Funeral Plans

Here are Dad's final funeral plans. Allen Cranney Mortuary in North Logan, will be handling the funeral services. A Sunday evening viewing will be held from 6pm to 8pm at the Allen Cranney Mortuary (420 E 1800 N, North Logan). The funeral service will take place at the North Logan 13th Ward Chapel (1800 N 400 E, North Logan) Monday at 11am, with a visitation from 9:30am to 10:30am. The burial will be at the Smithfield Cemetery following the funeral service.

New Tribute Page Now Available

With Tom's passing, I have created a new blog page specifically for posting tributes to dad. All friends, family, and colleagues are welcome to read and post to this tributes page. It can be found at: kingtj-trib.blogspot.com

To have your tribute posted, please contact Tommy (Tom's son) at: rockboyproductions(at)gmail.com*

*Note: use the @ symbol in place of (at)

This will be a great way for us all to celebrate Tom's wonderful life and legacy.

Thanks so much, Tommy

Tentative Funeral Plans

Allen Cranney Mortuary in North Logan, will be handling Dad's funeral services. The family will be finalizing funeral arrangements Thursday, but the tentative plan is for a Sunday evening viewing and a Monday funeral service.

Check the blog Thursday night for the finalized funeral plans.

Tom's Home Again

With our deepest sympathy and regret, we are saddened to inform all of our family and friends that our father and husband passed away today at 4:26 pm. He was surrounded by his family as he returned to his heavenly home. We are very appreciative of your thoughts, prayers and fasting in his and our behalf. Further information concerning viewing and funeral services will be forthcoming.

Thank you for your love,

Johnson and Harris Family

Wednesday Afternoon Update: Lungs Worsening

Well . . . This morning/afternoon, things are looking worse. Dad's infection is becoming even more aggressive. His CRP is at 50 and it indicates that the inflamation in his body is becoming problematic.

Jared is back from St. George, and the whole family has been altogether today. We are feeling your prayers and thank you for them.

Take Care,

Tommy & Fam

Evening update

Jann, Tailona, Jay and Melodee were able to visit Dad tonight. I (Jay) turned on the Trio on the iPod again. For those of you wondering if we have those pesky iPod head phones on Dad's ears the answer is no. Tommy has provided some speakers and a docking station to charge the iPod and power the speakers. They put out a good sound and it has worked out well in delivering the best in musical therapy.

We had some dear longtime neighbors from North Logan stop in and visit with us kids tonight and offer their love and support during this difficult time. Sandra Bush, Carrie Helm and Carrie's daughter Kirstin. It was fun to visit and reflect upon our lives in North Logan over the past 20 to 30 years.

Tommy's update that was posted earlier contains the latest info on Dad's condition.

Tuesday Evening Update: Lungs Becoming a Problem

Well, I haven't heard from anyone tonight, but this afternoon, I learned that Dads blood pressure has been all over. The doctors say that the infection in the lungs has become more aggressive and has caused some mucus blockage or something like that basically its preventing full oxygenation of his avioli. They have had to increase the amount of oxygen back up to 100% to his ventilator. Earlier this blockage caused some heart arrhythmia, however, it seems to have subsided for now.

We are planning to sit down with the doctors tomorrow afternoon to discuss Dad's progress, and to make some decisions about his future care. We ask you to keep Dad and us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much

-Tommy

Tuesday Oct 16th Rounds update

From talking to Dad's nurse Mavis his blood pressure has been a bit of a problem at shift change and they have stabilized it since. Dad is about the same overall and is still on the same ventilator. So not too much new to report. I received a great e-mail from the Kingston trio's George Grove which I read to Dad and Trio fans it contained some good Trio insider info that I nor Dad can divulge at this time. OK I will give you a hint.......watch for it in music stores in coming months.........George offered some great words of encouragement to Dad and that he had been thinking of Dad. I want to thank the Kingston Trio for being such a great influence to Dad and for his playing of the guitar both his old 4 string and his nice new 6 string Martin Guitar that was r ecommended by the Trio for Dad to take his music to the next level of guitar sound quality. It has been great to grow up listening to their music on tapes, Cd's and in person at concerts and of course hearing Dad sing these great songs while playing his guitar. Many great family concerts at home , reunions, camping trips and even for his college students. Thanks George for your great note to Dad.

Monday Evening Update: The Lungs

Dad is doing about the same as was reported previously, however, we found out today that they have identified the infection, and it appears to have spread into both lungs. The respiratory therapists are very concerned about this and are worried about Dad's two week dependency on the the aggressive ventilator.

Thank you for all of your concern. Please keep praying for Dad and his comfort and please ask for the Lord to guide us in the decision making process as we go forward.

Monday Oct 15 rounds Update

Katie was here for rounds today. She reports no significant changes as of this morning rounds with the doctor that will be treating Dad this week. The doctor and respiratory therapist are concerned about Dad's continued dependence on the aggressive ventilator and his lungs weakened condition. That seems to be the main concern at this time. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Sunday addition to Tommy's Noon Update

I have just finished a visit with Dad and everything that Tommy just posted is what I have gathered from his nurse Joy. She is a great nurse much like Tyler who will be back on Monday. I hope everyone has had a nice Sunday and Dad looks relaxed at this moment. With all that is going on with the family thanks everyone for all your prayers and offers of assistance. We (Johnson and Harris families) are lucky to have a great support network out there pulling for Dad and offering love and support to Katie and all of us kids.

Sunday Noon Update

Katie just called me to update dad's status for me. It appears that the doctors are very happy with how dad's kidneys are doing. His white blood cell count is up a tad today (32,200), but I don't think it's significatly up from yesterday. His urine amounts appear to be increasing, and they have all but taken him off of his blood pressure meds (lowest setting). It appears he still has the bowel obstruction, so they are still collecting stomach fluids. I think right now its a waiting game to see how fast his antibiotics kidneys can clear out his blood, and reduce the fluids in his body & Lung tissues.

Today's doctor which we have had for the past few days warned us that the new guy coming on tomorrow may try and paint a bleaker picture. She says to keep holding out hope, and she feels dad is going to make a recovery.

Thanks for your prayers,

Tommy

My Saturday Visit

I'm just in the room with dad right now listening to the BarJ Wranglers, and enjoying his company, though he isn't saying much! (Sedated Still) I read dad a bunch of cards that we have collected over the past weeks, I actually watched the brain activity number increase as I was talking to him. I think he was hearing me, but I can't be sure until he wakes and tells me so.

I also sent well wishes to him from all of you reading the blog. I tried to give him all of the messages that you have posted for the last week or so!

As I walked in, dad has been looking better. I feel a warmer brighter presence here, perhaps it's the spirit letting me know dad is doing better. I'm sitting here watching urine trickle into the catheter bag, and I'll tell you it's like liquid gold. The nurse today is awesome, she was smiling and was so excited to tell me the news that Katie has already given us. Things are just feeling so positive right now.

Everything that Katie has reported still stands, if not they are improving slightly. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers and please take this opportunity to thank our father-in-heaven for these improvements.

God bless you all! - Tommy

Second Good Day

I am happy to report that I received another good report of baby steps today. Last night we were warned that even with Tom's progress this is going to take a very long time before we can call him well. But today we find that his white cell count is still going down, being at 30.8. The doctor will continue to give him the antibiotics, which sometimes is a guess as to which antibiotic to use, but because it is helping the white cell count to come down we will continue. The cultures of 48 hours ago show no growth which is also good news. They will culture him again today just as a precaution. Some of the best news is that the kidneys are still working and doing well. Today the kidney doctor gave orders to remove his dialisis catheter. Yeah! This doesn't mean that he may not need it in the future, but as long as his kidneys improve they are going to give him a "line rest".
Last night he was given two units of blood. They want to assure as many carriers of oxygen to get to his organs as possible, therefore the need for more blood. His distention is remaining the same at 20. He will remain in this paralyzed state as long as he needs the agressive ventilator and we are being warned that once he comes off it, he will be extremely weak and may not move much even at that point. This may be residual or he may be able to recover from that weakness totally.
The bottom line is that we are headed in the right direction, but progress is very, very slow and will continue to be so. We have been told we may have a hospital stay of 5 weeks to 6 months! Please pray for sooner than later!
I am really missing being at home. I am grateful for all of those who have allowed me to stay with them, but I know that is not easy for them either, so many thanks for putting up with the inconvenience.
I don't know what I would do without the support of my family.

Friday 9PM Update

The news from Jann tonight is mostly the same. She said the physician tonight was pretty positive, and felt like dad was showing some signs of improvement. His blood pressure has been up more today, and seems to be a bit more stable. They have brought the blood pressure meds down quite a bit, but will continue with smaller doses for now. Jann noted that since they haven't done dialysis in three days, dad seems pretty puffy. Perhaps they'll schedule some dialysis to help remove more of those fluids.

Dad remains on the oscilating ventilator for now, and it appears that he will for a while still while his kidneys continue to improve and the antibiotics fight the infections. Tommorow afternoon we expect to hear the latest blood culture results.

The doctors are telling us that this will be a slow process of healing, so keep the faith! We appreciate your prayers on dad's behalf.

Friday Rounds

Tom was due for a good report...finally, we have a little bit of encouragement. The greatest news is that Tom is producing and ridding his body of urine. They are NOT going to do dialisis again today because they are happy with his progress. His white cell blood count is going down again and is 36,000 today. He is not able to get off of the agressive ventilator yet, but because he is making progress, the doctor is not too concerned. We get the results of the kidney and blood cultures tomorrow, but they are continuing the antibiotics that they started yesterday. He will remain in the paralyzed state but thankfully is out of pain because of it.
We are trying to avoid surgery because his body is so sick and he would not be able to withstand it . The CAT scans have not suggested any surgery at this point, so that is another thing that we can be grateful for right now.
I have found a lot of comfort and encouragement from everyone's support, I and the family continue to thank you all. We feel your love and send our love to you, as well.
Katie

Oct 11th 8:30 PM Update

Katie said it all in her prior post. I have nothing else to add. As I arrived tonight Katie was back with Dad and they were in the process of giving Dad the Spa treatment (cleaned up/shaved/ shampoo ect....). So I had a chance to visit with Katie before she left for the night. We noted that it had been a rough day for Dad and hope that tomorrow is better.

UP-DATE 5 PM

This has been a challenging day for Tom. The CAT scan showed no abcess, but it is swollen do to edema. It is causing the blockage, however, the kidneys seem to be very active today, he has produced more urine today than perhaps the whole time he's been in here.
They said the results from the spewtum (from the lungs) shows infection. The doctor is guessing bronchitus instead of pneumonia at this point. However it is difficult to know because the diaphram is pressing so high against the lungs. Dr. Curry is administering another antibiotic to combat the new infection. To do this she had to put a central line in because the old IVs can have germs in it, so this new line is a precaution. She originally was trying to place it in the shoulder area, however, all of his skin bent the wire and she had to abort that idea and place it in his jugular vein in his neck. This is where the new antibiotic will be given.
They are giving him another chest x-ray right now just to make sure that the lung was not poked during the process.
He is being fed intraveineously now rather than directly to the stomach because of the fluids that are collecting there.
I'm hoping for some better news tonight when I return. They make me leave during the hours of 5:00 PM-6:30 PM while they change shifts and clean him up again. It's been an emotional day. Please keep praying for him. Thank you.

2 PM REPORT BY KATIE

They have just gotten Tom ready for a transfer to the CAT scan. It was interesting watching the procedure. There are many tubes that need to be disconnected. They have a portable machine which they hook all of his tubes towhich are on the IV tree. To take him off of the ventalater they replace the machine with an oxygen tank which is then connected to the breathing tube. A nurse at this point hand compresses the oxygen bladder and continues to do so until he returns to his room and gets connected once again to the machine.
Tom had slid down in his bed, so a team came to assist the nurse in moving him up in his bed. To do this they lowered the head of the bed and all got on the ends of the sheets and shifted him.
They then took the brakes off of the airbed and took him to the elevator. I will stay in the waiting room until he returns and he gets the results of the test. Keep your fingers crossed and thanks for continuing your prayers.

Thursday Morning Rounds Update

This morning, the doctors told us that he appears to have a bowel obstruction that could be caused by an ulcer and/or swollen pancreas. They will take a CAT scan todayl They have re-added insulin to the infusion tree, but at a much smaller dosage. He is also receiving two shots of insulin per day.

Dad's White Blood Cell count went up again today to: 44,000 which is a bummer, they will take new cultures today, so we'll see what's up in a day or two with that. His blood pressure continues to be medicated and monitored closely. He has a bit of a fever they are watching. They wil evaluate whether they will dialysis today after the CAT scan. They are worried, because his veins are showing signs of dehydration.

On the positive side, dad is continuing to show signs that his kidneys are functioning more and more. The urine amounts are increasing. Before dad went in for his cat, Jay and I (Tommy) gave him another blessing.

Thank you for keeping dad in your thoughts and prayers. Please keep it up.

Tommy

CAT Scan

Dad is being taken for an CAT Scan this morning, they believe that Dad might have a bowel blockage. They have had a tube down his throat removing his stomach contents for the last 24 hours, so something seems to be backing up in to his stomach. We'll let you know when we have more info. Rounds with the Doctors and medical team are around 11am to 11:30am, so we'll know more then.

Wed Night Update

Hello all, sorry that this is so late. I didn't make it up to see dad tonight, and Jann gave me the updates while I was at the Jazz game, which we lost.

Dad's white blood cell count continues to drop which is good. Apparently the cultures that they took two days ago have come back negative for infection which is good, so it apears that the atibiotics are doing the trick. They weaned dad off insulin completely tonight, so we'll see if can sustain those levels on his own. The nurses continue to measure urine and say that the kidneys are doing some work. I think dad is on the docket for dialysis tomorrow. They decided to keep him on the oscillating ventilator for now, until the lungs show more improvement. Earlier today they were looking at Friday for a CAT scan to check on the pancreas. Dad's last cat scan was sort of rough on him, if you remember, that night they had to add insulin and blood pressure meds, so hopefully this time around he'll be a bit stronger.

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers.

Take Care, Tommy

Oct 10th Update 10:00pm

Jann went up tonight to check on dad. She reported that his lab results we have been waiting on grew nothing, so that is a good sign. The white cell count keeps going down so that indicates that the infection is going away slowly. Dad's kidneys are producing urine still, and in a larger quantity. They didn't hook him up for a dialysis today in hopes to cause kidney stimulation to produce more filtration and over all function. Dad has been taken off insulin so that is another good step as well. They delayed the switch on respirators because the doctor gave Dad a unit of blood today to provide additional oxygen capacity for his organs and combined with the oscillating respirator keeping his oxygen level at such a good level, they wanted to provide the best environment for kidney function and overall body healing. They also gave him an injection (the other day) of a bone marrow stimulant to get his body to produce more red blood cells. His blood pressure is a bit jumpy still, running high then low. They are trying to get that to level off.

That is about all. Dad is basically taking small (baby) steps but has a long road ahead of him. Tyler, the nurse last night said that Dad is in the critical condition category, so that might better illustrate the severity of his illness. Keep on praying and thinking about him.

Many Thanks

Dear Loved Ones and Friends,
I wanted to let all of you know how very much your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. I just told a friend that it is your words of encouragement that are sustaining me. The progress is so very slow and sometimes discouraging, so your messages really bouy me up. I have wanted to thank you many times but have just now figured out how to add to this blog.
I just went through the rounds with the doctor and staff. Tom is pretty much the same. His white cell blood count is coming down gradually though, and that is another baby step of good news. They will not be doing dialisis today because he is producing some urine on his own so they want to just watch him today and see what he can do on his own. He needs to stay on the more agressive ventilater so he will still be in a paralyzed state. It's so frustrating not to be able to communicate with him, but I am sure he is sensing our presence when we are in the room with him. Tom will get a unit of blood today to allow more carriers to take oxygen to the damaged organs of the body. I am impressed with the doctor whom we have this week. She is very thorough , loving, and caring. Again, thank you for your love and concern. And Christy, I have heard of your own problems and want to let you know that you are in my prayers as well as Tom. I love you and your family and appreciate our friendship. My bishop and friends of the ward, thank you. Family members, whether they be Harris' or Johnson's, I appreciate your support. And thanks to all the extended family, you truly have been amazing.
Love to all,
Katie

Over 1,000 hits

In 5 days we have climbed over 1,000 hits. Many folks have mentioned in the comments section that they check back frequently. We will try and update the blog at least twice a day. When there is breaking news, we'll update is as much as we can. Thanks for your support, this has saved us hours and hours of phone calls, and having to relive/rehash the story over and over (that really weighs on you emotionally).

Tommy.

Tuesday 8:00PM Update

Tailona and I (Tommy) are in visiting dad right now. We talked to his nurse Tyler tonight, and things are mostly the same. The biggest news I got from our conversation is that dad's kidneys are beginning to function a little. His urine amounts are up somewhat, and some of the test are showing that the kidneys are beginning to filter out one of the toxins that dialysis doesn't pick up.

Dad continues doing dialysis daily, and today they pulled 3 liters of fluid. Dialysis is affecting his blood pressure, so they really have to ramp up his blood pressure meds during dialysis, then after, they bring it down to lower levels. If I understand everything right, the functioning kidney's will help clear sepsis (infection/toxins left from the infection) which will help his other failing organs (pancreas & lungs) return to normal, it's going to take time, but as Jay suggested this morning, "Baby Steps."

Tomorrow they may attempt to move dad from the oscillating respirator to the other respirator to measure his ability to breathe on his own etc.

Thank you for your continual prayers on behalf of our father/husband and us. We'd like to encourage all who have the ability, to attend the temple this week and keep dad in your thoughts.

TUESDAY OCT 9TH 11:00AM ROUNDS UPDATE

Things with Dad are about the same. His white blood cell count is down a bit so that is a sign the infection may be decreasing. Dad's lungs are doing a bit better. The doctor said it is a baby step improvement. He is going to have a 4 hour dialysis treatment today. That will be the longest treatment to date. So his body is handling the dialysis. The lab hopes to have the preliminarily results of Dad's lab work that was submitted yesterday, tonight.

The request has been made to keep Dad's visitors to immediate family only, due to the risk of outside infection from peoples illnesses etc. So please be aware of that. You are more than welcome to come to the ICU waiting room and around 11:00 am and after 11:45 or so... Katie or one of Tom's kids are usually around for AM rounds. If they are not in the ICU waiting room they may be with the doctor for rounds getting Dad's update. Evening time 7-8:30pm family can be found in the ICU waiting room. Katie is here most of the day and is usually back in the room with Dad.

We want to thanks everyone for all the thoughts that have been expressed via the blog, phone and in person. We are relaying your messages to Dad. People from Pennsylvania, Missouri, and all points around are looking at the blog updates and posting comments. This has proven to be a very effective tool for sharing information.

Monday Oct 8th 9:30pm Update

Everything is about the same in terms of Dad's condition. He has the guy nurses Tyler and a student taking care of him. They had the Ipod on for him playing music and ESPN Monday Night Football was on his tv. So he is in good hands tonight.

Monday Oct 8th 1:00pm rounds update

Katie, Jared and I (Jay) were at the hospital for the doctors rounds. Katie and I were present for rounds (they only let 2 of us back there at once) and the doctor said there was little change in Dad's status. His white cell count was elevated still but one of the other infection indicators was lower so they have ordered another round of lab tests to see what is exactly going on. They hope to have that lab work back in 48 hours.

There is a good team of hospital personnel working with Dad. I was impressed by the team and the way they cover each specialty from nutrition to respiratory therapy and so on with the doctor and us. So rounds is a very impressive time to hear the plan of care for Dad each day.

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers! This is very appreciated by us all!!!!

Sunday Night Update Oct 7 9:00pm

Nothing new to report. Dad is still holding steady. Family members have been with him most of the day. Sandy and Mark and Nichole stopped in this afternoon. Thanks for the treats Sandy! Katie was able to spend a good potion of time today with dad and she was able to take in General Conference. Jared and Michelle and the kids are staying at Jann's, Tommy and Rachael and the kids came up today and Tailona came down from Logan, so all us us were in and out of Dad's room and took in General Conference as well.

With the week day staff being back in the hospital on Monday we hope to have more information tomorrow on Dad. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for Dad.

"Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"

As I sat listening in dad's room to The Kingston Trio sing one of their best songs..."Where Have All The Flowers Gone?", and here are apart of the lyrics...
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing. Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the flowers gone? Young girls picked them, ev'ry one. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time passing. Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago.

As I look at dad I think about all the flowers that dad has had in his life. He has sure picked some good ones! And what a solider dad has been and still is. Dad has always fought the good fight whether its been at Utah State or in his kids' life or his health. And King Tom continues to do so. As of 2:30 pm today, dad is just about the same. They have discovered that his previous infection has re-activated or he has another one. They discovered this through his white blood cells in a recent blood count. Nothing really has changed.
We will keep you posted. This is Tailona writing and one of my favorite thoughts in life comes from a fantastic movie..."Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." You can't live in the yesterdays...only today. Just keep praying and remember the hand of the Lord and our Father in Heaven are in ALL things.

Sunday AM Update

Dad's condition for the most part is the same. His white blood cell count is up significantly, the doctors think that it's either a secondary infection, or a relapse of the original. They keep treating with antibiotics which is upsetting his stomach a bit. He continues on the oscillating respirator which means that he remains sedated and paralyzed. The doctors have decided not to do dialysis today to see if the kidneys will do some work today. in the past 48 hours he has had minimal urine, but dialysis extracts those fluids. So hopefully we'll start to see an increase in that respect. Nightly, his blood pressure seems to go low, then back up during the day.

Dad would be proud that we as sons attended priesthood session together as in days of old last night. We are hoping to start seeing some improvements today and tomorrow. Please continue remember dad in your prayers. Thanks you so much for your loyalty and concern for dad.

Saturday 5:00pm Update

Today Dad is mostly the same. His blood pressure is up and down still quite a bit, and he's still on some blood pressure meds. The nurse told us that they extracted 2 liters from dialysis today, he's made a little more urine today, and other than that things are steady! Slowly but surely he's going to get better.

We've had a few folks ask if they can come and visit dad. The hospital's official policy in the ICU is that no one except immediate family members are allowed back there and that is to give the patient the best possible chance of recovery. We also feel that Dad most likely does not want people to see him in his current condition. Saying that some nurses have allowed a couple of non immediate family members back there.

Out of respect for dad, we'd encourage you not to come up until his condition improves a bit. I'll let you know when we feel its appropriate for extended visitors. Thanks so much.

11:30am Update

Jann just called, and said it's a lot of the same. He started dialysis at 9:30am. His insulin is raised a bit, and she was able to turn on LDS General Conference for him to listen to. She said she told him she was there and that his sons would be together for priesthood session tonight. As she was walking away, dad through his paralytic state was able to lift his head just a bit, so she stayed with him a bit longer. As she again tried to leave, he did it again. Dad knows who is there with him.

Saturday AM Update

Last night I left at 11:30pm. They needed to up his blood pressure with medication. They said it was likely because of the stress he went through during the CAT scan. They had the oxygen level of the respirator at 40% which is good. I talked to Katie and Jann this morining and both said it was about the same. This morning they upped his insulin levels a bit. Right now Jann is in there with dad, I haven't had a report in a while, but I'll keep you up-to-date.

Kingston Trio send their best

I notified George Grove of the Kingston Trio of Dad's condition via e-mail last night. They became friends when Dad and Mom went on a Kingston Trio Alaskan Cruise a number of years ago. They have remained in touch with George, he lives in the Las Vegas area not too far from Dad and Katie in St. George. They George Grove, Bob Shane (both from the Trio) and Dad correspond one with another and are friends.

Below is the e-mail I received for Dad.

Hi Jay,

Thank you so much for letting me know. Dr. Tom is one
of the all around good guys, and I always enjoy my
correspondence with him. Please let him know that I'm
saying healthy meditations for him and that tonight at
our performance (we're performing through this weekend
at the Riverside Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, NV) the
Kingston Trio will sing a special song for him.

When he's well, tell him I expect an email letting me
know that he's back to being as ornery as ever.

His friend and yours,
George Grove
The Kingston Trio

Friday Night Update

Tonight Jann and I (Tommy) arrive and spoke with our great nurse Tyler. He told that dad has been put back on blood pressure medications as of midnight last night. Pancreas is still inflamed but the enzymes are looking good, which means it's slowly healing. The newest blood panel after 24 hours isn't showing Sepsis (blood infection) which is good, but its possible that it can still show up for the next 48 hours. So that's at-least encouraging.

Tyler explained to me the whole processes very clearly. He said that dad came in with pancreatitus (inflamed pancreas) it caused sepsis which effected the blood pressure. Combined cepsis and low blood pressure brought the kidneys into kidney failure and it's also weakened the lungs which is where we are right now. If we eliminate the sepsis and regulate the blood pressure it will give his lungs and kidneys their best opportunity to recover.

Jay says that they have put dad on a high dosage of Kingston Trio and espn on the tube. That's a medicine that really heals!!

Special thanks to: Carol Galvez & Diane Murdock, Joyce & Chester Redd, Carolyn & Bryant Pulley, Jill & Owen Cannon, Carole Dawn & Darrell Smith, Mark & Sandy Thompson, Linda Robinson-Hymas, Hugh Davis, Christy & Carrie, and Heidi & Steven Thompson all came to show support for the fam and dad. Thanks so much for your visits.

Thanks so much for your prayers and your fasting. We have faith that dad will be greatly blessed because of it.

Little News Right Now

Dad hasn't made many changes today, but is holding stable. He finished Dialysis earlier and they were able to extract 2.5 liters of fluid. his cavity pressure is holding at 17 which is good (medium to low risk for a fluid drainage surgery). Other than that, there hasn't been many changes. This is what was to be expected for the next two days.

We'll continue keeping you up-to-date, thank you for your prayers and fasting!

Friday Oct 5th Noon Update

Katie is here with dad and has said that he has had his new CAT scan and the scan indicated that there is no abcess in the pancreas so that is a good sign. Yeah!!! That is what we wanted to hear. He is currently hooked up on the dialysis machine right now and is going for a 3hr treatment of dialysis today. His blood pressure is still holding on his own without any medicine assistance. The ossylating ventilator is still going so dad is still sedated so it can function without the bodies breathing reflex kicking in.

His color is still good and he his being treated with a new antibiotic that will target the exact infection a better fight the infection bug. His big IV tree behind his bed has less things hanging there being given to him. They have started a new nutritional IV .

CAT Scan

Dad was scheduled for a CAT scan this morning. We still do not have the results. They did lower the amount of ventilator oxygen to 55% when Jann & Tailona left late last night

Update: He's had his CAT scan, and has been started on dialysis this morning. Not much has changed overnight. We have not been given the results of the CAT scan yet. STAY TUNED!

Thursday 9:00pm Update

Not too much new to report. Dad's color is improved and the night nurse Tyler said there are some encouraging improvements, but cautioned that Dad is not out of the woods. He is still in a sedated state for the purpose of the ventilator to optimally perform and maximize lung capacity and oxygen saturation. Tommy's ipod full of Kingston Trio songs is going in the background behind the sounds of the medical equipment. Yesterday they (Jann and Jared) asked Dad if he could hear the tunes (prior to being sedated) and he nodded he did. So there is some good music therapy to assist the medical treatments. Linda and Sandy were there tonight as well as Tai, Jann, Jay, Melodee, Shelbee and Shaylee. Jared, Tommy and Katie left a bit earlier in the evening to travel home and get some rest after spending the day there. There have been many family members (Johnson, Harris, Smith) visit and spend time visiting in the ICU waiting room with the family. Thanks for all you support in person, via phone and your messages on the blog.

Nurse Change over update

1. Dad has improved to 65% Oxygen dependency.
2. His Blood Pressure Meds are Totally Wheened,
3. and they have identified the exact type of infection in the blood and have changed his antibiotic to one that is very effective against the infection.

More positives coming in. He still has a very long way to go, and he's not out of the woods by any means yet, but these numbers are definately something that we can grab onto and celebrate about.

Thanks for all of your prayers!
Please remember to FAST for him tomorrow if you can.

Finished with Dialysis for Thursday

Dad Just finished with dialysis they were able to pull out 2 liters of fluid and is being wheened off of his blood pressure medication, which is going really well. The respitory therapist told us that with the new machine that he has, he's moved from being 95% Oxygen dependent on it to 75% Oxygen dependent on it. Dad is really amazing us! She (Respitory therapist) showed us x-rays of yesterday and compared it with todays, and showed the huge difference in his lung capacity. He's using alot more of his lung capacity now.

Email from Carole Dawn Smith better explaining what has happened

I thought that Carole Dawn explained this well.

There is a Special Fast for Tom Johnson planned for Friday, October 5th, 2007. He is in the Intensive Care Unit at the McKay Dee Hospital where he is struggling with many of his organs shutting down because of inflammation of his pancreas for unknown reasons. He has been started on kidney dialysis. He also has a strep infection (In the Bloodstream) adversely affecting especially his lungs which may bring on pneumonia. ............. We extend to Tom, Katy and their families our best wishes for Tom's steady recovery and will be remembering him in our daily prayers as well as in this special fast.

Thurs - 12pm Update

Answering questions to many inquiring friends and family has become a bit exausting and overwhelming, we thought that we would create this blog to update friends and family members on dad's condition.

This mornings update is as follows:

Dad has had his first run of dialysis yesterday, and it removed 1.5 liters of fluid (Good). It also helped remove toxins that are in his body because of the kidney failure. They have added a stronger antibiotic to fight the infection. They also put him on a different type of respirator which allowing his full lung to process oxygen. The new ventilator is such that they need to keep him sedated and paralyzed for right now. They are hoping to be abloe to do a CAT scan tomorrow to see how the Pancreas is doing.

Last night Katie, Jann & Jared were all able to communicate with him. He is strong minded, and still fighting. He also is pleased that Tommy was able to put together some iPod playlists of the Kingston Trio, and he wants us to turn up the music. (That is totally Dads attitude.)

Doctors have told us that there won't be many optimistic reports for the next few days, but despite that, they said this morning that the lungs are looking a bit better because of the new respirator.

We'll try and update this as much as possible, so check back often, Thanks.

PS. There is a comments section available on the Blog. Please post your questions, and we'll do our best to answer them! Also I'd like to request that you post good stories and tributes to the comment section.

Last PS. We'd like to ask all friends and family that are willing and able to Fast, to Fast for dad Tomorrow, Friday Oct. 5th. 2007.