8:49 p.m.
It seems like one of our sons is having a heart issue. He is enroute to the ER with Clint as this is posted.
Please pray for our son,
Please pray for my family.
Update 9:56 p.m.
Thank you to all of our family and friends who have kept me company via text. I am sorry I have not felt like talking. It's not you; it's me and how I handle things. I am not home. Caleb came to my location. Clint was here with me. They left for the ER. I have been keeping everyone updated as best I can. It's a full time job. They are running several tests. His EKG was good. Waiting on x ray results.
Update 10:25 p.m.
Caleb is OK with me sharing the following. He thanks ALL of you for your prayers. He has spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) with is common in tall, slender people like Caleb. He has has a very small portion of his lung collapsed, and it was causing the heart attack symptoms he was having. He had an irregular heartbeat, pain in his chest and down his left arm, trouble catching his breath. It became worse when lying down or bending over, etc. It can progress. He needs to stay overnight as a preventative. They are putting him on oxygen to help it resolve.
He had an issue Wednesday night and tonight when trying to lay down to sleep and several times when bending over. He did not tell us until tonight.
Clint and I also thank you for your prayers!
(FYI, for those who ask, he does not smoke or use energy drinks. He is very skinny and very muscular. He's been working to gain weight and has gained 10 lbs recently. He has a very high metabolism, but we expect that to change in the next few years as he ages.)
Update 10/4/2019:
10:16 a.m.
Caleb and Clint are very tired. The hospital was busier than most at night. Caleb has had more tests this morning. They did another EKG. He is waiting for the results of his xray. I am anticipating they will say that he can go home after that. I may be wrong, but the doctor sounded confident the O2 overnight would fix his collapsed lung. She said this happens to a lot of young men in his age group, but it rarely happens more than once to the same person. The lung usually corrects itself on its own. Sometimes the collapse progresses, and it can become very serious. That's rare, but it is why they kept him overnight. If it does happen again, they can do a quick and simple procedure to tack the lung open. There's really nothing he can do to prevent it from happening again. It just happens.
I have sent pictures of Caleb to those in our family circle. If I overlooked someone, please send me a text. It was not intentional. I am tired.
11:25 a.m.
Caleb's lung has not improved in the slightest. Because it can progress and cause more problems, they want to keep him another night. This kind of collapsed lung (partial, spontaneous) usually heals itself within 72 hours. Please pray his lung will heal so he can go home tomorrow.
Clint is heading home for some clothes, comfort, and distraction items for the two of them. I am going home so I can be with Joshua and the girls.
1:07 p.m.
I was able to get our new equipment home, so I was able to go home. I want to be here to answer the younger children's questions, reassure everyone, and prepare for Caleb's homecoming. Clint got what he and Caleb needed and is heading back to the hospital. Clint told me they plan on sending Caleb home tomorrow with an oxygen tank and an oxygen condenser. Since the O2 tank had to be delivered to the hospital for him to travel home, Clint told them to deliver the condenser there also so we do not have to worry about a home delivery. We are very familiar with the machine and understand how it works. I am not clear on why they feel this is necessary if spontaneous pneumothorax is something that corrects itself quickly. Clint is going to ask more questions when he gets back to the hospital.
If you want to send Caleb a card (free), please do: https://sentaraecards.com/ room 428 Caleb Asbell Sentara Williamsburg I know it will brighten his day! He likes cars and there is one under the Thinking of You category.
6:09 p.m.
The nurse said the doctor did not come around this evening because they like what they are seeing. Taking 02 home happens and is normal. The nurse has no idea how long it will be needed. The EKG was good. At some point in time, Caleb will have another chest pulmonary x ray, but we are not sure when.
Caleb is not in any pain. He is eating well. He has a mask and his 02 is turned to 6. The dry air has caused him some congestion, but otherwise he is doing well.
Thank you for all of the concern and prayers. We love all of you too!
Update 10/5/2019:
12:12 a.m.
I try to find little ways to thank our prayer warriors. I figured a look at his x ray would be welcomed and helpful. I've cropped and enlarged the image. This is his left lung area. If you look at the top right of the x ray, you will see where the doctor marked where the lung has collapsed (A). You can just make out the edge of his lung (very faint line). This is normally not visible because it is hidden behind the bones.
Spontaneous pneumothorax can be missed because doctors don't look for it. They check the heart out, and send the patient home. It turns out this doctor just treated a young man for the same condition, so she was all over this. Caleb was treated very quickly, and they took his symptoms very seriously. His doctors and nurses were very competent. Every test and procedure was given at the time they gave Caleb which is impressive!
Spontaneous pneumothorax can be missed because doctors don't look for it. They check the heart out, and send the patient home. It turns out this doctor just treated a young man for the same condition, so she was all over this. Caleb was treated very quickly, and they took his symptoms very seriously. His doctors and nurses were very competent. Every test and procedure was given at the time they gave Caleb which is impressive!
We've heard from so many people who say spontaneous pneumothorax happened to their child, or grandchild, or friend's child. That's been comforting and reassuring to hear, because it was so foreign to us. "A lung collapses for no known reason, and being a thin, young male seems to be a contributes factor?!" Thank you again for all of the offers to help and the calls, texts, emails, etc. Here are a couple more pictures to show our gratitude.
blood draw
Caleb before they put him on 02.
Caleb before they put him on 02.
Caleb finally getting some rest.
The first night in the hospital was unusually busy.
He was so tired.
11:24 a.m.
Caleb will be on his way home shortly. He has four O2 tanks and a mask. He also has an O2 condenser. The x-ray this morning showed his lung has moved half of what it needs to, so the forced oxygen is working. He is to follow up with a pulmonologist next week to make sure it has returned to normal. They may do additional tests. He is restricted from exerting himself and heavy lifting. He will be unable to work. His room is not conducive to his current needs, so we are setting him up in our family room. He is able to be left alone as long as he is not having problems breathing, but our family will work together to make sure he always has someone with him.
10/7/2019:
Caleb is doing well at home. It *seems* like his lung has healed. Before he could not lie down flat without pain. Then his pain when flat was half of what it was. X-ray showed his lung had gone half of the way back. He can now lie flat with no pain at all.
We will make an appointment with a pulmonary specialist today. We're hoping he can get another xray soon.
Please pray his lung is inflated fully and does not collapse again. For some people it can repeat until they do a surgery to tack the lung. It is extremely painful to have a collapsed lung. The more it is collapsed; the more painful it is.
If his lung is not fully inflated, he will have to undergo a procedure to place a tube that is very painful and often lengthy.
While on O2, he drove us to the grocery store last night. The only restrictions Caleb has is not to exert himself, no heavy lifting, and not to be around smoke or fumes.
He had to travel with me late last night because I will not leave him at home alone. If he has a respiratory emergency, no one would have been with him. I have some light work that is right up his alley, so at least he'll be content. He is like his parents and does not like to be idle.
Thank you for all of the prayers and concern. I've passed every comment along to Caleb, and he says "Thank you!" also.
He did not get the cards in the hospital because they let him go home earlier than planned.
10/8/2019:
The specialist the hospital doctor wanted Caleb to see could not see him until the end of the month. Caleb does not want to be out of work that long or on the O2 if he can help it. So, Clint called around and found an appointment with another pulmonary doctor. He was able to get Caleb an appointment for 10 this morning. I should have an update soon.
11:18 a.m. The specialist thinks Caleb's lungs are healed. Caleb is being sent to a hospital for an xray now to verify. Next week, Caleb will have a CT scan to make sure he has not developed a blep. A pulmonary blep is a collection of air between the lung and lung wall. This can cause the lung to collapse again which we definitely want to prevent. Lung collapses are very painful. I'll update again once the xray is back with the results.
10/9/2019:
7:27 a.m. I apologize for not updating as planned yesterday. Life got in the way. The xray shows his lungs are 100% back to normal. He is off the oxygen. He drove himself home, and Clint caught a ride home after work. Caleb starts back to work Saturday and is very happy about it. If he has a blep, he will have to undergo a procedure to release the air. Please pray he does not have to go through that.
We are very thankful to God for how all of this turned out. Caleb's lung collapsed slowly. God kept him safe as he was driving with a collapsed lung and having trouble breathing. He had some severe pain, but it never got as bad as it could have. What pain he did have was resolved quickly. The doctor had just treated someone for a spontaneous pneumothorax and knew the symptoms and where to look. We had answers, and we had them quickly. The remedy was simple and easy on Caleb. We were able to find him a doctor that could see him the morning after we called for an appointment. The lung went back to normal easily. We and the doctor believe it healed after only two days of O2. Caleb has already been put back on the schedule to resume work on Saturday. God gave us everything we asked of Him. We are very grateful to God for His goodness to us all through this.
We are also thankful for all of the many actions of love shown to Caleb and the rest of us by our family and friends. Our family sends our gratitude and love to each of you.
10/7/2019:
Caleb is doing well at home. It *seems* like his lung has healed. Before he could not lie down flat without pain. Then his pain when flat was half of what it was. X-ray showed his lung had gone half of the way back. He can now lie flat with no pain at all.
We will make an appointment with a pulmonary specialist today. We're hoping he can get another xray soon.
Please pray his lung is inflated fully and does not collapse again. For some people it can repeat until they do a surgery to tack the lung. It is extremely painful to have a collapsed lung. The more it is collapsed; the more painful it is.
If his lung is not fully inflated, he will have to undergo a procedure to place a tube that is very painful and often lengthy.
While on O2, he drove us to the grocery store last night. The only restrictions Caleb has is not to exert himself, no heavy lifting, and not to be around smoke or fumes.
He had to travel with me late last night because I will not leave him at home alone. If he has a respiratory emergency, no one would have been with him. I have some light work that is right up his alley, so at least he'll be content. He is like his parents and does not like to be idle.
Thank you for all of the prayers and concern. I've passed every comment along to Caleb, and he says "Thank you!" also.
He did not get the cards in the hospital because they let him go home earlier than planned.
10/8/2019:
The specialist the hospital doctor wanted Caleb to see could not see him until the end of the month. Caleb does not want to be out of work that long or on the O2 if he can help it. So, Clint called around and found an appointment with another pulmonary doctor. He was able to get Caleb an appointment for 10 this morning. I should have an update soon.
11:18 a.m. The specialist thinks Caleb's lungs are healed. Caleb is being sent to a hospital for an xray now to verify. Next week, Caleb will have a CT scan to make sure he has not developed a blep. A pulmonary blep is a collection of air between the lung and lung wall. This can cause the lung to collapse again which we definitely want to prevent. Lung collapses are very painful. I'll update again once the xray is back with the results.
10/9/2019:
7:27 a.m. I apologize for not updating as planned yesterday. Life got in the way. The xray shows his lungs are 100% back to normal. He is off the oxygen. He drove himself home, and Clint caught a ride home after work. Caleb starts back to work Saturday and is very happy about it. If he has a blep, he will have to undergo a procedure to release the air. Please pray he does not have to go through that.
We are very thankful to God for how all of this turned out. Caleb's lung collapsed slowly. God kept him safe as he was driving with a collapsed lung and having trouble breathing. He had some severe pain, but it never got as bad as it could have. What pain he did have was resolved quickly. The doctor had just treated someone for a spontaneous pneumothorax and knew the symptoms and where to look. We had answers, and we had them quickly. The remedy was simple and easy on Caleb. We were able to find him a doctor that could see him the morning after we called for an appointment. The lung went back to normal easily. We and the doctor believe it healed after only two days of O2. Caleb has already been put back on the schedule to resume work on Saturday. God gave us everything we asked of Him. We are very grateful to God for His goodness to us all through this.
We are also thankful for all of the many actions of love shown to Caleb and the rest of us by our family and friends. Our family sends our gratitude and love to each of you.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18
10/14/2019: Caleb goes to the doctor for the scan tomorrow at 7 a.m. The doctor asked us to call him for results at 7:30 a.m. Neither the doctor nor us expect any issues, but please pray we are correct.
10/16/2019: We did not receive the results of Caleb's CAT scan until late last night. The doctor was very apologetic for the delay. He had a very busy day with a lot of patients. However, he was happy to report that Caleb has no air sacs that can cause another lung collapse. Caleb does not even need to go for a return visit. He is released from doctor's care. We are very thankful he does not need another procedure. Thank you very much to everyone who was praying! Praise the Lord for answered prayers!
10/16/2019: We did not receive the results of Caleb's CAT scan until late last night. The doctor was very apologetic for the delay. He had a very busy day with a lot of patients. However, he was happy to report that Caleb has no air sacs that can cause another lung collapse. Caleb does not even need to go for a return visit. He is released from doctor's care. We are very thankful he does not need another procedure. Thank you very much to everyone who was praying! Praise the Lord for answered prayers!
