Marshall Jones’ MRSA Story

Marshall is in the ICU. Visitation is at 5am, 10:30am, 1pm, 5:30pm and 9pm.

When I went in this morning, Marshall is in MUCH less pain, the morphine is finally helping. The nurses are OUTSTANDING in this unit. Marshall’s breathing rate is high and is still very shallow.

When I came in for the 1pm visitation, they were wheeling Marshall down to the MRI. They let me go down with him. I have never felt so bad for someone in my life. He was absolutely miserable. His mouth was just as dry as a desert, and they wouldn’t let him have even a piece of ice to wet it. His mind was very messed up from the morphine and lack of sleep. He was just unbelievably miserable. When we got down to the MRI, there was a bit of confusion about his IV. The hospital (St. Josephs) had new IV pumps that were non magnetic to be used in the MRI area. Naturally no one knew how to hook them up, so it took a bit of time (and a very bright woman!) to get it going. During this wait, Marshall had to urinate badly. Imagine lying on your side on a hard plastic stretcher, dry mouth, messed up badly on morphine and lack of sleep, and having to urinate like this, into a plastic container, surrounded by people. He went a little bit, I think, but not much. Anyway, after 45 minutes or so of this, they wheeled him on into the MRI.

Marshall had told me the day before that he had been taken somewhere for the CAT Scan and Xray that was like a back alley abortion clinic. This was the place. It was so under construction, I could see exactly what he meant. When he got out of the MRI, I had an orange soda for him to sip on. I was so relieved that was over. When I left the hospital, around 3 pm, to get the children, he told me, “I’ll call you before I come home, if it’s tomorrow, you can come down and we can ride together!” I said Ok

On the way out, I talked to TaShondra again about his lack of sleep and again I mentioned the ventilator. She said that it was very likely that Dr. Spencer (the pulmonary specialist and the ICU chief) would put him on it and sedate him soon. I hope I am not going to have to beg for him to be put on the ventilator. I must be the only person in the world who is praying FOR their spouse to go on it!

When I got home, TaShondra called, and got my consent for the ventilator. Thank God! Selina picked up the kids and they ended up spending the night that night.

I spoke to my father in law that day, and he said “you know, they are coming.” He was referring to the Jones family reunion. I told him I didn’t need him to hire anyone to clean the house, that I had pretty much prepared it for the reunion prior to Marshall getting sick, and it just needed basic dusting and mopping, and I would do that on Friday night.