A restful day and How we got here.....

I spent very little time at the hospital today but all reports are that Bill continues to improve beautifully. He seemed very good the short time I was with him, even a big improvement over yesterday. We hope he has a restful night and another good day tomorrow.

Many who have been following "The Blog" have asked how and when Bill got sick. I email out the following a week ago and may answer many of your questions.

We continue to feel your prayers of love and support - thank you. The Obremskey's

Sunday, June 21st

First and foremost, we want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support the past four days. Some of you may know most of the "story" and some are hearing it for the first time but I wanted to bring everyone up to date.

I will begin with tonight. Our entire family has arrived and we have just come from the hospital. Bill is stable - he is sedated and has a breathing tube. His vitals and labs continue to improve which is encouraging. The Drs. feel that they have the bacteria "under control" however, the concern now is the toxins, created by the bacteria, that remain in his body as well as the damage to his organs from the toxic shock. It will be a while before it is clear just what that damage, if any, will be. Recovery is still not mentioned but, God Willing, once it begins, it will be a long road.

In the morning, they will take Bill back to the OR to again examine the leg, which was opened last night, to drain the bacteria and administer antibiotics directly on the "source".

What got us to tonight? On Wednesday, June 17th, Bill began to feel "flu-like" symptoms. By Thursday morning, he knew there was an infection in his foot and it began to go up his leg, the leg with his artificial hip and he was concerned it may be infected. He went to the hospital Thursday afternoon for an MRI - his hip was clean but they knew he was sick so they admitted him and began IV antibiotics.

He was stable in the hospital on Thursday night, however, on Friday afternoon, he "crashed". Blood pressure dropped, kidneys failed - they immediately rushed him to the ICU. It was then that they realized he had a Strep A bacteria that was invading his body. This particular bacteria is rapidly moving and difficult to contain. In addition, it emits a toxin which is very harmful. Once they stabilized him, he was awake and alert, foot very red and swollen and his breathing was very labored. This state continued Friday night through Saturday evening.

On Saturday evening, he took a turn in the wrong direction. The bacteria had pooled in his right thigh and he was clearly not doing well. They took him immediately to the OR to drain the leg and determine the extent of damage to the tissue and surroundings. At that time, he was put on a ventilator to help him breath as it had become very difficult. This morning, they went in again to see if the bacteria had been contained and repack the area with antibiotics. The day was long but by this afternoon, the Drs felt as if they had contained the bacteria, it had not spread and his vitals continued to slowly improve. That brings us back to tonight.

The "source" of the infection is not known but we do know it entered his body through his right foot.

Bill and Jill's dear friend, Addison May, has led a team of doctors. We are very blessed he has been on the case as his expertise and care have been extraordinary, both professionally and personally with all of us.

Jill has been strong and by his side every minute with the support and love of many friends and family. Allie and Analise along with three of my four girls and Stasia's daughter, Grace all went to camp today in Indiana. Nick is home with Jill. The children know that Bill is sick but not the extent of his illness.

We are all coming to grips with the fact that this will be a "marathon". Your continued support and prayers will give us all strength, especially Bill, as he continues to fight.

All our love, Jill, Stasia, Bill, Jenny, Kate, Mom, Daddy and our entire family