Poor Ambrose :(

Anyone that knows Ambrose knows several things. First they know that he is extremely accident-prone. That's the biggie. He's cursed somehow. They also know that he is immune to pain and the only real incident where he was screaming in pain since his initial accident was when he got an infection in his bone that began eating away at it. It takes a lot for him to be in pain. In addition, people that know Ambrose really well know that he has only one kidney and only recently had surgery to remove the remains of his other. He must drink a lot of water to stay hydrated and keep his left kidney looking good. Last but not least, everyone knows that Drum Corps is Ambrose's life. He has been marching in professional-grade corps since he was 15 years old. This summer was no exception and he was out on that field sunrise to sundown and played hard. His brother and several friends were right there with him enjoying the action.

Towards the end of July, as the season was coming to a close, Ambrose got a little infection. Nothing too serious, it just burned a little when he peed. He hoped it would go away on its own and didn't really notice it. A couple days later it was not better and now he had a bladder infection. He still was not bothered in the slightest and barely noticed it. He carried on through semifinals no problem at all. In fact, the only person he told about it was his brother. He did not want to skip a day of rehearsal so he didn't dare tell anyone else. He successfully ignored it and still hoped it would go away.

The day before the final showdown Ambrose woke up with a slight fever and was peeing blood- something that had not happened since the removal of the rest of his kidney. He was a little worried so finally he went to the local doctor and got some antibiotics. His fever went away, he felt a little better, and he was good as gold for finals, which his corps won. However, as the night wore on, he began feeling all the more sick. He stayed up late with everyone else at the party and was the star of course but inside all he wanted to do was sleep. Finally the day had arrived for everyone to return home, so he said his goodbyes and slept the whole ride home- something very rare for him.

His friends were worried and he assured them that he was fine. He arrived home and went to his local doctor to get some more antibiotics. He got in and out with no problem and went home with his brother to rest on the couch. He had a slight fever and started to feel some pain in his back but thought nothing of it and reluctantly went to his room at about 7pm where he promptly fell asleep.

At about 9pm that night, Ambrose awakened in severe pain. Huge beads of sweat were falling from his face and he could hardly catch his breath. He was burning up and could not stand up because his back hurt too much. He was kicking wildly and screaming things that were not making sense. He was confused and couldn't see straight. What had been a small bladder infection was now a massive infection that had moved into his left kidney- his only kidney. His brother got a thermometer and Ambrose put it in his mouth. His mother took it out and looked at it. Her eyes widened and she dropped it on the floor. Her face white, she told everyone to get Ambrose in the car. His temperature was 107.

Ike struggled to help Ambrose into the car and sat with him sprawled across the back seats. He was becoming less and less aware of everything as his high fever burned him up. They arrived at the ER and the lady at the desk noticed Ambrose right away. She knew of his immunity to pain and knew that this was serious. She quickly started getting paperwork together when Ambrose completely lost it. After that, there was a rush of doctors and nurses everywhere. He was taken back to a room where many IV's were started and he was hooked up on every machine they could find. He eventually stopped breathing so there was no choice but to quickly insert a breathing tube down his delicate throat.

His blood pressure was extremely low and blood tests revealed he had a rare and nasty strain of bacteria in his bladder and kidney, and that his kidney was beginning to shut down. The doctors hurried to stabilize him and pretty soon IV meds were started and they got his fever down to 103. The next few hours were spent trying to get his fever and infection under control. Sometime throughout the night, his heart stopped and the doctors called a code. Doctors were successful in restarting it and after that he lay lifeless in a hospital bed, with several IV's, breathing tubes, and wires all over him.

He made it through the night which brings us to today. Ambrose is still in critical condition and his kidney has completely shut down. He is on dialysis for the time being and the machines are breathing for him. His kidney had an abscess on it so they went in and cleaned it out. Doctors don't know how much damage was done to the kidney but are hopeful that it will work again. If not then he will need a transplant. His bladder looks ok although it has been damaged by the infection. His IV antibiotics are doing their job and his fever is down. They are going to give him a week to see what happens and will slowly try to get him to wake up. The doctors are unsure if he even will, although they are very hopeful.

His friends have been notified and he has had a few visitors, although he won't be able to have many until his infection is gone. Already many friends have sent him cards, letters, and emails wishing him well. Updates will be posted on his condition.

It was just a matter of time before he had another serious problem...

Update on 1 August 2009
Ambrose is doing well and is kicking the infection. He is even starting to wake up. He has been moving his fingers and toes and even gave thumbs up a couple times. He is breathing over the machines already but still has a fever and is not out of the woods. Everything is looking good though and he should be able to have visitors by Tuesday if he continues to improve.