When Mikie had an infected shunt nearly two years ago I kept a lot of our friends updated via email and it has served me well to have a written record to look back upon.  What follows are the chronological collection of many (but not all) of those emails with some text inserted for clarification.  It recaps some of the greatest blessings we could receive in a little over three weeks.

As I look back on it all I really have to smile.  I am somewhat dismayed though that during the first infection Mikie’s spinal fluid was clear even from the early stages.  Not so this time, it looks very bad.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mkimble@sc.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 9:49 PM
To: 'drabon@sc.rr.com'
Subject: Mikie

I don’t think I had a chance to tell you that I will be off tomorrow as well, we have to take Mikie for some tests.  We had to take him to the ER Sunday night and we were there until 4 AM Monday.  He is ok but sick and we are not sure what is wrong.  His head has a big swollen spot by his shunt, so we are quite concerned.  The ER doc didn’t think it was related to the shunt because he wasn’t sick.  He is now, and we still think it is related.  We go for x-rays tomorrow to find out.

Mike

(We got the x-rays and went to see Dr. Mauldin (neurologist), he sent us right to the emergency room.  After drawing some fluid from the abscess and finding that it was puss, Dr. Dials (the neurosurgeon) said they needed to do surgery to find out how bad it was.  He hoped to be able to isolate the shunt from the infection.  This email tells the rest.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mkimble@sc.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 12:08 AM
Subject: RE: Mikie

This is going to be brief, I have to get up at 5 to go to the hospital before I go to work.

It is not good, but I just don’t know how bad it is yet.  The site around his shunt was infected and they had to remove the shunt.  There was pressure on the brain as fluid shot out when he removed it.  It seems the old shunt was still active but had become restricted by the abscess.  The doctors are very concerned that there might be infection in the CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid, me thinks) and in the spinal system.  Another name would be meningitis, which you probably know is very serious.  I was encouraged after talking to the ID doc (infectious disease) as she seemed so positive.  The neurosurgeon was very grave, very serious.  He made it clear that this is life threatening.  I was also encouraged that Mikie seemed to be doing so well after the surgery.  However, he did not look well when we left and looked very uncomfortable as they were moving him to a room in the ICU.  There is a tube in his head draining fluid out and the fluid looks very clear, and not of a very large quantity.

They won’t let us be with him very much, only 15 minutes every other hour during the day.  I hope they will make exceptions.  Keep us in your prayers.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2003 11:10 PM
Subject: Mikie - Update

Thank you for your prayers for Mikie, and Lorraine and I.  I’m sure God is listening to all of us, and he will answer according to his timing and his will.  This was not the best day for Mikie.  He is starting to have some congestion and has not been able to cough it up on his own.  The nurses have had to help him out with some suction.  He has also started to run a bit of a temperature, as high as 101.3 this evening.  Our biggest concern right now is that his heart rate is very high, at almost 150 when I left (10 PM), and that was while he was sleeping.  To look at him he didn’t look all that uncomfortable, but to look at the monitor showed differently.  They gave him some codeine a few hours ago and it didn’t help.  They gave him some Tylenol just before I left and I hope to hear from them soon to find out if it made a difference.  They were getting a fan to try to cool him a little bit.  They let me stay with him for over an hour this time, and even invited me to stay.  Visiting is usually limited to 15 minutes.

While the lab reports still show no sign of any organisms in the cultures, the doctors still feel he is fighting an infection and this could take a while, even another week.  When the infection is gone then they will think about replacing his shunt.  Pray that his heart will endure, and ours as well because they are breaking.  We’ve known for years that we might have to go through some tough times with Mikie, and we are not surprised.  (1 Peter 4:12)  But we also knew that it would still hurt, and it does.  We have faith though that somehow God will get us through this.  And when it is all over, we will rejoice, one way or the other.  (1 Peter 4:13)

Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Mike & Lorraine

1 Peter 4:12, 13  Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 6:44 AM
Subject: Mikie - much better!

Mikie is doing much better this morning!  I just got back from the hospital and am happy (elated is more like it) to report that his temperature has gone back down and his heart rate has slowed to around 115.  While that is still higher than what we would want, it is more in line with what it has been since he had the surgery.  (George Bush has a resting rate of 45 or so!  Most of us fall around the 80-90 range.)  He still is suffering from some congestion and had to be suctioned out about three times last night.  He was resting well while I was there this morning at 6.

I’m off to work and Lorraine will visit him during the day until I get home at 4 or so, but I won’t get to see him until 5.  We miss him at home so much!  Keep praying, we know God is faithful!

Mike 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 6:57 PM
Subject: Mikie - more surgery

Thanks again for your prayers, Mikie is doing somewhat better.  His temperature is closer to normal than it has been for a while at 99.3 degrees.  The biggest problem he has right now is congestion.  He can’t quite seem to cough it up on his own and requires help.  They are also giving him a little respiratory therapy to help him out.  Tomorrow he is going to the OR for a little surgery, not a real big deal, they are just going to replace the drain tube in his head.  If all goes well we are looking at more Surgery this coming Monday.  The plan at this point is that he will be getting a new shunt then and the site around the shunt will at last be closed and can begin healing.

Please continue to pray for Mikie during the days ahead.  And remember, not only is it helping us, but you are getting closer to God yourself!

Mike & Lorraine

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:03 PM
Subject: Mikie - out of surgery, still on a ventilator

This is rather long and I have to admit that I am being detailed for my own sake, as I am trying to keep a record.  If you want to skip all the details, go to the bottom of the message for our prayer requests.

Mikie had his surgery late this afternoon.  It was supposed to happen early, around noon or one.  The neurosurgeon was delayed with another complicated surgery and didn’t get to until around five PM and it was complete around 7:30.  It went exactly as he thought it would, though he didn’t say it would take that long.  The surgery was more complicated than I anticipated.  I thought there were just replacing the drain tube.  The doctor talked to me before the surgery and took a lot of time to make sure I understood what he wanted to do and then made sure that I agreed with him.  Rather than replace the drain line, he inserted a new one in a new hole on the top of his head, away from the old infected site.  This will remain in place for 5 days and it will be clamped off to determine if he really needs a shunt.  They will measure the pressure and monitor him very closely during this time.  The doctor is convinced that the old shunt could not possibly have been working for the most of Mikie’s 30 years of life.  I’m willing to test his theory, but he is depending on us to watch Mikie for changes.  I think because of positive changes I have seen already (no vomiting, no skin blotchiness, temperature is normal, only one seizure) since pressure was reduced in the past week that even if the shunt wasn’t working, he still needs one.  (What we have believed for the past 10 years or so was that the shunt wasn’t working, and whatever was wrong with Mikie’s spinal system when he was a baby had corrected itself.)  However, the pressure may have been caused by the infection, and since there are no signs of infection now, it might be possible that he doesn’t need it.  That would be nice, because he’ll get better a lot quicker if he doesn’t have to go through another surgery Monday to install a new shunt in another location with another new hole in his skull.  The big problem is that if a shunt is not installed and it is needed later, then we have another problem facing us in the future.  It won’t be as easy to check pressure after all the wounds are closed and healed.

Before the surgery Mikie was having such a hard time breathing, almost unable to do it on his own, that the anesthesiologists assured me that he would certainly have to remain on the ventilator after surgery.  I knew this was coming, because he was working so hard to breathe during the last two days.  We finally got to see him around 9:30 and it was no surprise that he was still on a ventilator.  It looks bad, but his heart rate was down to around 109 and his temp was a tad below normal and he looked very comfortable, though he was sleeping.  They have him sedated but I think he will catch up on some much needed rest now.  They are treating him well, I thank God for some great doctors and nurses.  There is a big difference in where Mikie is now and where he was for previous surgeries.  Mikie is a child to us even though he is 30 years old, but he is in a room with older adults that are very close to death.  Two have died, one has been moved to another room and will likely die.  Two that are in the room now are very likely going to die soon.  It is hard to be around so much death, and I am reminded to not only pray for Mikie, but for others as well.  These people are really unknown to us, and we rarely even see family members.  I recognize that man is really powerless to stop death, that we can only delay the process.

With all that said, here is what you can pray for.  Pray that Mikie will be able to come of the ventilator Thursday and that he will be able to cough and clear his own lungs.  Pray that he will remain infection free for the next five days.  Pray that at the end of those five days that a correct diagnosis will be made determining if a new shunt is required.  Pray that we will be sensitive to other family members that we come in contact with, that we might also be able to offer words of comfort.

Thank you again for your much needed prayer support!

Mike & Lorraine

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 10:32 PM
Subject: Mikie - still on the ventilator, but resting well

Mikie is resting very comfortably now, maybe a little too well.  He has few waking moments and then seems to be ready to fight, trying to pull on tubes and wires.  The have tried to wean him off the ventilator and he seems ready to breath on his own, but as soon as they let him try the pressure in his head climbs.  The finally opened the valve and let some of the pressure off.  I think the doctors are getting close to conceding that he needs a new shunt.  It would have been nice to say that he didn’t, but I think with a new shunt we will get our old Mikie back, laughing and enjoying life like he used to.  I’m convinced that the old shunt was failing, and if it was then it also might mean that it has actually been working for most of these 30 years.  That would be a record, and Mikie will likely go down in the record books.  I’m praying now that God will show the doctors what He can do, and that they will see Mikie like we have, as a special gift of God filled with his joy.

This picture was taken this afternoon.  He looks a little rough, but he is resting better than he has in a week.  We hoped we would not have to see him on a ventilator, but it will help him get better.  It is a relief to see him breathing with no effort.  The machine is set at 4 breaths per minute, Mikie is getting 2 or 3 of his own on top of that.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 4:51 PM
To: Richard Lacy
Subject: Mikie

It looks like Mikie will stay on ventilator until after the surgery Monday.  He still has some congestion and it is very easy for them to suction him out while on the vent.  Otherwise they have to push a tube up through his nose and, as you can imagine, it is very uncomfortable.  I asked the nurses and the respiratory therapist if they have ever had it done to them and they said no.  I told them I was willing to have them do it to me so I would know what Mikie has to go through.  They weren’t too anxious to try it and I wasn’t real anxious to push them.  Anyway, while on the vent they just run the suction tube right down the other one, he barely feels a thing until it comes out the other end, and then it stimulates him to cough a little bit, which is very good.  I guess the docs want him in the best shape for Monday that he can be in and leaving him on the vent will help.  I feel like we are torturing him for two more days. 

I am assuming that it is a go for the surgery.  I think it is pretty obvious already that he needs a shunt.  I think this is good news, because it answers a lot of questions about problems we have had for some time.

I’m headed back up to the hospital, ttyl.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 5:37 PM
Subject: Mikie - waiting

Mikie is very stable now, and looks comfortable while sleeping, but very uncomfortable while awake.  The verdict is that he will need a new shunt and will get it Monday, provided all lab reports come back clean.  He was running a low grade fever yesterday but his temp and heart rate are pretty normal right now.  His lungs are clearing up more each day as well. 

All in all, things look pretty good.  I think Mikie is going to come out of this much better than he went in.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 3:57 PM
Subject: Mikie - Surgery Monday AM

So far, so good!  Mikie’s stats today are the best they have been in a few weeks.  All the cultures are coming back clean except one that showed a bit of something in his lungs, but he is breathing so well now (though still on the ventilator) that they are not concerned.  It looks like the surgery will be sometime Monday morning, though we still don’t know the time.  I suppose we will find out when we visit at 6:00 AM.

Pray for the neurosurgery team as they install Mikie’s shunt, that all will go well.  Pray also that he will recover quickly and get off the ventilator as soon as possible.  As usual, we thank you again for the continued prayer support.

Mike & Lorraine

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 10:26 PM
Subject: Mikie - Surgery 7:30 AM

We got the word a while ago, the surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM.  The lung doc says he is doing so well on the ventilator that he will likely come off right after the surgery.  That’s good news, because I think the thing is starting to get to him.  It bothers me just to look at it.

The hospital is very busy.  They told me that there were over 70 people in the ER waiting room.  Wow, I wonder how many of them are flu related.

I’ll send another update as soon as Mikie comes out of surgery (and I get back to a computer).

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 10:28 PM
Subject: Mikie - no surgery yet, maybe Tuesday

Mikie still waits!  The hospital had so many people in the ER Sunday night/ Monday morning that they actually had to start turning them away to other hospitals.  The neurosurgery team must have also been very busy as there were not to be seen during the day anywhere on the MICU floor.  We finally got the message about 5 PM that the surgery was rescheduled for Tuesday.  Mikie is to be the second case, which could mean anywhere from 10 AM until 2 PM or some time after.

There was as bit of humor in the confusion today, looking back anyway.  It wasn’t funny when it happened, but when I found out why it happened I had to laugh.  We are only allowed to visit Mikie for 15 minutes (though we often take 30) at 6 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM , 5 PM, and then 9 PM.  We were at the hospital at 6 to visit and there was no word of any changes in plans.  We left to get breakfast and came back and waited in the waiting room.  We went back at 9 to see him, no one knew anything.  We made sure the nurse had our cell phone number and assured her where were always very close.  At 10 it was getting crowded and I needed to go to the bank, so we slipped off and came right back to see him at 11, still no word.  After that visit we decided to wait on the third floor, since the fifth floor was very full, but then decided to slip off for lunch around 11:30.  We came back after lunch and waited until 1 and visited with Mikie for our 15 minutes and there was still no word.  Same thing at three, but this time while we were waiting on the third floor we bumped into Bobby Farmer who was there to visit someone else, and us as well.  While he was inquiring about his party we mentioned that we still didn’t know when or if Mikie’s surgery was going to happen.  The receptionist spoke up and told us that she was told that the surgery for the Kimble family had been canceled.  Now we were a little frosted, because if she knew, how come Mikie’s nurse back on the fifth floor didn’t know about it?  We went back to the fifth floor and inquired the same of Mikie’s nurse who jumped on the phone and pretty soon everyone was fussing!  Mikie’s lung doctor (sorry, I don’t know the technical name) got on the phone and soon found out that it had not been canceled, only postponed.  Everyone was very apologetic about it, and I must say we were pretty cool with it as well.  I understand that a trauma {patient} is much more important than a patient that is quite stable.  Still, everyone was quite puzzled how it was communicated to the third floor and not to the rest of us.  As Paul Newman once said, “What we have here is a failure to communicate!”  And to top it off, when we came back at five it was in fact rescheduled until Tuesday.

Well, not being able to visit again until 9 PM, Lorraine and I went out for a little shopping and dinner.  While sitting in the waiting room a few minutes before 9 it hit me what had happened.  I was the guilty party, I was the one that told the third floor receptionist that the surgery was canceled!  Before we left for lunch, I decided to leave word with the third floor receptionist that if anyone (meaning personal friends) came looking for us to tell them the 7:30 surgery had been canceled and to please give them our cell number.  That same receptionist very dutifully passed on the word to the next one, who then passed the same message back to me, minus the cell phone number!  When the new receptionist told us the surgery had been cancelled, I didn’t realize she was merely passing a message back to me that I had left!  I am very happy that I did not pop a cork today, even though in my mind I thought I had a right to be pretty upset.  I would be feeling pretty foolish right now.  Praise God that he gives us a little patience once in a while!

Anyway, we will play the waiting game again tomorrow.  Mikie remains stable, and seems resigned to living with this tube stuck down his throat.  It must be awful and I hope we never have to put him through this again.  We must just take this one day at a time, still knowing that God is ultimately in control.

Thank you again for your prayers,

Mike & Lorraine

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 9:37 PM
 Subject: Mikie - out of surgery, in recovery

After many delays Mikie finally had his new shunt installed.  They took him back at 4:00 PM and the neurosurgeon came out to talk to us at 6.  The surgery went just as it should have, according to the doc.  We finally got to see him a few minutes to 9.  He is technically still in ‘recovery’ even though he is back in his room in the ICU.  He was still heavily sedated though he acted like he was trying to wake up.  Rather than wait there we decided to come home and see to some of our errands and get some rest.  It is very nice being only 5 minutes from the hospital. 

Thanks for your continued prayer support.  We are praying that Mikie will have a speedy recovery and come off the ventilator tomorrow.  Could I ask you to pray for a gentlemen we met that has pretty much camped out in the ICU waiting room, and his wife?  His wife has a blockage in her system that is not allowing her to pass anything through, not even water.  They still don’t know what is wrong and are waiting on test results.  They may even have to send her elsewhere because they just don’t know.  Her husband has shown much concern for us and our situation and we promised we would pray for each other.  I don’t know his name, but God knows who we are talking about.

Mike & Lorraine

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Kimble [mailto:mike@mikesmagicshop.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 10:08 PM
Subject: Mikie - Running low grade fever

I just left the hospital a while ago and Mikie’s temp has come down from an earlier temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius to 37.9, or just a bit over 100.  His heart rate is still a bit high at 130, but it was in the 140’s earlier.  They had a cooling blanket on him and gave him some Tylenol and a little codeine and I think it is working.  He has been restless but when they get him in the right position he calms down and goes to sleep.  Because of his temp and heart rate they decided not to pull him off the ventilator today, but may try tomorrow.  I think that is the chief cause of his restlessness! 

Yesterday I asked you to pray for a man and his wife and didn’t have a name.  I have a name, and it is Jacky and Janice Myers.  I spoke to him for a few minutes tonight and the doctors still don’t know what Janice’s problem is and they are waiting on results from a biopsy.  She is on life support and is stable but is in serious condition.  Another young lady that Lorraine met also asked us to pray for her mother, Carolyn.  She was in Mikie’s room but moved to another room last week.  We thought she was getting better, but her daughter said it has only been by little baby steps, two forward, one back.  She has multiple problems, the latest being failing kidneys.

Thanks again for your continued prayer support.  It really does make a difference.

Mike & Lorraine