Tony Tinsley

Survivor

Tony was admitted into the hospital on Feb 19th 2017 when we thought he had the flu. The first hospital said he didn’t have the flu but a urinary tract infection and admitted him for antibiotics. He only became worse those first 24 hours but couldn’t explain how he felt other than poison running through him.

Around 4:30 the next day the doctors couldn’t seem to find the issue other than he may be having a mild heart attack. After asking that he be moved to a larger hospital, they moved him that evening. Tony was sedated for the ambulance ride to the other hospital. That was the last he was able to speak for the next three weeks. When I arrived to the hospital they told me he did indeed have flu B and put him on ventilator for septic shock (Sepsis and Influenza). On Tuesday his heart began to fail along with his liver. His kidneys had already began to fail at the previous hospital. They did not think he would make through the day and the family was called in, including his three children. Tony did make it through the day but the next few weeks were up and down which the doctors had warned me about. They told me daily he was the sickest man in the entire hospital. He was on dialysis and they had a difficult time trying to wake him due to the ventilator. He ended up getting a trach at week three, which totally turned things around.

The blood pressure medicine did affect both feet. The toes on left foot and the entire foot on right. Vascular doctors wanted to amputate mid calf down but Tony wanted to wait and see how the right foot healed. The left foot is totally good now but he had a mid foot amputation on the right and has several skin grafts ahead of him. (Sepsis and Amputations) Seems to be going in the right direction. I am so glad to have found this page as the last few months have been difficult on him and my family. However we thank good everyday he made it.

Source: Rea (Tony's wife)

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