[Dialogue] Dan Tuecke

[frank bremner]

Dear Pat and Dan

 

Thanks for the news.  One of my fondest memories of Dan (when I was in Chicago so long ago) was hearing him singing Kenny Rogers' The Gambler up the hallway.  I'm glad things are going well.

 

Cheers

 

Frank Bremner

(trying to take all of his doctor's admonitions on losing weight, walking more, eating better, relaxing, and all that) 
 


From: ptuecke at charter.net
To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 12:45:49 -0700
Subject: [Dialogue] Dan Tuecke





Dear colleagues, 
 
I am remiss in not getting this message out sooner.
 
Dan Tuecke is at home and recovering well from a life threatening condition that had him in the emergency room twice within three weeks time. The diagnosis was Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism.  If you are interested in the details, read on. If not, just know that he is back to normal, or rather, the ‘new’ normal.
 
On Friday Dan thought he was getting bronchitis. On Saturday he had absolutely no energy and his breathing became increasingly labored and audible. I called 911 and he was taken to the ER. They ruled out heart condition. When his blood pressure suddenly dropped dramatically he was sedated , intubated, and admitted to Intensive Care Unit. He was in Intensive Care, sedated and on a respirator, for three days. Tests showed multiple blood clots in his right leg and a huge clot where the large vein, the vena cava, splits to carry blood to the heart and lungs. They administered blood thinning medications. He was in the hospital for 9 days total while the medications were calibrated for his body. He remembers none of this until day five.
 
After being home for several days regaining his strength, he noticed a strange development on his right leg – swelling,  huge discoloration, & blisters. Once more he was in ER and admitted to hospital telemetry wing where tests again showed multiple clots. It was unclear whether they were new ones or not. It was decided he was a candidate for a filter procedure that would prevent clots from reaching his heart or lungs. This procedure was done the next day and is working well so far. The swelling went down dramatically, leg ulcers healed, and walking much improved now that blood is flowing normally. Hallelujah! 
 
Many, many thanks to those of you who knew this was happening and sent prayers and healing thoughts while burning candles. While it was happening, I was so exhausted that when I got home at night, I just fell into bed. I have now caught up on my sleep and, in this moment, all is well.
 
Pat
 
PS: The filter is an amazing piece of engineering. Made of a titanium alloy and folded in a very slender shape, it  is inserted through a catheter in the groin and released in the vena cava, the large vein that returns blood from the lower part of the body to the heart & lungs.  There body heat causes it to unfold, expand and attach itself to the vein walls. Blood flow goes through it quite well. Blood clots are caught and eventually absorbed by the body.  If any of you follow the TV program, CSI: Las Vegas, you saw something similar in last night’s episode. The bad guy had inserted a similar device in his father’s vena cava. Of course it was done to destroy life instead of saving it. Dan’s filter is much more elegant than the one shown in the film.  As you can image, we were glued to the screen during that segment of the show. 
 
 
Patricia R. Tuecke, Sierra Circle Consulting
Facilitating Consensus & Collaboration 
        www.sierracircle.com
775-333-6998   pat at sierracircle.com
  		 	   		  
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