Thank you everyone for your prayers. I KNOW they are working!
It's been a very rough week, but now that he's turned the corner and we know he is more or less out of the woods I'm relieved and can start to catch up.
He spent six days in ICU (admitted just before midnight, New Year's Eve) and was moved to the intermediate care unit a few days ago. Today he may actually be moved to a regular room. It seems they finally have the fever and the infection under control and stabilized. The Dr. told us that he will be inpatient for at least two more weeks due to the mega heavy duty IV antibiotics required (Vanco myacin - the only antibiotic that will kill MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) which can cause other complications and therefore require close monitoring and also due to the infection in his leg (celulitis) that actually resulted from the Staph. This is like a third degree burn covering an entire leg. This requires daily wound care and physical therapy since he can't move it himself yet. He will most likely be moved to a long term acute care facility in the next few days as insurance is already trying to kick him out of the hospital
FYI - Staph has always in the past been associated with cuts, wounds, abrasions, or being in a hospital. None of this applied to my father and apparently those "myths" no longer hold true. After speaking to all of the doctors and healthcare professionals, as well as consulting with some of my own trusted sources in the healthcare profession...I know that this is a very random and aggressive germ. It could have been something as innocent as a hand shake from an infected ("coloized") person or being in close vicinity of someone who sneezed.
Basic Tips for prevention: Don't walk around barefooted, wash your hands all the time, carry disinfectant hand lotin/gel/wipes with you to wipe public surfaces and please cover your mouth/nose when you sneeze/cough. Treat and keep open wounds/cuts covered and clean with betadyne to keep bacteria free.
MRSA infection - MayoClinic.com
Thanks again for your prayers and support (and patience if you've been trying to reach me)! It really means the world to me and my family!