Welcome to A Million Miracles.

In February of 2008 I was diagnosed with an incurable, progressive and terminal condition called Idiopathic Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). In retrospect, we can trace this illness back to at least January of 2004, but you can have it for several years before you notice any symptoms. My diagnosis came after I was hospitalized for what ended up being almost three weeks - spent consecutively in three different hospitals - two of them being in ICU units. Over the past year we have been sending email updates to family and friends concerning my medical/physical journey as well as lessons I'm learning as a result.

These are those emails. There's no rhyme or reason as to when I send out another email update. It just happens when "the Spirit moves." But whenever I write and send one, I will also post it on this blog.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

#22 - Infection

Date Sent: Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 5:25 PM

Yesterday morning I noticed that the insertion site of one of the sutures holding my hickman catheter (going into my heart) was red. This morning there was white gunk coming out of it. So, we called the visiting nurse who used to come, and he told us to see my doctor TODAY. Since it's Sunday, and there's no one at the doctor's office, we went to the ER at the Hershey Medical Center. When you go to an ER you can spend hours and hours just waiting to be seen. So, we prepared to bunker down and wait - I took a book, and Aaron had some of his beloved car magazines. But, this was the fastest trip we've ever experienced! We were in and out in probably three hours! The doctors there agreed that it is infected. So, they removed the suture, cleaned the site very well, and put in a new suture away from the infected area. They're doing a culture on the goop and will call me if I need antibiotics.

Please join us in praying for God to heal this, and for it not to spread to the hickman catheter (about a 2 millimeters away) and into my heart. If the infection spreads to my heart then I'll have to be hospitalized, and probably have a new hickman put in. An infection in the heart and bloodstream can be devastating. I'm supposed to follow-up with my cardiologist tomorrow. He'll probably tell me to "keep an eye on it," and go back to the hospital if it gets worse.

Thank you for your faithful prayers - now as always.

~ Julia Feitner
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