Posted on 04/03/2013 10:56:24 PM PDT by roamer_1
Some of y'all were notified by FReepmail of Uri's condition some weeks ago - At the time, it was open heart surgery, which is bad enough... The letter below is from Uri's wife. He's been down a rough road and she would really like FR's Prayer Warriors to continue praying hard.
{Edited for privacy} are mine. Otherwise, the letter is as I rec'd it.
Hat-tip to Quix who was primary in getting in touch with Uri's household, and to Joya for her help too.
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{Uri'el 2012} was born with a genetically bad heart valve. He lived with it for years. Five years ago he started to have episodes of shortness of breath and dizzy spells. He saw a cardiologist who said, "We can crack your chest open, and give you a new valve and you will have the heart of a thirty-five year old." {Uri'el 2012} would say later, "I liked the part about the heart of a thirty-five year old, but that cracking the chest open part doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy."
In the last year things got progressively worse. He knew that he had no choice, if he wanted to live, then to agree to the open-heart surgery. Doctors were seen, and plans were made. He was to go into the hospital on February 1st for the surgery.
The day before the surgery I remember hearing a "mourning" dove that appeared to be on the roof right above the bed. She sung a very mournful song, and she was right above {Uri'el 2012}'s side of the bed. Since I was a child, God has used birds to get my attention. The minute I heard that dove's song I felt like things were not going to go well. That night, as we prepared to go to {Big City} the next day, I remember saying to {Uri'el 2012}, "Are you sure that this is what you really want to do." He said, "At this point what choice do I have?" I knew he was right. Regardless, I had a premonition that things would not go smoothly.
The next day {Uri'el 2012}, {my daughter}, and I spoke with the cardiologist doing the surgery. I remember the nurse weighed {Uri'el 2012} and he weigh 210 lbs. The doctor told us that, with the exception of the valve, {Uri'el 2012} was in good shape and he would go home with in 5 days, and within six weeks he would be better then new.
The operation the next day took six and ½ hours. The doctor spoke to me afterwards and told me that {Uri'el 2012}'s valve literally desenegrated in his hand when they opened him up. It's a miracle he made it alive to the operation.
For some reason things didn't go as planned. {Uri'el 2012} would not leave the hospital for two weeks. Later, that would prove to be very telling. At the time we didn't have a clue. When he finally left the hospital in {Big City} he was sent to a rehabilitation center in {another town}. The minute he walked in there he weigh 247 lbs. He was swollen like a balloon, and no one knew why. After two weeks there he was released to go home.
He came home and had to be waited on hand and foot. He was weak and in a lot of pain. He still could not lift his arms, and now it was over 3 weeks since the operation. He slept in the lazy boy recliner, as it was too uncomfortable for him to lie down in the bed.
By his fifth day home he was becoming lethargic, could not eat and would stare into space. I began to fear he had had a stroke. My daughter and I decided to call an ambulance to take him to the ER. When we got there he had a tempeture of 104 degrees, he was in massive pain in his chest area and was having difficulty breathing. The er doc called a cardiologist. The cardiologist determined he had an infection. He was airlifted back to {Big City}.
An infection specialist was called in. After two days of tests {Dr. Infection Guy} was very blunt when he told {Uri'el 2012}, you have a severe infection and it's in your bloodstream. The disease we would later find out is MSSA. MSSA infection is a disease that is dangerous and scary for a number of reasons. It is contracted while at hospitals when a person is in a weakened condition. It is resistant and sensitive to powerful antibiotics making it especially difficult to eradicate. MSSA and MRSA infection are virtually the same disease with minor differences. They are both staph infections that enter the body through the nasal cavity, the respiratory track as well as open wounds. They are both "flesh eating" diseases.
The swelling {Uri'el 2012} had was the MSSA infection. He was sent to {another town} Living Center with an infection, and no one there knew it or did anything about it, even when I complained that there was NO WAY an open heart surgery patient should have gained that much weight. I kept saying, "Something is wrong!" I was ignored.
{Dr. Infection Guy}, the infectious disease specialist told the cardiologist that they had to operate right away, as the MSSA would be eating away the sternum and there was no time to waste. As it turned out, it was already too late. The sternum was gone as well as rib bone and muscle tissue. The cardiologist would go in 3 times to debride the bones of his chest and remove infection. They were having little luck in getting it all. It was in the bloodstream. {Uri'el 2012} only has one kidney. He went into acute renal failure. During this time he was kept in a state of "semi-coma" with a ventilator breathing for him. His condition was worsening, and one of the docs told me over and over, "Your husband is a very sick man." I told my daughter, "She is preparing me for the worse."
Because I have Lupus, which means I have an impaired immune system, it was determined I should not be there with him. I was sent home, to worry. Each time the phone rang; I just knew it would be someone telling me he was gone.
I reached a point where the emotional roller coaster was too much. I decided that no one should have to go through what {Uri'el 2012} was enduring. I got down on my hands and knees and cried out to God. "Now, God, you know that {Uri'el 2012} is your child. He has given His life to you and if he dies he is going home to be with you. Knowing that God, I beg you to either take him home to be with you, or heal him completely. Your will be done and I will accept it God, whatever it is!"
His two sons came from {Mountain Town} to visit him and he didn't even know that they were there.
But, miracle of miracles, God began to answer my prayers. A plastic surgeon was called in to reconstruct a chest for him, to hold the heart in. Up until that operation the heart was exposed, as the chest was open with only a vac wound covering.
The operation was two weeks ago. The feeling was that, if they closed it up it would help the infection to heal. They did close it 3/4ths of the way. He was so swollen they left about a third of the chest open. That wound is being treated currently. The kidney started to function normally, and the doctors were amazed! Thank you JESUS!
He was moved to a rehab hospital in {Big City} last Saturday. Every other day the wound is cleaned and the surgeon visits. The infectious specialist was in today and said that he will be there, still on IV antibiotics, for another six to eight weeks He will be on oral antibiotics after that. If the wound doesn't close completely he will have to have a skin graft.
His life will never be the same. His immune system will be impaired forever, now. He cannot drive because of the airbag hitting his chest. He will have to sit in the backseat of any car he is in.
What has happened to {Uri'el 2012} is a nightmare. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. MRSA and MSSA are running rampant in hospitals and the medical profession is keeping it quiet, for fear patients won't want to be operated on. Since this happened to {Uri'el 2012} I have found out things about this infection that I never knew. I have read the book MRSA the superbug. I know what to look for now, but at the time I first saw him swollen I didn't have a clue that it was the infection that was causing it.
I would like to ask for your continued prayers for {Uri'el 2012}. No one thought he would have made it this far. I know that God has been with him. I know that God answered my prayer and I know that, "No weapon formed against us will prosper!"
Thank you for your call. I will let {Uri'el 2012} know that you care and that you are praying for him!
God Bless you!
{His wife}
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AMEN! Thanks oprahstheantichrist! What a wonderful prayer!
Thanks pnsn, for your continued advice and prayers.
Roamer, please pass on that I am praying and that while some things may never be the same, he CAN heal from it.
Uri's wife is reading the thread to him over the phone in the evening. So he'll be getting it right from you. : )
Hi smvoice. Thank you for your prayers.
he was prayed for in a special way on tuesday,God bless,Fatima ((((Hugs))))
Adding my prayers, that God may give him and his wife strength and faith. It is a hard blow, but God’s love is steady, even when we don’t see the end clearly.
More prayers up.
Hang in there, Uriel, and remember that it is our most trying times that the Lord uses to strengthen our faith in Him. When we are living in comfort, we may not turn to Him as often as we should, but when times get hard, and He is our last hope, we run and cling to Him. So, have faith that the Lord is always working for our greatest good, drawing us closer to Him even through our trials and tribulations.
(((((Sending Prayers)))))
Thanks for your continued prayers, Amberdawn!
Thank you for your continued prayers antisocial.
Thanks for your prayer, annalex.
Thank you for your prayers and (((hugs))), fatima!
Thanks for your prayers Mr Rogers!
Thanks again for your prayers Hardraade.
Warring for Uriel ! Rebuked the destroyer !
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. Prayers continue...
Thank you Boogieman, for your encouragements
Thank you for your prayers Kitty Mittens.
No, thank YOU for your prayers, Alamo-Girl!
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