11/5/2011

On Wednesday November 2nd Frank Newman was admitted to the ICU at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital for pneumonia. As many of you already know, Frank is one of the toughest guys around. Over the first 24 hours of his hospitalization, his respiratory status gradually worsened requiring increasing levels of oxygen and help in breathing. On Thursday evening a breathing tube was placed in his lungs and a machine was attached to help him breathe. Since that time, he has been sedated while the machine helps decrease the work of breathing so that his lungs can start to heal. He is being treated with antibiotics for the infection. As of this morning, Saturday, November 5th, his doctor thinks he now has Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome. (ARDS) This is a condition that is much more serious and usually requires longer and more intense support and critical care than pneumonia. We are expecting several more days of ICU and ventilator support, at a minimum. Otherwise, things seem pretty stable. There's no indication of any big issues with other organ systems, and Frank is otherwise a very healthy man, so we are hopeful he will do well. We will try to update this blog at least daily. Please keep Frank in your thoughts.