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monkeydunk down

9K views 54 replies 29 participants last post by  brownC50 
#1 ·
Kurt Catob aka monkydunk has has several surgeries and now a severe stroke. He is at this time very ill. Prayers for Kurt, Carol and all his family.
 
#11 ·
That's awful. We just had dinner with them a few weeks ago.
 
#16 ·
Sharing this from Kurt's aka "Monkey Dunk" son:
Ok, here is the update on my Dad. There has been an overwhelming number of calls, texts, emails, and facebook messages; of which we appreciate every one. Also appreciated are the notes of encouragement and co-workers that have picked up the slack left by being at the hospital so much. Thank you all, we are truly blessed with amazing friends and family.
On Monday morning the 18th, Dad could not breathe and Mom took him to the ER. He was in A Fib and then complained about not feeling his legs. Mom let Brooke and I know that morning so we could get there if needed. They diagnosed a clot and flew him to Pittsburgh where he has been ever since. Once there, they did the surgery to remove the clot. While recovering from that my Mom was having a discussion with him and he showed the classic signs of a stroke; slurred speech, drooping face, etc. Mom called the nurse and they coded him immediately. The clot was in his neck and hadn't quite made it to the brain. Although they were quick to get it, damage had occurred. He has little to no movement on his right side. He can not speak or swallow although tries. Some words are almost noticeable but they are few and far between. He tended to mumble a lot before and without his teeth in it is really hard to make out what he is even trying to say. That is the most frustrating part for him and us. You can see it in his eyes. It is a feeling of helplessness on both ends that I can't describe.
To make matters worse, they are having a lot of issue getting his heart rate regulated. They like to get him up to walk but his heart rate goes dangerously high. It is all over the board. They poke and prod and stick him just about every hour. They had him on blood thinner which then caused a hematoma at his abdomen. They took him off the blood thinner after they gave him 2 units of blood to prevent anymore internal bleeding. He spiked a fever yesterday and although they don't think he has an infection, they gave him antibiotics. He has a feeding tube stuck through his nose. And now, since they took him off the heparin, he is a major stroke risk again because of the likelihood of another clot. The poor guy just can't catch a break. Tomorrow, they want to discuss the next steps. They want to get him back on a blood thinner and I believe will try Coumadin. He was on that before with I believe no issues.
He is in UPMC Presbyterian in downtown Pittsburgh. Room 311 on the east side. If you can swing by during the day or early evening, it does him good to see new faces and different people talking to him. Trying to stimulate his brain to think is what he needs right now. The doctors encourage visitors because it helps the disorientation that especially older people get when staring at the same walls all day.
I will try my best to keep this updated. Please keep Dad and Mom in your thoughts and prayers.
 
#22 ·
Sharing Monkey Dunks' son's facebook post:

"...………………. NEW UPDATE: Apparently last night was not good. The doctor called Mom at 3:30am to let her know they were moving him back to ICU. This was a big surprise as it seemed he was making so much progress. The stroke recovery team was actually very impressed and we were feeling good. Last night he was having difficulty breathing. He attempted to get out of bed and ripped out his catheter before falling. When they got him to ICU they determined that the infection he had prior had moved to his blood. His heart can not fight anymore. We believe his multiple attempts to get up and take off his monitor cables and tubing is him saying "I'm done". He had made it crystal clear that he wanted no part of living on machines, like a vegetable, or with being a bourdon to anyone in order to live (especially my mother). The doctors sat us down in the family room and told us where he was at. He has no more fight. He is on medication that is keeping his blood pressure up and therefore, keeping him alive. They say when he is taken off of it, he has an hour to a day before he passes. We are waiting for Brooke to arrive before the medication is pulled. It is a very sad day for sure but this is what he would have wanted. I love you Dad.""

I find no adequate words, just prayers
 
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#23 ·
It's been tough hearing about Kurt falling ill and the latest I heard from Carol is Kurt is unlikely to beat this battle. Monika and I got to visit with them on President's day weekend for our annual gathering organized by Krislord. Kurt was in form and as he would often say "Life is Good"! He has lived a good life and I've very much enjoyed riding with him, his Humor, Witt, and Beer! We all have an expiry, and maybe a best before date, we just don't know when that might be. A good thing that we don't.
 
#27 ·
Prayers for the family during this difficult time.
 
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