An Update from Trevor!

Dear Intercessors,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. They are literally one of
the reasons I am alive today. I am not sure if you all were able to check
out the blog web site (put together by David Mclain), so here is what
happened, in a nutshell:

Aug 7 - On our way down to the conference in San Fran. I became aware that I
had an infected bug bite on my right side. Twice during the drive down I
stopped to put a hot water and salt compress on it, hoping to draw out the
infection.

Aug 8 - I wasn't feeling very well, so during the day instead of going with
David & Todd to scout out the area, I stayed back at the hostel and rested.
That night after I spoke on the panel, I was not feeling well at all and
left the meeting hall half way through to lay down. During the night I was
having problems breathing.

Aug 9 - In the early morning (between 5-7am) I asked Dave if he could please
take me to the hospital. We went to Saint Francis Memorial, which was 4
blocks away. We went into Emergency and I remember walking in and giving my
medical cards and being lead into a treatment room, and then I passed out.

The next thing I remember is 5 days later, having the intubation tube pulled
from my throat and being told that I had come extremely close to death. They
had kept me in a semi coma for those 5 days. I am told that this is what
happened during those days:

Aug 9 (afternoon) - Doctors were trying to determine what type of infection
I had, they did a CT Scan on me and multiple blood tests. One of the tests
came back saying that the infection had spread into my blood. My daughter
Rebecca was told by the ER manager to fly down to San Fran as soon as
possible, as they did not expect me to make it through the night. My kidneys
were shutting down, almost non-functioning at the time. I was rushed in to
surgery and a portion of my right side was removed, as it had become
severely infected and was now just dead tissue, and they were trying to stop
the infection from growing further.

They were treating me for tick bite fever and a general antibiotic for the
infection, but were unaware that my daughter Grace had just tested positive
for a Streptococcus infection on her skin. Once the doctors found this out
they started me on a full array of antibiotics specifically for this.

Aug 10 - My vitals had been erratic all night and continued to worry the
doctors throughout the day. My heart rate nearly reached 200bpm, blood
pressure at one point was 180/160, and temperature was consistently high. My
organs were all starting to shut down and my lungs were on the verge of
developing pneumonia. It was not looking good. The doctors were not sure if
they should attempt more surgery, or just wait to see how the antibiotics
worked.

Aug 11 - Doctors were still contemplating more surgery, but keep it as a
last resort. They were trying to determine if the infection had spread to
the fascial layer of my skin (this is the layer just before muscles and
organs). If so then it had become necrotizing fasciitis (commonly known as
the "flesh-eating bacteria") and they were not sure if they could keep up
with the infection before it over took me. My wife Judy arrived and laid
hands on me and prayed for my recovery, my vitals gradually begin to improve
throughout the day, my heart rate getting down to 120.

Aug 12 - The doctors are checking my surgical wound every few hours to
monitor growth of the infection, it has slowed down and they are hoping not
to do any more surgery. My vitals are getting better throughout the day, but
it is still a rollercoaster ride. The doctors confirm that the infection has
touched the fascial layer but do not think it has penetrated *into* the
layer (this is crucial).

Aug 13 - At this point the doctors decide not to do another surgery, as my
vitals are getting better and the infection growth has slowed down enough
that the antibiotics should be able to stop it completely. They remove the
intubation tube. and I wake up not knowing how close I was to not making it.

Aug 14 to present - The gradual process of healing begins, keeping me
hydrated, full of antibiotics and getting complete wound care to keep it
clean and free of bacteria. It might take awhile to fully heal, but it is
much better than the alternative.

Again I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers
and support. It has made all of the difference.

I hope to be able to write you all again soon.

In His Grip,

Trevor