't burn down the countryside!

Enough rambling and useless information. Keep moving forward. You are dong great!

Hope this day is good!

Heather west said...

Clark you look great keep fighting we all know you can do it you have done so much already way to go

Anonymous said...

hey clark!!! So glad to hear that things are getting so much better!!! You have an amazing family and an amazing network of friends =) We all miss you back here in South Dakota and no matter what you will always remain in our thoughts and prayers! Keep up the fight!
Tanizha Lauseng

Cher said...

Clark,
1st Pic-you are looking GREAT! Hope your recovery is moving along and you are feeling better and stronger every day. Each day you closer to getting out of there. Hang in there. You can do it, Mr. SuperClark.

Other pics - Whoa! Unbelievable! Yikes! You are a SuperMan. You've been thru alot, huh? Almost there. Keep up the good work. I know you can do it. Love and Prayers.

XOXO

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say that I am so happy that you are getting better. You and your family are in my thoughts everyday. Your first Applebees steak dinner is on me!

Mom & Dad Lueck said...

Clark your back! It is so nice to see your hansome face with a smile on it. How do you keep those teeth so white :)
Were all hoping and praying you will be up and moving around even more.
We will be donation blood on Sat. in your name. love ya. Nancy

Stephen said...

OK Clark, so your mom chastened me for not commenting on the incision photos. LOL

Seriously, the photos are disturbing, but I really appreciate their being posted. Since I can't visit, they make this all seem real instead of just a terrible story. I look forward to seeing the scars with you all healed up so I can give you a "love hurts".