Paul Sweigart

What happened to Paul? Before leaving for a week away from home with his family, he woke up one morning with a sore back. He visited the doctor before leaving, but as the week went on his pain became unbearable. On Tuesday evening he was admitted to the hospital. He has been diagnosed with a staph infection in his lower spine accompanied with other complications.  He is in a great deal of pain and has limited mobility of his extremities. Every day his family learns more and thankfully Paul is making small gains. His wife Kathy and two adult children Amanda and PJ are with him through this challenge. Paul will be in the hospital for at least a few weeks, with at least the same amount of rest when he gets home.  He has had many tests, CAT scans, multiple MRI’s etc. and is receiving physical therapy daily. Only the immediate family is allowed to visit. To say the least the family has their hands full. If you need more information please email at info@paulsweigart.com NO phone calls please ! Get Well cards: Paul Sweigart 27042 Jarana Ct. Valencia Ca 91355   The above information is brief and by no means should it be taken that Paul’s condition is not serious. The first day I saw Paul (after he had been in the hospital a few days) his condition on a scale of 1 to 10 was over 9. Fortunately Paul has always been in good physical shape and this should help him in his recovery. The person monitoring the above email address has direct contact with the family daily.  If you would like to send well wishes, your emails will be printed and given to Paul and his family. A few thousand Prayers wouldn’t hurt either. August 2 Paul had a rough night with severe complications. More Specialists have been called in and more tests have been done.  Doctors would like to take an aggressive action with medications but there are concerns regarding the function of his liver and kidneys.  Please continue to send words of encouragement to Paul and his family but most importantly keep them in your prayers.  We have all shed many tears the last few days and can use all of the support that you can send his way.  He did have some progress with physical therapy today, despite the excruciating pain.  He was able to use a cane to walk a few steps.  We are hanging all of his cards and emails in his room so he knows that you are thinking of him. August 3  Paul had a more restful night.  He is taking a different pain medication which seems to be quite effective with fewer side effects.  It has also made him a little "punchy".  He is very tired and weak but was able to sit in a chair and eat a few bites of a sandwich ( Kathy was quite convincing.  He affectionately refers to his family as his "team" and announced today that he has a good one.  Kathy continues to stay with him day and night. She goes home each day for an hour when Amanda is able to be with Paul.  Today's progress seems like baby steps but it was encouraging to see him able to sit up and eat.  August 4

Good news today!  The kidney specialist told Paul that his kidneys have shown improvement today and yesterday.  He was able to walk a little further this afternoon with assistance from the physical therapist.  He is trying to eat solid food but does not have any taste because of some of the medications.  His lung capacity is also starting to improve, so hopefully the pneumonia is clearing up too.  If this continues to improve he will be able to get off of the oxygen.  He is trying hard to follow the doctors' and therapists' orders but fatigues quickly.  Your prayers and get well wishes are truly appreciated by Paul and his family.  Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

August 6

Good news, Bad news.....Paul has been able to take some steps without using his cane!!  He is also able to walk further down the hall and at a quicker pace.  He also is using the IV only for antibiotics twice a day.  He is able to cope with the pain using minimal pain medications.  However, he has added another specialist to his list of doctors.  He underwent an upper endoscopy this morning which detected inflammation throughout his gastrointestinal tract.  This explains his severe discomfort when he tries to eat anything.  Hopefully medication will ease the inflammation enough so he can eat something and  regain some strength.  He desperately wants to go home!

August 8

A special request from Kathy..."Please continue to keep Paul in your thoughts and prayers and add him to any prayer chain or prayer group that you have access to ".  The primary care doctor reported that his kidney function is within the normal range and his white blood cell count has improved.  However, Paul had an MRI late yesterday which revealed more bad news.  The infection in the chest area has increased and the infection located near his spine is not improving with the current antibiotics.  The doctors are consulting to consider changing the antibiotics but the neurosurgeon feels that surgery may be necessary in his spinal area.  Paul's spirits are at an all time low. 

August 11

Good News!!!  No surgery.....Paul's recovery is at 50%.......Better News...PAUL IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Today is Kathy's birthday and she got the best gift she could ever want.  He will continue his recovery at home with a home health care nurse visiting him daily. Kathy will administer his IV antibiotics and other medications as needed.  Kathy's dear friend Ann Bradley has graciously offered to coordinate meal deliveries.  If you are interested in helping with meals please email her at:    lajamd@comcast.net.  Also, please do not call the home as Paul is still requiring a great deal of rest and sleeps throughout the day.  He is very weak and is on stronger antibiotics as long as his kidneys and liver are functioning at a normal level.  All messages sent to the email account above (info@paulsweigart.com) are being delivered to him daily.  He has also enjoyed the many cards he has gotten in the mail.  Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming....it appears they are working!  Happy Birthday Kathy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August 14

Paul continues to improve a little each day. He is getting more movement in his left arm, but the right one is still painful to move. Everyday the challenge is to try to find food he can eat that agrees with his stomach. He is able to get around the house by himself. He is not able to get out of a chair without assistance he told me. Which if you know Paul it is one of his short term goals.

August 17

Paul has visited his infectious disease doctor and the diabetic doctor this week.  He underwent another MRI this morning.  The doctors have eliminated some of the medications that have side effects such as decreased appetite and nausea.  Hopefully this will help him to improve his appetite and build some strength.  He is still having difficulty sleeping at night due to the pain.  He is able to move around more on his own and Kathy continues to monitor and administer all of his insulin, IV's and other meds.   Thank you again to all who have sent cards, well wishes and meals.  They are truly appreciated!

August 29

Paul continues to make progress and loose weight. The later not being a good thing as eating is still a challenge. He did answer the door the other day when we went to visit, which was great to see. The Doctors like his test results. Paul wishes he felt as good as his test show. Hopefully that comes next.

Sept 13

Until today Paul was still making slow progress but loosing weight about a pound a day. Today his blood sugar wasn't right which led to a ambulance ride to Henry Mayo Hospital where they are trying to get his blood sugar steady. It was up and down when he first entered the ER. Should know more in a few days. They are doing additional tests and we will post when more is known.

Sept 21

Paul went to school today to see everyone at the staff meeting. His appetite is returning and he is starting to eat better and stop the weight lose for now.