Thursday Evening Update

I am going to be very brief this evening.  Colin is having a lot of difficulties and remains on support today.  Please keep Colin and the family in your prayers.

Update after Surgery - Wednesday

Colin is out of surgery now and the more permanent feeding tube is in.  This tube was put in place to expedite nutrients into his system.  After the second surgery, the wound was taking all of the protein and so this new tube will help to bring nutrients to the rest of his body and to help heal the small hole in the esophagus and to help heal his left lung and his right one as well.  The surgical wound looks good and the antibiotics seem to be working on the infection.  Since his last surgery, left lung is not as strong as we need it to be so Colin remains on ventilation support.  Tonight we wait as the nutrients work to heal Colin's body.

Message from Kelly

Message from Kelly 3/29/11
I can't begin to express my gratitude for all of the thoughtfulness we have encountered over the past month. Thank you. Your words keep me going when I don't think I can face another uncertain morning. My babies have been protected and loved by several extraordinary women. Our home has been cleaned. Our fridge is full. I am so fortunate for this care, and I know that it comes from the goodness of Colin. I promise you all that every doctor and nurse learns about him. I tell them all about how special he is to me and to you. And I can tell you that he has touched them, too.

He will probably have surgery tomorrow for a feeding tube more appropriate for long term care. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.
K.

Update: Colin will have the surgery today for the feeding tube. Keep the prayers coming. (Rita)

Tuesday Evening Update

Colin is still in the ICU. We have not been able to wean him from the ventilator yet. He is being sedated so he is comfortable. He is still fighting this infection and is currently not strong enough for the surgery I spoke of in my previous post. We continue to ask for prayers during this time.

Sunday Update

I want to start this entry with quick note of positive energy.  Kelly needs the positive vibes sent her way.  If you were thinking of sending a note of encouragement, I know she would appreciate it.  All notes can be sent to careforcolin@gmail.com.  Some days you just need to have people share positive messages with you.  

This week has a lot in store. Over the last couple of days, Colin had surgery, was moved into the ICU and had to go back on the ventilator.  A secondary infection occured and it possibly was due to the small hole they discovered in his esophagus.  The infection lead to the 2nd surgery he had last week and the possible surgery he will have tomorrow once he is strong enough.  I am sorry I am leaving a lot of the details.  There is a lot going on right now. His brothers all all in town now as well.

Please remember to send positive notes of encouragement and keep your prayers coming.  I personally pray for Colin's complete recovery, I pray for strength for Kelly and the kids, I pray for my mother in law (who is an angel and has been by Kelly's side), I pray for Lee and Nathalie (two more angels) and I pray and thank God for all of you, each day.

ICU Update

We appreciate everyone who follows this blog.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  Today we ask that you continue those prayers.  Colin had to be put back on the ventilator this morning.  The infection/previous surgery has come back into the picture.  There is some problem with the left of his right lung as well and there is talk of if the right lung does not fully heal in the next couple of days of removing the rest of the right lung.  Colin is sedated now and remains in the ICU.  As most of you might imagine, this is not the news we were wanting or expecting this morning. Please keep the prayers coming and the notes of encouragement flowing.  Kelly has gotten through this past month knowing that so many people love Colin!  You all are a true blessing!

Thursday evening update

It has been almost a full day since the latest surgery. Colin is still in the ICU. The surgery yesterday was necessary to get more of the infection. They ending up having to remove three of Colin's ribs to get to the infection. There will be some on going care needed due to this. They were able to take the breathing tube out this morning and he is breathing on his own. Of course this is good news. Tomorrow, he will need to be put back under as they change out the dressing on the new surgical wound. This is part of the on going care that is going to be necessary. Being put under is due to the extreme pain that is experienced with changing of this type of dressing. I know I'm leaving out a lot of detail, but know that it will be better that he can't feel what they have to do to change the dressing. I will post updates tomorrow as he is in the recovery room and we know more. Please keep up the encouragement. It is still very needed. If you want to send a note, please send it to:careforcolin@gmail.com

Note from Kelly

I spoke with Kelly last night.  She wanted me to send out a heartfelt, "Thank you" to everyone that has been praying, sending notes of encouragement, bringing food, visiting and who have been donating to the Care for Colin Fund.  She has wanted to send everyone a personal note individually and will do so as soon as she can.  She just wanted to let everyone know how much all of this has helped and continues to help the family in getting through this difficult time.  With the surgery last night, the recovery period for Colin has been extended, and she was just overwhelmed with appreciation to everyone who is out there that cares for Colin and for her family.
Thank you!

Out of surgery

I got a quick text from Kelly that Colin was out of surgery 7:30 CT. She said he was doing well and that is the only information I have right now. I will update I'd I get more information this evening. He is currently in the ICU.

Surgery today

2:45 pm CT - Colin is still waiting to be taken in to surgery.

Previous: They are saying that surgery will be at around 11am. I will post additional updates today as they come in.  From what I understand, this surgery will require them to take out two ribs to get to the area of the infection.  I can't even begin to think of how painful this must be or how painful the recovery will be.  Just keep Colin in your thoughts today.

Colin is back in the hospital - Surgery Needed

I know I ask all of you for your prayers, but please keep them up this week.  Colin had been struggling and as it turns out, he has more infection.  He had been coughing and it looked like the wound was infected as well.  They have admitted him back into the hospital.  They are going to go back in and will have to go get more of the infection.  This is serious surgery again.  PLEASE pray for the safe hands of the surgeons.  They anticipate at least a week in the hospital.  Keep all of the family in your prayers this week.  I will update more as I know.

We take the Good with the Not so Good

Colin was able to see the doctor and they say he is progressing well.  The fever right now is not of much concern so that was good.  They were able to switch up some of his meds to try to ease the intense pain.  The bad news is that the pain is still so very bad.  When the pain is most intense, more oxygen is needed. I wish I had better words to describe this, but none come to me right now.  It is sad because you can't fully enjoy being at home or with your family when you are in so much pain.  Please keep the continued prayers and notes of encouragement coming.  If you want to send Colin a note, you can send it to: careforcolin@gmail.com.  Thank you so much.

Please keep prayers coming for Colin

My apologies for the lack of updates. I wanted to give Colin some time at home with the family and kept hoping he would be running around by the time I posted again.


Colin is having a rough night. He has a fever and chest tightness. It's so frustrating that he starts getting better and then he seems to get overwhelmed by pain and discomfort again. The doctors have been called and he has a scheduled appointment this week. The fever is of concern.


While he has had some very good moments and has felt relatively good at times, he's still struggling.


Please continue to keep Colin in your prayers.

Colin is HOME!

Message from: Kelly Wilson 3/10/2011
It has been a great day. Colin is home! He'll continue on oxygen and won't be able to do too much- even talking is taxing right now- but today he was able to watch his son walk across a room for the first time. I'm practicing my nursing skills on him, so he really needs your thoughts and prayers:) He has a long recovery ahead, and it helps to know you are pulling for us. Thank you all for caring so much.

Wednesday Morning Update

I know it feels a little Déjà vu:
Wednesday Morning Update - I can only imagine what it must feel like to Colin.  Groundhog Day over and over.  It has been several weeks now in the hospital.  He is doing well.  They are weaning him down off of the oxygen right now.  This is a good step towards being able to go home.  There is still something going on as is an indication of his blood counts.  Let's keep praying that his numbers continue to move in the right direction.  They have to be at a certain level before they will allow him to come home.  He is a fighter!  This is evident in what he has been through and how far he has come.  I know he has been moved by the messages that have been sent to him.  Please keep them coming.  They are so instrumental in his recovery.  You can continue to send them to careforcolin@gmail.com.  I also want to thank you all for the donations.  With Colin not working, I can not imagine the uncertainty Kelly must be feeling right now. You are giving her peace of mind and although she still has to work, she is able to focus on Colin's recovery and will have one less thing to worry about.  The continued support in the next couple of weeks is greatly appreciated.

Message from Kelly

3/7/11 Kelly Wilson via Carefor Colin (facebook page)

Colin had a good day. He was able to do a lap around the nurses station, which was a huge milestone. Still not sure when he'll be home, but I feel pretty confident that it will be this week. He has a long road to full recovery, but we remain thankful for our incredible friends and family who have helped us get this far. Happy Mardi Gras!

Still in the hospital...

I will have another update soon, but yesterday was "okay".  Colin is still in a lot of pain, but they have been able to getting him sitting up and even standing (with a little walking).  Of course he is still hooked up to everything so it is not as easy as it sounds.  The sitting up, standing and walking is crucial to the recovery as this helps to not let pneumonia set in.  He still has the chest tube in so lets hope he can have that removed soon.  This is still a very important time in the recovery as they are watching carefully for more infections and treating the ones he came in with (still overall a mystery).  Please continue to keep Colin in your prayers.  If you want to send him a quick note, you can send the messages to his email or to: careforcolin@gmail.com.  All of the messages will be forwarded to him.  I know it would mean a lot to him right now if everyone would send a note of encouragement.  Thank you in advance.

Out of ICU

I will have another update as I get information.  I am glad to say that Colin is out of the ICU at this point.  Now to identify and treat the infection and get him on the way to getting out of the hospital.

Note from the heart

Good morning-

I am Colin’s sister in law.  I have been maintaining the blog and the facebook site, CareFor Colin.  This morning so many emotions/thoughts were rattling around my head and I just felt the need to share.  Maybe it was the good day Colin had yesterday or the totality of out pouring of love and support that I have seen bestowed upon my family these last two weeks.  I was thinking back to when Katrina hit… I had thoughts about why Kelly and Colin would return to New Orleans as they had no “family” there.  First off, let me say, “I was wrong.” And secondly, let me say,”I was really WRONG!”  Family is not measured by how much common blood you have running through your body.  Colin would probably attest to that right now as he has had two transfusions this week.  Someone out there was selfless enough to donate their blood so that someone like Colin could live.  I have given blood many times and it truly is something everyone should continue to do throughout their lifetime if possible.  Back to my thoughts though, after Katrina and Kelly and Colin were evacuated to Atlanta, I tried to support in any way possible.  I saw Kelly and Colin devastated.  Many of you may not know this, but at the time my sister worked for a radio station in Atlanta and we were able to get Colin on air telling his story and directing people to assist the people of New Orleans so that they could return to the city that that love and call home.  Even then, I had no sense of why?  During the time since they returned to New Orleans, the reasons have become apparent.  First and foremost, New Orleans is home to some of the MOST precious people in my life.  Although, I am not blood related, they are my family.  And now through this medical crisis, I am getting to know their New Orleans family.  I have truly become a believer in the sense of community that I have seen and the outpouring of love and support you all have shown.  Although yesterday was a good day, Colin has a long road of recovery ahead.  It is comforting to know that they indeed have family in New Orleans and for ALL of you I am truly grateful.  Please keep up everything that you are all doing and know that you are now bonded (not through blood) but through something much greater!

Don't it make you smile? (PJ reference)

Today was an interesting day.  We started off the day back in isolation and have now come back out of isolation!  Yeah! Still in ICU, but Colin is make good progress today.  He is working with an occupational therapist though for his arm (IV issue during surgery).  They want to be sure no nerve damage was made during surgery as his iv in the hand went rouge.  He has been able to work with  the doctors again to get to sit up.  This is very crucial for the lungs so it is a great stride in recovery as well.  I just got off the phone with Kelly and I could feel her smiling through the phone as she gave me this update!  So I send a smile out to all of you as well as we continue to pray for complete healing.  We also say a little prayer for the doctors to figure this out so that we can make sure this infection is completely under control and will not be a factor in his recovery.

Afternoon Update

Well I am glad that I waited than to give you the details in the previous update.  Colin is doing much better now. The surgery was more invasive than they had originally hoped.  In one of my previous posts I referred to the recovery period as 4-6 weeks. This is probably indicative of just how serious/extent this surgery was.  The doctors are still baffled as to what the infection is and are still testing the pathologies.  On a lighter note, Kelly did say that Colin asked the surgeons after hearing that they were still baffled if he (his case) was going to be in some medical journal.  LOL.  Great sign that there is humor in the room.  He is still in the ICU, but stable.  I will continue to update as I hear.

Wednesday Morning Update

It was a rough night last night/morning.  I will wait to give additional details until after lunch, but please continue to keep Colin lifted in prayers today. 

Surgery is complete - Update

Colin is out of surgery now and is in ICU.  He will remain there at least another couple of days.  We are praying that they got all of the infected tissue from the lung.  It was a little more than they expected.  Now please continue your vigil and pray that the lungs heal properly.  There will be a lot of recovery with this type of surgery at least 4-6 weeks.  Right now is just the crucial time regarding the lungs healing properly and secondary infection.  I will send another update tomorrow.  Thank you for your continued support.

Still in surgery

Colin is still in surgery. I will update you all when I know something. Surgery didn't start until 1 pm. Please keep the prayers coming.

Colin has just gone to Pre-Op now.

Colin has just gone to Pre-Op now at 10:35 am.  I will update you as I get updates.  Thank you all!

Surgery Today - Updated information

It is Tuesday morning.  Today Colin will have surgery.  I stated yesterday that it would be surgical procedure.  Since that post, we learned that it is will be a more than just a procedure to isolate the pockets of fluid, they will actually try to remove the infected tissue.  With this, Colin will be back in the ICU and will remain in the hospital longer than we hoped.  I will update this blog as much as possible today as I get updates.  We are grateful for everyone that is helping the family during this time.  Your continued support and continued prayers are appreciated.