As many others have said, sending positive wishes and thoughts your way. hugs
You must live near my neck of the woods, then… there are a lot of people up in arms about the aerial spraying that is about to commence in Tarrant County. West Nile Virus is a scourge, though, and rightfully earned itself an air strike punishment. That’ll teach that dumb virus to mess with Texas. 
I didn’t really have much to add here, except that I hope Mr. Shoe is continuing to improve, and that you are doing okay and taking good care of yourself.
Keep us updated, take care.
(Hugs)
Hope your sweetest goes home soon with you.
Hugs to both of you.
It tells me you’re likely and intelligent person informed on some of the issues/questions around the practice, and able to consider the problem rationally even in a highly emotional crisis.
Still sending good wishes your way. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Keep ruffling his hair - even if YOU can’t feel it through the gloves he still feels the human contact.
Thinking of you and hoping the improvements continue.
He now has subcutaneous air (between his lungs and skin) from the air being forced into his lungs. If they didn’t, his blood oxygen would drop and his lungs might collapse … It’s freaky, the air under his skin (around his collarbone) feels like Rice Krispies popping. F.r.e.a.k.y. However the nurse straight-up said, “nobody’s ever died from that.” I do like the honesty.
Nobody’s happy with how his lungs are doing 
so they’re going to start him on some semi-experimental treatments of interferon. Dr. said there aren’t many clinical studies of it, but a few case studies indicate that it can’t hurt, might help. They discontinued the immunoglobin yesterday.
Damn viral pneumonia. The spots from his initial rash are finally fading, and I’d hoped that meant the virus that started all this is dying off, but one look at the Dr.s face when I asked but the kibosh on that theory. He’ll be somewhat famous, I guess: there’s little prevent for WNV to lead to cardiac and pulmonary issues of this magnitude so now he’s a case study, too. Yay.
Egads, girl, I’m so sorry. Still crossing all the appendages and sending thoughts to you and your sweetie. Thinking REAL hard at him.*** “GET BETTER AND GET UP, YOU LAZY SLUGABOUT! YOUR LADY NEEDS YOU!!!” *** Hope that helps. {purplehorseshoe + schmoopie}
Oh, my, that’s what I get for phone-Doping: that’s “there’s little precedent for West Nile virus to lead to cardiac and pulmonary issues…”
He’s starting to develop a tolerance for the propofol that’s keeping him sedated, so his eyes were fluttering and half-open earlier. Mostly, I could only see the whites under his irises (well, not-so-whites) but I kept talking and kissing his forehead and I dunno, maybe he was kinda responding. More than he used to, that’s for sure.
I did get to touch him, though: no more gloves/gown, as he got three consecutive negative results for … Cee-Diff? That’s what it sounded like they were all saying, anyway. It was the reason for the gown and gloves, and suspected in causing the intestinal problems, but … nope! Must be something else! sigh They gave him one dose of one kind of interferon (it said “Pegasus” on the package, if that means anything to anyone…) and another kind of interferon for three days starting on Monday. Man, I do hope it helps his immune system.
Glad to hear that there’s no C-diffinfection. (The link goes to wiki) It’s a bacteria that most of us have, in small amounts, in our digestive tracts. The problem is that it’s tough and picks up resistance to antibiotics easily. So a patient who’s been given enough antibiotics to knock out everything else can end up with resistant C-diff running wild because the competition’s gone. That can be really bad in an ICU, where there are a lot of other patients who are on antibiotics and in a weakened state. Not to mention it being bad for the patient the infection develops in.
Glad that you can touch him again. That has to be subliminally reassuring for him. Hope they find a way to knock out whatever else is acting up.
It tells you the idiots decided to “save money” and not spray with BT months ago.
How long before someone files a raft of lawsuits over not taking preventive measures?
Thanks, Yllaria, I appreciate the linky. Heading out from the office to go see him again now.
Well, that was positive. The respiratory tech came around, and said there’s still fluid in his lungs, but she wasn’t able to suction any out, so she figures there’s not much in there. On his pulmonologist’s orders, she also has dialed back his oxygen: he was at a full 100% this morning and either 12 or 13 PEEP (the pressure that keeps his alveoli open IIRC) and as of this evening he’s been steadily moved back to 45% oxygen and 5 PEEP. The doc’s goal for him is 40/5 and then see how he does. She gave me a big beaming smile when she pointed out the lower numbers, so I took that as a good sign. 
I suppose it’s just as well that he has to stay sedated b/c of the ventilator, as two separate docs have already told us that the interferon they’re initiating … let’s see if I remember the technical jargon … makes you feel really crappy. (Achy, feverish, etc.) Might as well skip that as much as possible, I suppose.
I don’t have the mental energy to dig up the cites and links necessary to start a decent thread on this, but if you’d like to take this over to GD (or, perhaps, the Pit) I’ll be happy to weigh in with my near-omniscient opinions 
for which I know you’ll be waiting breathlessly.
Sarabellum1976, I’m in Dallas County, not all that far from you. Y’all get most of the rain that’s supposed to head our way, ya greedy bastards. Get sprayed yet?
I’m in North Tarrant, where so far (knock wood) we’ve had no WNV deaths. I think they’re more worried about Arlington and downtown areas. At any rate I haven’t seen or smelled anything to indicate they’ve sprayed.
Good to hear that the resp. tech thought Mr. Shoe’s lungs were better. Very good news!! If he’s already being partially weaned from the oxygen, maybe it will only be a few more days or a week until they can start waking him up a little more? It sure sounds like things are progressing the right direction.
WooHoo!
Sounds like some good things are happening! Sending more good wishes out!
My goodness! I hope you all turn out all right.
Yay, good news!
I am quite familiar with aerial spraying. We have an active program here. If I didn’t hear the mosquito plane fly over* I would not know by smell they had sprayed at all. Except there are fewer mosquitoes thanks to their efforts.
Here’s hoping that their efforts will prevent this WNV from putting any other family through all this. Best wishes for you purplehorseshoe and for your schmoopie.
*Why do I feel the need to duck my head when the mosquito plane buzzes my rooftop? Yeah… he flies that low!
but my cousin had it about 3-4 yrs ago, and he’s fully, 100% recovered.
His politics, alas, did not improve…
Slow and steady as she goes…thinking good thoughts.