Robbie Blake

[blue gills and daffodils]

For all that you that may know him, he really could use some extra prayers and blessings right now. He's 51 and has been in the hospital for over 2 weeks. It started out with what he thought was food poisoning, turned out to Pneumonia, went to Legionnaire's disease. Due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, he now has toxic epidermal necrolysis. He's been transferred to vanderbilt, and docs there say it doesn't look good...his condition is still critical. Please remember him when you say a prayer, or offer one for him!!! Thanks!

[mikec]

im really sorry to hear that. my brother passed away saturday from a heart attack. i just want to thank everybody for the support they have shown my family.so knowing how mr blakes family must feel i will definately say several prayers for him. god bless you man.

[mikec]

my brother was kenny call i would like to thank the people who were bad mouthing him on topix for laying off since he died. it really helps me my mom and dad sisters and friends. even if it has just been a couple of days we really appreciate the time you all have layed off so i can greive,and try to get my head together. so even if some of you thought he was a snitch or whatever.we especialy his eight year old daughter hope you just show some respect for us and his 8 year old daughter. i would also like to invite you all friend or foe to his graveside service at saltville cemetary at 11 am tuesday. i could use some support. i apologize for using mr blakes topix site i dont know how to start a new one. so everyone pray for mr blake. god bless

[nanny]

i think we all need to lay off bad mouthing anyone who is going through a hard time. we need to show some respect for the person and their family. everyone we bad mouth has family, how would you feel if it was your family being bad mouthed all the time.

[wrathchild3777]

He has been in my prayers for a few days now. I don't know him personally but i do know his son and he is cool as hell.

[BIGDAVE68]

I think I used to work with him at Dotson Wheel about 20 years ago. he's a great guy

[the way I see it]

I have never understood why all the topix on here are bad mouthing other people. I think we have plenty to talk about in Saltville, besides bad mouthing each other. I'm sorry to hear about the losses mentioned in the previous post, may God comfort you during this difficult time...

[earl pits american]

any news on robbie

[wrathchild3777]

Last I heard there was small improvement....but nothing definate.

[earl pits american]

thanks

[blue gills and daffodils]

these are the updates we've gotten, and I dated them. You can see why he needs prayers!!

Sept. 22nd, Day one at Johnson City Medical Center.

The doctors have put Robbie on a new sedative. Apparently the sedative diprovan he had been given is a "fat". He had been on it non-stop for five days and his trigliceride level was at 3,000! The doctors were concerned about his liver not functioning because of this. He is still sedated but looks much more comfortable - his blood pressure has come down and his breathing is much more relaxed. They started a feeding tube - this is the 11th day he has been without food so hopefully this will cause some improvement. The new docs ordered a lot of lab work over the course of the day. Early results showed no change in the lungs or kidneys but he is getting rid of fluid. They are going to wait one more day to decide about the dialysis. The doctor (pulmonologist) I spoke to at length when Rob first arrived left at 7pm and will be back in the morning. I'll update again after I talk to her then.

[blue gills and daffodils]

Sep 23, 2009 9:14pm
Rob started running a fever today and it spiked at 104 degrees. Fever came down after about an hour. He was still showing signs of infection. He has been kept sedated in an induced coma all day and is continuing to get nutrition from a feeding tube. This afternoon results came back from yesterday's and this morning's tests. Critical Care doctors shared test results with us and determined that Rob has Legionnella Pneumonia - or Legionnaire's Disease. His chances are 50/50 of recovering right now - things are touch and go at this time. The longer the disease is allowed to progress, the shorter the chance of survival. Legionella bacteria which is found in water delivery systems like air conditioning units, shower heads, hot tubs, fountains, etc. cause the disease. Many people may be exposed yet it may only affect one of them. The doctor said Rob was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" to have contracted the disease. It was of no fault of his own. The docs said though, that there were so many red flags while he was in Abingdon that he should have been diagnosed a lot sooner. They are now treating him with antibiotics specifically used to treat Legionnaires Disease. We hope they are not too late. Please continue to pray for him.

[blue gills and daffodils]

Sep 24, 2009 11:01pm
Rob has been in the hospital 9 days as of today and has not had any food for 13 days. He arrived at Johnston Memorial in Abingdon after five days of fever, acute diarrhea and vomiting. He was transferred to Johnson City Medical Center on Tuesday. The nutrition started yesterday in the feeding tube - that we hoped might help him gain some strength - has only been given to Rob in a very low dose. The doctors temporarily disconnected the feeding tube tonight so that they can do a sonogram early in the morning of his liver, kidneys and pancreas. Apparently, not only are the docs concerned about the kidneys not working but they told us today they have concerns about his pancreas not functioning. He has been running a fever all day and has had an allergic reaction to the strong antibiotic that was started yesterday for Legionnaires Disease. This allergic reaction combined with the large volume of fluid he has been given has caused blisters to form all over his back. They are filled with fluid and the nurses have applied vaseline patches to them. His skin is sloughing off in other places and it looks just awful. The large fluid intake has also caused him to have double pneumonia - fluid is now in both lungs. Docs have started him on another antibiotic and have reduced the fluid intake. This will be about the 5th different antibiotic he has been given since last Wednesday. We will know tomorrow morning after the sonogram if he is going to need kidney dialysis. Rob has been unresponsive today due to being heavily sedated. He is still on the ventilator. Every day there just seems to be more blood taken for tests in addition to several x-rays, ct scans, etc.
Just a few days ago, we could talk to him for short periods while he opened his eyes and communicated by winking yes or no to our questions. He even smiled and let us know that he knew he was in the hospital and we were doing all that we could to get him well and back home. It is sad to see him so sick and we just feel so helpless. Up until 2 weeks ago, Rob was a pretty healthy 51 year old male that had not any major health issues. He was concerned about his sister having lung surgery and avoided contact with his family because he didn't want to pass along any germs he might have from what he thought was food poisoning or a stomach virus. We had no idea that Rob was so sick.
Over the last 9 days, we have talked to nurses, Critical Care doctors, a lung specialist, a kidney specialist, infectious disease doctors and others about Rob's condition. Although his blood pressure has been good today and his heart rate has come down, he just seems to be deteriorating every day since he was put on the ventilator. We know that he is in good hands at JCMC and have faith that the doctors are doing all that they can to help him pull through. Thanks to everyone for your caring thoughts, messages and prayers! Please continue praying for Rob!

[blue gills and daffodils]

Sep 25, 2009 10:30pm
I would have thought that Rob might be showing some signs of improvement today after having his first round of dialysis but this just wasn't the case. Apparently, Rob was given an antibiotic laced with penicillin his first day at JCMC and he has had an allergic reaction to it. The rash and blisters filled with fluid on his back have spread all over his body and he now has toxic epidermal necrolysis. This is what caused his fever to return and is causing his skin to slough off. This condition is equivalent to having second and third degree burns. We were told that he has to be transferred to a burn center for treatment and that this situation is actually more life threatening the legionnaires disease. JCMC is transferring Rob to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville for treatment - he'll be flown there asap sometime tonight or very early in the morning. Rob remains in critical condition with repiratory failure and renal failure. At Vanderbilt, they will continue the dialysis and treatment for the legionnaires disease. The priority now is the skin condition. Poor Rob - he has been through so much and just when you think he may be turning a corner, things seem to get worse. This setback has been quite a shock to the family - it is so hard to see him like this and to think he is suffering. We will be following him to Nashville to be by his side. Please continue praying for him!

[blue gills and daffodils]

DAY 1 Vanderbilt Burn Center

Sep 26, 2009 10:53pm
Rob was flown to Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville last night due to the allergic reaction he had to medicine given to him in Johnson City. Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a very dangerous condition and is similar to 2nd and 3rd degree burns. This combined with everything else that Rob has been through the last couple of weeks is taking its toll.
It is with a very heavy heart that I write this update to let everyone know that the Vanderbilt doctors have not given us much hope. Rob had three hours of dialysis today but is still running a fever. Along with his kidneys, his other vital organs are shutting down. He is black and blue all over - you would be shocked if you saw him. He has just gone from bad to worse in the hospital - instead of getting better, his condition continues to deteriorate. We let him know about the caring messages everyone has posted. He is still sedated and has been given morphine - I only hope that he could somehow hear us and that he keeps fighting. We don't want to lose him! Please pray for a miracle to pull Rob out of this!

[blue gills and daffodils]

Sep 28, 2009 8:52am
Rob is still hanging on! He had a lot of different procedures done on Sunday to check his heart, brain activity, etc. Doctors thought he might have had a stroke but they have ruled that out. They also said that he does not show any signs of brain damage but that he does have some heart problems. They said that his heart is still pumping good though. They did not do dialysis on Sunday but will be doing that this morning. Rob was still running a 103 degree fever and his lungs are an issue - he still has double pnemonia. He is in a bed that rotates him very slowly around to be help his lungs. The allergic reaction not only affected him on the outside but also affected him internally - they said that his lungs are sloughing just like his skin. The red rash all over his body is starting to clear up but his back is still raw from where he had the blisters and laid in the bed in Johnson City. Visiting hours are only four times a day and you can only go in to see Rob for about a half hour each time. You also have to put a mask, gown and gloves on when you enter the room to keep the environment as sterile as possible. He has two nurses with him round the clock to monitor him and a team of doctors that are doing all they can to pull him out of this. We did not get to talk to the doctors yesterday, only the nurses. The time is one hour behind the time back home. We should be meeting with doctors shortly and will let everyone know Rob's status then. Keep praying for him! I hope we have some better news to report later.

[blue gills and daffodils]

Sep 29, 2009 8:48am
Rob is pretty much the same. The doctor did say that he didn't have any setbacks yesterday and maybe now we can move forward! Let's hope so! He had dialysis yesterday and his blood pressure fluctuated during the day. Two times a day he is put in a special burn unit bed that rotates him. He is completely restricted while in the bed, and his blood pressure goes up when he is moved to the bed. He did have a problem with the ventilator yesterday - he clamped down on the tube going into his mouth. The nurses think he might have been in pain so they increased some pain medicine. Docs want to wean him off the ventilator because his back in is need of treatment for burns. His back is oozing and pretty much raw. He also looks like he has lost a couple layers of skin on the tip of his nose. The doctors let us know that the strong antibiotics he has been given and is currently taking are affecting his liver and also his kidneys but that they are necessary to help him heal. Thanks to everyone for your kind words and prayers. Keep Rob in your prayers!

[blue gills and daffodils]

Oct 2, 2009 12:06am
Rob has had a lot of procedures done the last two days so getting to see him has been very difficult. There are only four different times you can see him and if he is undergoing dialysis or anything else, you have to wait until the next time to get into his room. The doctors have cut back his sedative to bring him out of the deep sleep he has been under. They would like for him to start breathing on his own and in order to remove the ventilator he has to be alert enough to follow instructions. The doctors has wanted to take the ventilator out this morning but Rob was not quite ready. They said they will try again in the morning. Once off the ventilator they will start feeding him ice to soothe his throat and to get him to learn how to swallow again. There was some movement today in his hands and his eyes blinked. A physical therapist started working with him the last couple of days. Rob had four hours of dialysis today as well as yesterday and a special wash for the burns on his back. He is handling the dialysis well but the verdict is still out on his kidneys. Rob started running a fever today and the nurses said that he will have some more bloodwork to determine if it is from a bacterial infection - perhaps from the burns. The nurses have been very friendly and helpful - they seem pleased with his progress and seem very optimistic. The doctors say that his recovery will be a long one - he will be in the hospital for a while yet.
We cannot wait for him to be fully alert to read to him again all the wonderful messages everyone has sent him. We all wish we could be there on the 10th - what a blessing! Prayer is powerful. We may have finally turned a corner - Thank you Lord! Please keep praying for Rob!

[blue gills and daffodils]

Oct 3, 2009 8:53am
Only got to see Rob twice on Friday. He is still on the ventilator; it seems to be taking forever for him to come out of the induced coma. He had been on a strong dose of Fentanyl, which we found out is 100 times stronger than morphine, so they are giving him methadone to keep him from having withdrawals. They greatly lowered the fentanyl dosage and the other sedative dosage to bring him out of the coma. He was moving more yesterday, probably because of being uncomfortable in the position he has to lay in. His hands are still strapped down and he can only slightly move his arms. No setbacks yesterday so that's good news. We are still not sure about his kidney function other than that he is handling dialysis well. We are praying that he comes out of the sedation soon so that he can have the ventilator removed. He still has other tubes going up his nose and down his throat so I'm not sure how well he will be able to talk once he comes to. We are grateful for another day. Thank you Lord! Please keep praying for Rob!

[blue gills and daffodils]

Oct 4, 2009 11:29am
Saturday Rob started bleeding from his stomach and was running a fever. The blood was coming out of the tube that was draining fluids from his stomach and the nurses said that the tube may have irritated the lining of the stomach and that they were not very concerned.
This morning (Sunday), the bleeding is worse and he is bleeding from his rectum. Doctors say he is septic and may not make it. They are giving him blood. We get a couple days of good news and now worse news. This is very serious - we may lose him. We are worried that a tube may have punctured his stomach or something. We just don't know how this is happening. They told us the bleeding from his stomach may have been from the antibiotics. Rob has been through so much. Everyone is crying and upset - please pray for Rob!