This is a email letter from Cathy this morning thzt tells all the details of Troy's condition. Many of you have called me this past twenty four hours and I have not been as good at remembering the details of it all like Cathy can. This is as of this morning.
Randy

From Cathy Hodges at St. Lukes Hospital

Good morning from St. Luke’s ICU. We had an amazing day yesterday! Troy’s medical problems did not significantly improve except that his temperature dropped throughout the day and was normal all night. He is still very, very ill. The term they are using now is sepsis. This is an infection that involves the organs. Heart, kidneys and to a lesser extent lungs are involved. The failure of his kidneys came to a critical point today. We needed to decide if we would start dialysis due to the kidney failure. Thankfully Troy was awake this morning rather than just responding to simulation as he was yesterday. He was able to participate in the discussion with the Dr. He heard the possibilities and Troy made the decision to begin dialysis. They will use a continuous type of dialysis that will reduce the amount of excess fluid gradually while it removes the toxins from his system. So, we are in a fighting mood here! Because he needs to concentrate on fighting he has been sedated even more today. We are not able to talk with him right now. Sedation is necessary due to the ventilator tube and now the dialysis. You are welcome to visit the family and to call us but will not be able to talk with Troy for the time being. You can call us in Troy’s room at 816 932 3268. Our faithful friend Larry Weis is staying at the house and can give updates on Troy’s condition. (913 362 2533)



I want to clarify one thing. The ventilator that Troy is on is set to assist his breathing. It is not breathing for him. Right now Troy is doing 60% of the work and the machine in doing 40%. Our nurse today kept pointing this out to me as a very positive sign. His

blood pressure is very good. His temp is normal. There has been a new concern in the last few hours. There has been some breathing in his stomach. Upper GI scope shows an irritation due to the feeding tube complicated by the low platelet count which allows bleeding. They will keep his platelet count higher by transfusion to allow healing and this should be a minor bump in the road. There was also a problem today with labored breathing. There turned out to be a blockage in the ventilator tube making it harder to breath. Problem has been solved and he is breathing easier.



We just had a conversation with the Dr. He is very encouraged with Troy’s progress.



We had an amazing day yesterday. More than 50 people came to see Troy. This highlight of the day was a period of about 30 minutes where Troy navigated a fantasy baseball trade with his friend Gary. He wrote out his players and Gary’s and knew both team rosters. It was amazing coming from someone who cannot talk and had barely been able to keep one eye open due to his level of sedation. We had a great day visiting and enjoying the company of your friends and family. I know that this meant a lot to me and no matter what happens the memory of that day will be important to us.



I send my apologies for not getting this e-mail out today. I started it before 8:00 this morning but every time I sat down there was a Dr or a visitor or a phone call to distract me. I appreciate your need to know. I guess I should resort to the one liners. I will try to do better.

There are so many personal e-mails that I have not read yet along with those I have read that I want to respond to. I hope that you will be patient with me. Thanks for your wonderful expressions of support and the outpouring of love and concern. We had a great party yesterday and are down to serious business now. Thanks for being there