The Passage of our Senior Editor's Father: Though not a true dictionary entry, we thought we should make note of the passage of our Senior Editor's father. George James passed away on Sunday December 19, 2010 (though the COD says Monday December 20, 2010) and he was just 76 years young. Though an autopsy would have been requested by our editor, the rest of his family passed on it without asking his opinion (!).
At the time, GJ had been suffering from two pneumonias (Serratia and Pseudomonas) as well as the now dreaded MRSA! Although Dad seemed to have responded successfully to treatments with massive doses of Vancomycin and 5 days treatment with Tobramycin. He was eventually discharged from his 4th hospital stay and housed in a very good medical facility. Unfortunately, the MRSA must have entered his bloodstream on or about the 19th as our editor found GJ foaming badly at the mouth - which appears to have meant that his organs were shutting down.
His father responded positively to a request for an ambulance (which he never does!) and the ambulance came and took him away on a portable ventilator. GJ was placed on a CPAP Ventilator once in the trauma room and remained so in the ICU. No amount of 'pressors' could have preserved him as he appeared to be in complete shutdown - though our editor hoped desperately and tearfully otherwise. He probably had no conscious mind nor spirit during this time and passed on probably that day. Which is why an autopsy may have been helpful (or not). Perhaps it could have positively identified MRSA in the bloodstream at that time - or not...
Looking back over the previous events, two of GJ's doctors at two of his previous hospital stays had predicted his death within a short while - possibly months. Which came true just before this Christmas...
FOM: Medical Odyssey/Hospital Nomad
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