Eric Flescher

[BKDPhillips]

Dec 25 update

Jim,

I am checking w/ Sue-Ellen on your question. Here is her update from Christmas day.


The weather was pretty snowy and slow getting into the hospital. I went in during the afternoon and left right before it turned dark so I could see the road. There were huge drifts of snow everywhere but finally I am home.

Eric was resting a lot today. He tends to open his eyes as a reflex whenever they turn him and at the end of the time I was there his eyes were open but still not responsive. He is doing very well with the trach and G-PEG so far and definitely more comfortable.

It is also nice to see his face. Today it was off with the moustache and now he looks more like himself with a shaven head. When they did the surgery a few weeks ago, they only shaved half his head, so we made it match. It really looks good, but I know Eric would definitely want to grow it out.

They took a CT scan yesterday and it looked as though some of the swelling had gone down and everything else looked the same. Again, still no change in what we are observing. I appreciate all the staff that made it in today with the snow, some come from a bit of a distance. They have given Eric the best of care. You can tell by the way they talk to him while working with him.



Her statement about the snow is true... this took a while to post because I have been out shoveling, taking pics, and helping two vehicles so far out of the deep snow in front of our house here in Olathe, KS. I tracked through at least 12 inches iwith the snow falling!!

Belinda

 

[Sean Mullen]

Was this viral meningitis, or bacterial? I was reviewing the posts, and couldn't find which type it was.

Most likely bacterial; the earlier posts mention antibiotics and they would not be giving antibiotics for a viral meningitis. This happened to the husband of a friend of mine; it took a long time for him to recover, and he was less affected. It looks like they are doing all the right things(PICC, PEG, trach, etc.). This will just take a long time, longer than anyone wants.

I will continue to keep him and his family in my thoughts and prayers.

Keep the faith

Sean

 

[Karla Dorman]

Still praying for Eric and his family - c'mon, Eric. There are storms with your name on them - can't chase them if you're not better.

 

[Jennifer Combs]

I am so late on posting as I haven't been on for quite some time. I never met Eric in person, but he struck up a conversation with me in PM's back in May. He was really nice, helpful, and encouraging. I do hope he has a good recovery. Best wishes to Eric and his family.

Thanks to everyone posting updates, I'm sure many here appreciate it.

 

[BKDPhillips]

Bacterial

His meningitis is bacterial in nature as confirmed by his wife Sue-Ellen. She also thanks each of you for your concern and prayers.

Belinda

 

[Joey Ketcham]

Recent update on Eric from his wife:

I did call in to the CCU to check on his status. The nurse did not have too much new to report and left a message for the head Dr. to call. When he called in he confirmed that the newest CT scan showed that some of the swelling had gone down, but said there was still swelling and nothing else new had shown up (which is always good news) Of all the tests, the CT scan has been able to give us the best picture of what is going on. He indicated that Eric had more movement today but it could be attributed to the fact that he had two recent procedures (Trach and G-PEG) which probably accounted for the minimal amount of movement of the past few days.

Additionally, she had this to say to all of us on StormTrack:

A special thank you for all the support of the Stormtrack community and good friends and family. I know there are still friends out there who do not know what is going on with Eric and hopefully I will be able to figure out how to contact them as I am sure they would want to know. Meanwhile we continue to look for improvement daily.

 

[BKDPhillips]

Eric update

Thanks Joey for posting.

I also wanted to add that Sue-Ellen, his wife, is reading all your posts to Eric. What a difference this will make to him and his family as he heals.

Continued prayers Eric for you and your family!

 

[Patrick Martin]

Thanks for the update Joey! Keeping Eric and his family in our thoughts and hoping that the new year brings new improvements to Eric's condition.

 

[Karla Dorman]

What I love about ST: we're not only a chasing community, we are family. When one of ours is hurting, we all feel it.

I have never met Eric, but from what I've read, he's a super nice guy. Continuing to pray for him and his family. Thanks for the update -

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Oh wow, I'm really sad to just now be seeing this. Eric is a very friendly chaser who has always tried to help others. Hang in there Dr. F! ... We're pulling for you -

 

[Karen Burdick]

Praying that God will move in this situation. My prayers are certainly with this situation.

 

[Patrick Bartholomew]

I have never met Eric and I don't know him personally but he sounds like a great guy. I will pray and hope that he makes a full recovery.

 

[BKDPhillips]

Caringbridge journal entry excerpt from his wife, Sue-Ellen -

Today Eric looked very peaceful and comfortable. Even when he was being repositioned he was more relaxed. They say the trach makes the person feel more comfortable, so maybe it is true. Still no change.

We spent the day watching the Chiefs lose to the Bengals, Doc Holllywood and the Cooking Channel. We "talked"until I left before it got too dark.

 

[BKDPhillips]

Excerpts from Sue-Ellen's Caringbridge Journal.....


Yesterday the Select liaison came to evaluate Eric for admittance to the LTAC (long term acute care)....I took a tour and was pleased with the quality of care that is given there. The only negative is that they lease space from OPR and will be moving to another hospital...(farther away).

Eric looked relaxed. ... It almost seemed as though he tried to lift his head and attempted to swallow .... His forehead was also sweating which was very Eric. ... he has not had a fever. This being said, he is still not awake.

I met briefly with the neurologist...I did get to see the CT scans .... Although there is definitely a difference between the first scan and the most recent, it is not back to "normal" yet.

I also met with the Rabbi. He has been good counsel at a time where life feels so confusing. We went in to see Eric and prayed for healing. It is the "something" I feel I can do right now.

Belinda

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Didn't even see this thread was going on...just read through all the updates. Will be praying for Eric and his family for sure!