Update on Mike Grigsby 4/15

Michelle Anderson posted this update this morning:  Mike called me this morning and asked me to post on FB for him so his friends can know what's happening with him right now.  It will be a long post, but please keep reading to the end as Mike deserves our love and needs our prayers right now.  Mike is in Medical City in Plano with serious health issues.  Before I give you the details on his physical health, please pray for Mike's spirit.  He is very broken and tired.  He has been battled ongoing sickness since the spring of 2010 and is exhausted.  He worries that people will think of his current situation as "just another chapter in the Mike is sick saga," and is just exhausted.  There are mounting financial concerns and debt continues to build over the years because of all of the illness, and to make matters worse, it is time for the review of Mike's disability and the government's judgement if it will continue.  He is also very worried about Kathy, as she is trying to stay strong and not show her tears through all of this.  She desperately needs strength and prayers. Now to Mike's health...As you know, he has suffered strokes and multiple illnesses over the last few years, and has battled sepsis(bacterial infection in the blood) five times since December, causing an 85 pound weight loss just from being sick.  In the past week, Mike had 3 seizures that left him unconscious as well as the final seizure that led Kathy to call 911 when she found him in the floor after a seizure in his recliner.  He was transferred to Medical City in Plano where he has undergone numerous tests and now has a team of 8 doctors working together on his case.  They did a 24 hour EEG that showed no seizure activity, as well as numerous EKG's, ultra sounds, x-rays, echocardiagrams, and blood cultures.  An ECG (camera down the esophogas) finally discovered that Mike's atrial heart valve is leaking dramatically and needs to be replaced.  He will have a heart cath on Monday to make sure there are no blockages followed by open heart surgery next week to replace the valve.  There is not a date set yet because the doctors are being overly cautious to make sure he has no infections before surgery can be done.  He is on 2 IV antibiotics around the clock and they continue to do regular blood cultures to look for infection (so far none is present).  Also, because Mike's body rejects anything made of metal, he is going to have a bovine valve as the replacement.  If for some reason his body rejects the valve after surgery, they will have to start over and do everything over again.  The surgeon is being very cautious to make sure Mike's body is ready and can handle the surgery before they decide on a day to do it.  The surgeon is working with a cardiologist, neurologist, pulmonary specialist, infection control, radiologist, anesthesiologist, and serologist (specialist in blood and bodily fluids) to ensure he is ready. All of this being said, Mike was blatantly honest with his struggle with whether to even move forward with the surgery or not.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, he is very tired. He is Spiritually drained and struggling with his faith...and if you know much about Mike at all, you know that he is a child of God and has always been very passionate about his love and relationship with Him.  He is hanging in there and preparing himself for surgery, but he needs our prayers for strength to battle through this.  Kathy needs our prayers to battle through this and to be strong for Mike, but to also allow herself to deal with her own stress and emotions and not hide them.  Our friends need all of the strength they can get right now. Mike and Kathy are so special to me and I consider them my brother and sister, an important part of my family and of my life story.  Pray for them. Love them. Lift them up so that our strength and faith can become theirs. I will continue to keep you posted as information comes to me.