August 19, 2020

Josh is doing well. Up and moving around the room. He may get to come home as early as this weekend but will need to continue antibiotics for another week and a half.

August 18, 2020

Surgeon just called. Gall bladder came out fine with four small incisions. It was infected but there were no problems with any other organs. They also were able to clear out the stones in the ducts. Josh came off the breathing tube and anesthesia fine, and he is waking up in the recovery room now! Hopefully Laura will get to see him later today.

August 18, 2020

Operation is going well. Hopefully will wrap up in about an hour or so.

August 18, 2020

Josh is going in for surgery now for a laparoscopic removal of the gall bladder.

August 17, 2020

Josh will need to be on IV antibiotics for at least two weeks due to his blood infection. It is not clear whether he will do that outpatient or in the hospital. The doctors are still weighing the decision about when to do surgery on the gall bladder, but that could be as soon as today.

August 16, 2020

Josh’s doctors at the hospital are still trying to determine the cause of infection and where else it may have spread in his body. They have found some issues with his gall bladder and connecting ducts, and will do an MRI today to get more information. They think Josh needs the gall bladder removed, but are trying to weigh the urgency of the surgery and his tolerance for surgery so soon after transplant. Josh is in good spirits and we thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

August 15, 2020

Josh has been running a fever last night and today. He is still being treated at the hospital in Rochester for a suspected infection. Laura was able to see him this morning.

August 14, 2020

Josh has been admitted to the hospital through the ER. He has elevated liver enzymes, white blood cell count, and abdominal tenderness, as well as pain. It appears he has some kind of abdominal infection. Lungs look good, but the doctors are working on finding out what is wrong.

August 14, 2020

It is so good to be home! Josh began Pulmonary Rehab in Rochester yesterday, and he will be doing that outpatient twice a week. Please continue to pray for lessened incision and back pain.

August 11, 2020

Six months ago, Josh and Laura left their home in Rochester to go to the ICU for Josh’s progressing lung disease. Josh received a double lung transplant on April 2, 2020. Today, after six months in Pittsburgh, Josh and Laura safely return to their home in Rochester, NY! Praise God!

August 7, 2020

Josh’s procedure went fine this morning. Hopefully this will provide some temporary function to his vocals and prevent aspiration/pneumonia. Josh is on strict voice rest for two days. We will follow up with the voice doctor in one month to see how the vocal cords are doing.

August 7, 2020

Josh is about to go into another surgery for his left vocal cord. This is an injection to temporarily provide safety for Josh in breathing and swallowing by allowing the vocal cords to close as designed. This should also improve vocal function for a month or two, while giving the paralyzed vocal fold time to hopefully heal. Please pray for the procedure to go well, and for Josh’s vocal cord to regain function.

July 28, 2020

Josh is continuing to do well! He is excelling at pulmonary rehab, and the internal medicine side of things is looking good as well. Josh did have slight rejection on his last bronch, but it was not significant enough to need treatment. There are no infections in the lungs either! The doctors are monitoring fungal cultures to make sure those do not grow, but Josh is on an inhaled preventative anti-fungal medicine in the meantime.
Josh will undergo a second vocal cord injection surgery at the beginning of August. While the left vocal cord is still completely paralyzed, the doctors are looking into both temporary and permanent options to determine the best course of treatment to help Josh regain his voice, and prevent aspiration/swallowing issues.
Josh and Laura have been cleared to move back to Rochester on August 11th! Josh will continue with pulmonary rehab and treatment in Rochester, and they will travel to Pittsburgh roughly once per month for continued treatment and tests. Laura and Josh are thrilled to be going home soon! Pray that Josh’s healing continues and that this plan is able to happen.
Overall, Josh’s new lungs are working wonderfully. He breathes easily, only getting a bit short of breath during exercise. We are so thankful for the miracle of a new chance at life, and this gift from the donor’s family.

July 15, 2020

Josh’s doctors continue to be pleased with his progress. Physical therapy has gone wonderfully, so Josh has graduated to doing outpatient Pulmonary Rehab 3x/week. Physically, Josh is getting around great!
Josh has a bronchoscope today (Wednesday 7/15). Please pray for the procedure to go well, and for results to be negative for rejection and infection.
Josh’s left vocal cord is still completely paralyzed. This not only affects his speaking/singing voice, but can also impede swallowing and lead to aspiration/pneumonia risk. The injection Josh had after the transplant has been wearing off, so we are working with a voice team and ENT to determine next steps.
Thank you for prayers for our whole family after the passing of Laura’s brother, Luke, last week (www.amigone.com We appreciate your continued support during this difficult time as we grieve, and are still away from home post-surgery.

June 29, 2020

Josh’s treatment for rejection at the hospital last week went smoothly. He continues to make amazing progress in physical therapy. The next bronch and follow-up appointments will be in a few weeks, so we are hoping those produce good results and that we get some information on when we might come back to Rochester. Blood draws have been difficult lately, so please pray that the nurse is able to find veins to make productive blood draws. Thank you!

June 22, 2020

Josh did not have any infection, thankfully! He is being treated this week in the hospital (outpatient) for the rejection, and that is going well so far. Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

June 20, 2020

Josh’s bronchoscopy/biopsy showed rejection. He will be treated in the hospital next week with a steroid infusion. We are still waiting to hear on the infection results.

June 17, 2020

Surgery went fine! Results later this week

June 17, 2020

Josh went in for his bronch about an hour ago.

June 15, 2020

Josh’s bronchoscopy and biopsy will be this Wednesday (June 17th). He continues to do well with physical therapy. Please pray for increased mobility and decreased pain levels. We appreciate your continued support during this long journey!

June 9, 2020

The bronch/biopsy has been rescheduled due to medication changes. Thanks for continued prayers!

June 9, 2020

Josh will be having a routine bronchoscope and biopsy tomorrow (Wednesday). Please pray for the procedure to go well, and for results to be negative for rejection and infection. Continue to pray for Josh’s pain management as well.

June 3, 2020

Josh’s doctors are please with his progress and healing so far. Josh and Laura will need to remain in Pittsburgh for another roughly 2 months at least for biopsies, to clear Josh’s infection, and to balance some issues with his medicines. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

May 26, 2020

Josh just finished his last IV antibiotic, which Laura has been administering at the Pittsburgh apartment along with an antibiotic breathing medicine. Josh also graduated from OT this weekend, which means he no longer needs the support of an occupational therapist! Josh continues to work with physical therapy (PT) several times per week, as he has a long way to go to build strength and balance after the surgery. He is making great progress, and his oxygen levels have been amazing (96-99%)!
Josh’s magnesium levels continue to be a challenge. He is on a magnesium supplement schedule in addition to the post-transplant medications, which create a rigorous timetable for Josh and Laura. Please pray that they are able to find some time to sleep and rest between administering all of the medication.
Josh has a follow-up appointment next week, when hopefully the last half of the staples on his chest incision will be taken out. Please pray for pain management related to the incision site and the staples, as well as back pain due to the staples pulling at his body.
Thankful for all of your support!

May 21, 2020

Copy and paste this link to your email for a story from the news this morning: Thanks, WPXI! www.wpxi.com

May 19, 2020

Leaving the hospital! Check out the Post-Transplant album below for more photos.

May 19, 2020

Josh has been discharged from the hospital! Hooray! He and Laura will be staying in Pittsburgh for the next month or so. They will continue with occupational therapy, physical therapy, and home nursing. Please continue to pray for Josh’s magnesium levels to stabilize and his infection to clear.

May 19, 2020

Josh’s doctors are still working on balancing his magnesium levels. The biopsy results showed no rejection, which we are thankful for! He does have a bacterial infection in the lungs. He will begin an inhaled treatment tomorrow along with IV antibiotic medicine for at least one week. Doctors are confident this infection will clear up. From a clinical standpoint, Josh is doing great and continues to make progress in therapy and rehab. Please keep praying!

May 16, 2020

Please continue to pray for regulated magnesium levels. Josh’s doctors are trying to balance his medications and supplements to keep his levels high enough.

May 15, 2020

Josh just finished up with the bronchoscopy. The doctor was pleased with how the procedure went. Please pray the results of the biopsy come back negative for rejection!

May 14, 2020

Josh started a new medicine today to help his kidneys keep magnesium better. So far it seems to be moving in the right direction. Josh continues to do great with therapy. Thank you for all the wonderful cards! See pictures below by clicking on the album. Josh also continues to work with his amazing music therapist, Aaron, pictured with Josh and the guitars.
Josh has a routine bronchoscope and biopsy scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (Friday). Please pray for this to go well and to come back negative for rejection.

May 13, 2020

physical therapy today! Laura got to sing along as Josh walked and played guitar. Great job, Josh!!!

May 13, 2020

Laura was able to visit Josh at the hospital today! See the photo album below for a picture of them reunited!

May 11, 2020

Josh was able to get half of his staples out today! Check out the videos of Josh’s walking progress, and the picture in the photo albums below. Today, Josh played guitar with his music therapist, Aaron, and several doctors to serenade Laura over video chat. Thanks be to God for a great day!

May 11, 2020

May 11, 2020

May 10, 2020

Josh continues to do well with therapy. One thing the doctors are trying to solve right now is that Josh’s magnesium (an electrolyte that helps the heart) continues to be low even with infusions. Pray that they can regulate these levels.

May 8, 2020

Josh was able to get the sutures (stitches) out from his chest tube and ECMO sites. All incisions are healing well, and now the only thing he has is the row of staples on his main chest incision. Josh’s blood cell counts are looking better. Josh continues to make good progress in therapy and is working on taking some walking steps unassisted. Continued prayers!

May 6, 2020

Josh is healing well. His white blood cell count and platelet count are heading in the right direction. There was some evidence of bacterial infection, so pray that clears up with antibiotic treatment. Josh is able to stand independently, and he continues to work on walking with support.

May 4, 2020

Josh is doing well today. He is excited to get back into the routine of therapy during the week. His chest x-ray today showed no pneumonia, but a small amount of fluid which will be treated with diuretics. Josh’s white blood cell count and platelet count are both high, which the rheumatology team determined is likely not from polymyositis, but may be due to an infection. Though Josh’s lung function is looking great, they will do a full infection work-up to look for sources of infection. Thankfully, he does not need any extra steroid at this time. Josh’s trach stoma is healing very well! Thank you for continued prayers.

May 3, 2020

Josh is doing well today. Doctors continue to monitor his heart, blood sugar, white blood cells, and kidney as cautionary measures. Josh has gotten clearance to use his arms for balance again, as his sternum (breast bone) begins to heal from the surgery (it was broken and repaired in order for the doctors to reach the lung cavity). Josh also was able to discontinue pain medications today. Josh’s breathing and lungs are doing very well – his oxygen saturation remains 95-100% most of the time, even with exertion during therapy. This is with no oxygen/breathing support! Please continue to pray for ease of pain, peace of mind, and progress towards walking and activities of daily living for Josh.

May 2, 2020

Good morning! Josh is doing well – he had a great week in therapy. If you would like to send Josh an e-card, please use this link: ecards.upmc.com Josh is at UPMC Montefiore Hospital.

May 1, 2020

Another piece of great news – Josh is able to work with a music therapist at the inpatient rehab center! The music therapist, Aaron, plays the double bass, which is the same instrument that Josh’s wife Laura plays. Aaron has been working on helping Josh play the guitar, listen to music and talk therapy. Josh really enjoys working with Aaron and we are so thankful for this service.

May 1, 2020

Josh continues to do well. Doctors are monitoring his blood sugar, which has been up and down, and his white blood cell count. Josh is working very hard in physical therapy to rebuild his strength! Keep praying that he is able to walk on his own sometime soon.

April 29, 2020

Josh continues to do well at Montefiore Hospital in rehab. Right now he needs assistance with many activities of daily living, walking, and tasks. He works with Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy daily to rebuild strength and endurance. Thanks for continued prayers!

April 27, 2020

Josh got his trach taken out today! He is breathing completely on his own. The trach hole will close on its own eventually. Josh is learning how to strengthen his lung capacity. He is doing well in rehab and works with PT, OT, Speech, and works on Activities of Daily Living.

April 25, 2020

Josh has successfully moved to Montefiore Hospital to the inpatient rehabilitation center. He will continue to work with PT and Speech there. Josh was able to get his feeding tube taken out and is on a regular diet.

April 25, 2020

Josh is doing well today. This is his second day of the steroid treatment for the rejection. He still has the trach capped on room air, which means he is doing fantastic with his breathing. They will look at taking the trach out possibly in the next few days. Josh passed his swallow test last night, so he is taking his medications by mouth and able to eat and drink as tolerated. There is a potential he will move to the inpatient rehab hospital (attached to the same building, down the road) today! I will keep updates coming as we know more about the move.

April 24, 2020

Josh’s biopsy results came back. He does have moderate rejection, which is not uncommon after transplant. This will be treated with a high dose steroid for three days, and they will repeat a biopsy in about two weeks. Josh remained on room air overnight and still has the trach capped this morning, which means he is doing great from a respiratory standpoint. He needs to be coughing up more secretions still to clear out the lungs, but hopefully the trach will be taken out in a few days if that progresses well. Josh’s last remaining chest tube was taken out this morning, which should help with his pain. He is still experiencing a lot of pain at his chest incision. Speech and PT will be working with Josh today. Pray for continued progress and for the rejection to be contained and remediated.

April 23, 2020

Josh’s procedure for the vocal cord injection went well this morning. This is to temporarily help the vocal cords close and give them time to hopefully heal over the next few months. Josh is on complete vocal rest for 24 hours. Tomorrow, Speech will assess to see if Josh is ready to start trying to speak with the trach valve again. They are also hoping to do a swallow test in the next few days, so hopefully Josh will be able to start eating and drinking again soon! The doctors took out the right chest tube, which is good progress. Josh still has one chest tube in (left side), and he is having some pain with that. Today, they are doing a breathing trial with a trach cap – this means that Josh is breathing on his own right now with regular room air and no extra oxygen! His O2 saturation in 95% which is fine for the trial, so they will monitor his breathing and see how he continues to do with the trach capped. Josh will hopefully move to the inpatient rehab center at Montefiore Hospital sometime next week (this is the next stage after the pulmonary step-down floor). Still waiting on the biopsy results to see if there is any rejection. Thanks for all the prayers!

April 23, 2020

The vocal cord injection went well!

April 23, 2020

Josh is off to the operating room for the vocal cord injection procedure

April 22, 2020

Josh’s white blood cell count is down into the normal range again! He is off of the biPap. He was able to stand again a little today with help from PT. The goal is to continue working with therapy and build strength, until he will move to the inpatient physical rehab center at Montefiore hospital.
Josh found out about a difficult set-back today. He saw the ear-nose-throat (ENT) doctor today, and his left vocal cord is paralyzed. This could be due to the surgery, the ventilator, the trach, or some other cause. It is somewhat common after transplant, but we are praying it is temporary. This causes difficulty with coughing, swallowing, aspiration, and voicing. Josh is scheduled for an operation tomorrow to inject the vocal cords to allow them to close, which will hopefully be a temporary solution to allow the vocal cord to heal. Right now, it is unclear how this will affect Josh long term. ENT will continue to monitor Josh and they are hoping the vocal cord will recover mobility on its own in the next few months. As Josh is a music teacher and aspiring music therapist, this is extremely difficult news for him. Please pray for recovery of Josh’s voice use and vocal control and strength.

April 21, 2020

Josh has a smaller trach put in to replace his large trach. He has started working with Speech again to try making progress with the speech valve.

April 21, 2020

Josh is out of the operating room after the bronchoscopy and biopsy – the procedure went well and the doctor was extremely pleased with the condition of the lung and airways. I will update again after we get the results back on the specimen as to whether the biopsy shows any tissue rejection.

April 20, 2020

Josh continues to make good progress! He only used the biPap for a few hours last night. He is on the trach mask during the day. Tonight they will try without the biPap (trach mask only). Getting off the biPap entirely is the next big hurdle. Josh is scheduled for a routine bronchoscopy and biopsy tomorrow, for which he will be under a general anesthesia, so please pray for that to go well.

April 19, 2020

Josh is doing well today. His white blood cell count is lower again which is good. Heart rate and breathing looking good! Still working on managing pain and getting stronger.

April 18, 2020

Josh had a good night and is doing better this morning. White blood cell count is looking a little more normal. His chest X-ray of the lungs looked great today! He is in some pain as his chest incision is healing. He is breathing well on the trach, but it is uncomfortable for him. The doctors are happy with Josh’s progress. He will start working with Speech Therapy to work on swallowing in the next few days, and will continue to work with PT and OT to build his strength. Continued prayers.

April 18, 2020

Josh is having a little trouble adjusting to his new environment on the floor. Please pray for him to be in good spirits and for a good night’s sleep. They are working on reducing swelling and managing pain at his trach site and chest incision.

April 17, 2020

Josh moved out of the ICU today! He is now on the pulmonary step-down floor of the hospital. Laura is still not able to visit. Josh is doing very well recovering. He is working with PT and OT on standing a little bit and is able to sit up in a chair for most of the day. During the day he is on a trach mask with oxygen, and at night he is on bi-pap. His white blood cell count is a little bit lower than the last couple of days, which is good; the doctors think the higher count may be due to Josh’s polymyositis. Getting out of the ICU is huge progress!

April 17, 2020

Josh had a great night. They did a bronchoscope this morning to check and clean out his lungs, which went well. They are on the way to move him out of the ICU to the pulmonary floor this morning! Such great progress! Will update again when he moves.

April 16, 2020

Josh continues to get stronger. Today he worked with PT and OT on standing, with help, for a few seconds at a time. Since he no longer needs the ventilator, tomorrow he will likely move out of the ICU to the pulmonary floor of the hospital!

April 16, 2020

Josh did great on the bi-pap last night. He is doing well on the trach mask again today. Today, they are working on managing his pain, and monitoring his heart rate which is a little elevated. They will do another biopsy soon to look for any inflammation that may be causing the high white blood cell count.

April 16, 2020

Josh is doing well on the trach mask still and is resting. He will go on the bi pap overnight. Pray for a good nights’ sleep!

April 15, 2020

Thanks Debbie and Julie for sharing this great blessing video of Pittsburgh churches! Copy the link and paste into your browser: www.youtube.com

April 15, 2020

Josh did not sleep well last night, but he did well on the bi-pap overnight instead of the ventilator! He is up in the chair this morning and on the trach mask again. He will work with PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy) during the day. The plan for today is to continue on the trach mask, and to take more diuretics to reduce swelling. Josh’s white blood cell count is still high. They will do a biopsy bronchoscopy soon (both to check the white blood cell potential source and for routine post-surgery). Thank you for your continued prayers.

April 15, 2020

Josh’s CT scan was normal, and all tests for infections came back negative. His white blood cell count is still high. He is also still on medicine for the clot, which will be scanned again later in the week or next week. He has been on the trach mask un-cuffed all day (which means he has to do more of the breathing) and will go on bi-pap overnight instead of the ventilator to see how he tolerates it. Please pray for Josh and Laura as they are still unable to see each other due to the hospital being closed to visitors.

April 14, 2020

Josh is doing well with the trach mask breathing this morning. His white blood cell count is still increased, so they did a scan to see if they can identify the cause of that. Please pray for any infections to be resolved if that is causing his white blood cell count to be high, and for rheumatology to be able to help with understanding how Josh’s polymyositis may be contributing.

April 14, 2020

Josh has been in bed this since this afternoon, and is still on the trach mask this evening. He will go back on the ventilator tonight. His white blood cell count is still high so rheumatology will see him tomorrow. They are working on managing pain, adjusting transplant meds, and controlling swelling with diuretics.

April 13, 2020

Josh is doing well on the trach mask still this afternoon. They put him back in bed to do some bloodwork and work on getting some of his large IV lines adjusted and re-placed. Hoping that he can switch over from the ventilator to a bi-pap or c-pap machine at some point soon.

April 13, 2020

Josh had a good night last night. They did a bronchoscope this morning which went well. Josh is sitting up in the chair and on the trach mask again this morning. The goal is to see how long he can do on the trach mask today (breathing on his own), to move toward weaning off the ventilator when he is able. There are some setbacks every once in a while, but the nurses feel that he is moving in the right direction. Thank you for continued prayers!

April 13, 2020

Josh is continuing to rest and is stable this evening. They are managing his pain and he is resting on the ventilator. Will update more in the morning.

April 12, 2020

The diuretic helped Josh with fluid output and reduced his swelling this morning. They did a trial for a speech valve in the trach, which did not go well; they will try again at a later date. Josh did well with the trach mask again this morning, but his pain, stress, breathing, heartrate, and blood pressure increase with this exertion and any time the nurses had to move him in the chair. He went back on the ventilator around 12:45pm today, and he has been back in bed since about 3:30pm. He will rest the remainder of today, and tomorrow will be a new day for breathing trials. Continued prayers as he is still in critical condition, even with some steps toward progress.

April 12, 2020

Happy Easter! Josh had a good night. This morning, he is sitting up in the chair and on the trach mask again. They are giving him diuretics to reduce some swelling. He is very uncomfortable and worked up this morning. The nurse is trying to make sure he is calm and keep his breathing regulated. Josh’s white blood cell count is a bit high, so the doctors are monitoring that as well. Continued prayers.

April 11, 2020

Josh was able to get some rest today, which is great because the trach mask breathing trial is tiring. He did well with the trial all day and will go back on the ventilator before bed.

April 11, 2020

Josh is doing very well this morning. They are doing a trach mask trial, which is a period of time they take him off of the ventilator but leave on the oxygen flow so he can mechanically breathe on his own. During this trial, Josh’s oxygen and other levels have looked great! This trial will last for a few hours. They will periodically do longer and longer trials before taking Josh off the ventilator entirely.
They also were able to remove some of Josh’s chest tubes, so now he only has one in each side of his chest. This will help him be more comfortable. Today, the goal is to continue monitoring, complete the trach mask breathing trial, and manage pain (especially pain at the trach site, which has been bothering Josh).
Feel free to send Josh an Easter card through this link! ecards.upmc.com

April 10, 2020

Josh is doing well this evening. His pain is being well-managed at the moment, which is something we are thankful for!

April 10, 2020

Josh has been sitting up in a chair this morning. His blood pressure and clot are still being monitored. The bronchoscope went well this morning. His blood gases did not respond well to more ventilator weaning, so they he will stay on the ventilator and rest for the remainder of today.

April 10, 2020

Josh had a good night. They are working on managing his pain at the trach site and his chest. Kidneys and fluid have been back to normal! Blood pressure has been dropping some so they are monitoring that with fluids. They are also still monitoring the clot. Josh has been able to wean down on the ventilator settings some more. The plan for today is a routine bronchoscope to check and clean the lungs. Also, the doctors may do a breathing trial on the ventilator to see if Josh can breathe on his own. This is great progress! Will update later today.

April 9, 2020

A scan this afternoon revealed that Josh has a clot, which is common after coming off the ECMO. He was given medication and it will be monitored. Otherwise all is well and stable.

April 9, 2020

Josh is doing well this afternoon! He is back in bed for the day after sitting for a few hours. He is napping now and is supposed to rest for the rest of the day. All of his levels look good and his vitals are stable.

April 9, 2020

Josh is doing well this morning. He did not sleep well last night and is having some nausea, but is feeling good otherwise. He is sitting up in a chair this morning! His blood pressure was dropping last night periodically but has responded to medication. The plan for today is to monitor, rest, and see about weaning the ventilator settings and breathing medications.

April 9, 2020

Josh has been given both fluids and diuretics to help with his blood pressure and fluid levels as they are needed. He has been responding well and will continue to have those monitored by the team. Pray for a good night’s rest for him!

April 8, 2020

Josh is still in critical condition in the ICU, but he is doing well this afternoon. His blood gases have been stable without the ECMO, and he has even been able to come down a bit on the ventilator settings. His pain has been well managed today, and his vitals are stable with help from medication for his blood pressure and heart rate. He will be able to start a little bit of tube feed this evening for a trial, and hopefully get seated in a chair tomorrow if he continues to do well. Josh was able to listen to Laura on the phone for a few minutes with the help of the nurse, and the nurse said Josh had a huge smile on his face! We are thankful for these small steps in being able to communicate, even while the hospital is closed to visitors for the time being.

April 8, 2020

Josh is off the ECMO (blood oxygenating machine)! This means he is able to regulate his blood gases with his lungs on the support of the ventilator, which is great progress. It also means he will start to be able to be propped up in a chair later in the week, and he will be more comfortable. Josh is still on high levels of ventilator support. The plan is to sleep this afternoon and evening and assess tomorrow if they can begin weaning the ventilator settings.

April 8, 2020

Josh had a great night and Dr. Sanchez is happy with how he looks this morning. The doctor is hoping to take Josh off the ECMO around 10:00 am this morning.

April 7, 2020

Josh went into the operating room a little after 1pm today. The tracheotomy, tube placement, and bronchoscope all went well. Josh is MUCH more comfortable with the trach than he was with the tube through his mouth. He is still on the ventilator (through the trach) and the ECMO. He also had a feeding tube put in. Josh’s vitals, kidneys, and fluid output have been stable while he has been sleeping after the procedure. The plan is for him to sleep this evening and tonight, and they will assess tomorrow for his tube feed. Tomorrow they may begin to wean the ECMO settings. Josh’s nurse says that Josh is a trouper and working hard to do everything he can, which is just helping his recovery. Josh was able to hear Laura on the phone this afternoon as she relayed all the birthday wishes to him. He was very excited and happy! Thanking God for another step toward recovery and for Josh’s joy!

April 7, 2020

Josh’s doctor is planning to take him into the operating room this afternoon – he did not go in this morning yet because the schedule is a little backed up. Josh is doing well today. His fluid output is better. His blood pressure has been a bit elevated again so the doctor is having him sleep to keep it regulated. Will update when procedure takes place.

April 7, 2020

The surgeon called to confirm the operation tomorrow to do a tracheotomy, re-place the ventilator tube, and do a bronchoscope. Josh is the first procedure scheduled for tomorrow (7:10 am Tuesday – Josh’s birthday!). He will likely stay on the ECMO as well as the ventilator until at least later in the week. Please pray for a stable night and for the procedure tomorrow morning.

April 6, 2020

Josh was able to come down a little bit on some of the breathing/oxygenating medications they were trying to wean today. The plan is still to go to the OR tomorrow for the trach, and perhaps come off the ECMO Tuesday or Wednesday. The doctors are still monitoring his kidneys and fluid output. Josh’s blood pressure was a bit elevated today so they are giving him medication to regulate that. Keep praying!

April 6, 2020

Josh had a good night! Blood levels and gases are stable. They are still monitoring the fluid output and kidneys, which are a little better but not quite where the doctors would like. The goal for today is to come down on some of the breathing medicines and the ECMO and ventilator settings. Doctors are hoping to take Josh back to the operating room tomorrow (Tuesday) to put in a tracheotomy and take him off of the ECMO.

April 5, 2020

Josh has been doing a great job resting today. His blood pressure is normal again. Kidneys still not producing as much fluid as the doctors would like. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, messages, and financial support!

April 5, 2020

Josh’s settings on the ventilator and the ECMO are stable still. He was given some fluid to hopefully help the kidneys, which are still having a bit of trouble. The renal doctors are monitoring his fluid output. His blood pressure has been a bit elevated. Thank you for your continued prayers!

April 4, 2020

Josh’s blood gases and blood levels are stable. A little bit of bleeding earlier so they did a bronchoscope and all looks good, bleeding has resolved. Still some kidney issues about the same as this afternoon. Sedation level is appropriate according to the nurse. Please keep praying!

April 4, 2020

Josh’s blood oxygen and CO2 levels look great. He was able to come down on ECMO settings a bit which is good. His kidney numbers are a little bit high so pray that gets resolved soon.

April 4, 2020

Josh’s 32nd birthday is on Tuesday, April 7th. Let’s cover him with love through e-cards he can get at the hospital! Hospital: UPMC Presbyterian. Room # not needed. Here is the link to send Josh a free e-card: ecards.upmc.com

April 4, 2020

Just talked to the nurse. Josh is doing really well this morning! He is in a good mood and able to write to communicate a little. Blood pressure and blood levels look good. The plan is to rest for today. Thanking God for this progress!

April 4, 2020

Josh’s follow-up chest clean-up procedure is finished. His chest has been cleaned out and closed up. All looks good. He is still on the ventilator and ECMO (blood oxygenating machine) for another few days. The plan is he will go back into the operating room on Tuesday (or around then) to get a tracheotomy, and start to wean from the vent and ECMO after that.