Pastor Ben Achut has been unwell for nearly two months now. He was admitted to hospital on 1st of February with acute changes in mentation; this illness culminated in his admission to the Intensive Care Unit for the last 20 days (from the 6th of February).
He was treated for complications of diabetes, difficulty feeding (long standing) and a serious, aggressive eye infection as well as a blood stream infection.
On the 5th, he begun to deteriorate with reduced level of consciousness and with difficulty breathing. He was put on high flow oxygen and admitted to the High dependency unit. Unfortunately, on the morning of the 6th of February, his breathing got significantly worse and the laboratory tests showed a build up in blood acid levels. He was then moved to ICU and put on various life support treatments including (but not limited to):
1. On a ventilator to support his breathing.
2. Two medications to support his blood pressure.
In this time, he has been managed for a myriad of health conditions and challenges including the serious eye and a central nervous system bacterial infection (from a rare pathogen). This was in the backdrop of the number of chronic conditions that worked to put his body at increased risk of infection and illness. Treatments for the infection(s) had to be escalated to the highest level.
During this admission, abdominal complications that required an emergency surgery (laparotomy) became apparent and relief of the abdominal obstruction that was found (that seemed to have been longstanding) was done – which was successful.
Since then, he recovered well from the surgery. Unfortunately, because of the long severe illness, his body systems have been hit hard including the immune system, the digestive system and in the last 24 hours, the kidneys as well meaning his response to this severe illness has been difficult and tortuous.
We continue to manage him for the infection and now acute kidney failure. He remains very critically ill with continuing life-threatening ailments.