It’s been a stressful day or so for John (and his parents)… after some initial pain and heart rate issues the night after surgery, he seemed to be in a good spot and was sent to the floor. 

He had another rough night and lots of issues with his heart rate. His stents were getting clogged multiple times an hour which was sending his HR and breathing into a frenzy. ENT had to come to the bedside many times to help unclog and reposition them. He was needing nearly constant attention and TLC to keep him comfy, and was transferred back to the ICU yesterday. 

He seemed rather settled in, so I left yesterday afternoon to spend time with Collins. Around 7:00 last night, his nurse called and said they were having trouble controlling his heart rate. He was sound asleep with a sustained heart rate of 220. He was belly breathing a panting through his mouth. They sent a bunch of labs, some of which we are still waiting on. After some fluids, his heart rate did improve. 

He’s been having diarrhea and it’s possible this is dehydration related- but given that he has bilateral stents ENT wants to make sure that’s not driving this issue. He was finally able to get some rest and ended the night far better than we started. 

Not sure what the next few days will entail- it’s possible he will come home, although I’m going to be lobbying against that. With all that he’s been through and his propensity to decline quickly, it seems safest for him to be where he’s watched. 

Please continue to pray for John. These stents are our only hope at giving him some relief and improving his breathing, and it’s vital they stay in for the full 2 weeks to optimize healing. They are uncomfortable for him and logistically hard to manage so these next 12 days will be a real challenge. 


Go vols, and go John! 🤞🏼