Fighting CV19: Please send thoughts and well wishes to Greg B (Runum)

[Black_Dragon43]

Wow this is a really long battle, it’s been several months already. Praying for Greg, he went through so much and is still going strong! Hoping for continued progress in his recovery!

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 5 April:

Update on Greg B****** ; Praise God from whom all blessings flow!! Greg is tolerating the vent weaning well this week. The physical therapist came in today and got Greg sitting up on the side of the bed. He balanced himself for a while. He gets tired very easily still. They are giving him breathing treatments for the thick phlegm in his lungs. Guessing that is from the pneumonia that he had. He is moving his stroke arm and leg more each day. He is writing a lot on the dry erase board. Not all of his thinking is back. His brain is still figuring out things. Will still take a while, but progress is happening. Thanks for continued prayers. Love Greg and Kathy.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update April 13:

Update on Greg B****** : He is continuing to improve and get stronger each day. Still working on sitting up and core strength. Vent weaning is steadily progressing. He is still writing me lots of messages on the dry erase board. He was picked as one of 8 patients to receive more physical therapy because he is improving well. It is some special program at that hospital. One thing he wrote to me is "Sonic ocean water sure sounds good." We used to stop by Sonic sometimes for happy hour. He usually got the ocean water drink. God is continuing to take care of both of us. My sister Alicia M***** got me to listening to Elisabeth Elliot on YouTube. One of the things she says is "Just do the next thing" That is what we are doing. Thank you for praying, as always, love you all. Greg and Kathy.

 

[BizyDad]

Just do the next thing.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

New update April 21

Update on Greg B****** : They are now weaning Greg to a trach collar. Basically, that is taking him off of the ventilator and putting oxygen over the hole in his throat to aid him a bit and seeing how long he can breathe on his own, trying to increase the time each day, as he can tolerate it. Yesterday was the first day, they called it a trial. He breathed 40 min. on the collar. Today he is on the collar and doing well. They are still doing physical therapy. These young men that work with him are great. Very respectful, caring guys. Keep praying when you think of Greg. I appreciate you all, you are so faithful. God is overwhelmingly awesome!! Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

[MTF]

Thank you for posting the updates, @Trevor Kuntz.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 28 April

Update on Greg B****** : Still working on the trach collar. He stayed on it 2 hours the other day and an hour and 40 minutes yesterday. He has another infection, but the nurses tell me it is not considered sepsis. He is on antibiotics. They caught it early. Pray he can kick it quickly. The speech therapist put a speaking valve on him and got a slight sound one time. He has been sleeping a lot the last couple of days, but his body is getting stronger. Progress seems slow, but Greg has come a long way. Today is day 103 in the hospital. Praise God for daily miracles in our lives. God is our sustainer and healer. Thank you for praying. Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 8 May:

Update on Greg B****** : Greg is still progressing on the trach collar. His new record is 17 hours! A couple of days ago the physical therapists helped him stand up on his left leg. He didn't stay long. He is getting stronger physically and is very aware on some days mentally. Most days he is foggy and confused. The speech therapist has worked with him some. Please pray for mental clarity and healing along with his voice and swallowing. I know he is ready to eat. Some days he is ready to work hard and other days not so much. Trusting God is in control and His timing is perfect. Thank you for praying and love you all. Greg and Kathy.

 

[JasonR]

Man, I had heard Greg was sick, but today was the first time seeing this thread.

I can’t imagine the hell you’ve been through, Greg. Your wife is incredibly strong.

We’re all hoping and betting you’ll pull out of this thing a stronger man.

My thoughts are with you.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 16 May:

OK, time for an update for Greg B****** . Last Monday, Greg pulled out his Foley catheter (urine) so they sent him to the emergency room at a bigger hospital. At this hospital, Greg has been on the trach collar for 7 days, no vent. He has been alert and aware for 6 days in a row and not trying to pull on his tubes and cords. He has only asked for anxiety meds 3 times since we've been here. He had to have a procedure to reinsert the catheter, and all is well. I brought his laptop to the hospital and he is checking Facebook, so if you write something on his page, he might stumble across it. Please make your comments short and large type, if you can. He is trying to maneuver the keys, but it is a struggle. He'll get there one day. Thank you as always for praying for Greg when you think about him. Man, isn't God the best!!!! Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

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[MTF]

New update 16 May:

Greg will hate us for all the posts he'll have to read here haha.

 

[BizyDad]

Greg will hate us for all the posts he'll have to read here haha.

As long as he's reading them, I don't care...

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 25 May:

Update on Greg B****** : We are back at the long term care hospital. When Greg got back, he had a good day, then his heart rate and breathing rate got too high, so they put him back on the vent to let him rest and meds for anxiety. They did a CT scan with dye to rule out blood clots in his lungs. Results are not back yet, but his breathing and heart rate are good now. They started weaning him from the ventilator again today. Physical therapy guys have had Greg up sitting on the bedside 3 days in a row. One of those days they helped him stand. Just a bump in the road. I trust God knows what he is doing. Thanks for remembering us. Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

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[Parks]

Greg. I hope to see a post from you soon. You will win this battle man. Gonna come out indestructible.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 2 June:

Time for an update on Greg B****** ; Still on the ventilator, but feeling good. Much progress on regulating his anxiety meds. When he feels like he isn't getting enough air, his anxiety skyrockets and when his anxiety goes up, his breathing is faster. It's a mad cycle. Been told he just needs time. God's timing is always right. He is still doing physical therapy every day. Getting a bit stronger all the time. Finally off of antibiotics for the infections he had. Wants to look at our finances each day and is checking up on the rental houses. Still rests and sleeps quite a bit, but communicates a lot also. Bedsores are better, just takes time for those to heal. Thank you for continually praying for us. Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 3 June.

The address below is not Greg's home address, which is why I am ok posting it here, but I am going to delete the address after 24 hours so that I don't leave up potentially outdated info for future readers. If you don't see an address after June 4, just DM me for current mailing address.

Hey Facebook prayer warriors of Greg B******; Greg made the comment that every day seems like groundhog day. Thought if you had time or energy you might drop him a card or note in the mail. Might give him something to look forward to and opening mail would help his hands have some therapy. Please write fairly large. I think his cataracts have gotten a bit worse this year. The address is: REMOVED JUNE 4. DM for address. Thank you so much. Love Kathy.

 

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[Andy Black]

New update 3 June.

The address below is not Greg's home address, which is why I am ok posting it here, but I am going to delete the address after 24 hours so that I don't leave up potentially outdated info for future readers. If you don't see an address after June 4, just DM me for current mailing address.

What a great idea. I’ll send a note shortly.

 

[Itizn]

This man is the definition of a fighter.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 13 June:

Update on Greg B****** : Not a lot has changed since the last update. The physical therapists have had him standing up for a bit almost every day. Still working on vent weaning. Getting a bit better. He is much more aware and awake each day. Still sleeps on and off throughout the day. The dietician increased his calories. He was losing weight. He is a professional channel surfer again. Please continue to pray for his body to get stronger each day and NO MORE infections. We have the most faithful prayer warriors. God is still sending people to help us as we need it. Oh give thanks to the Lord! His mercy endures forever!! Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 29 June:

Update on Greg B****** : Greg has been progressing slowly. We hit a couple of bumps in the road, but are now back on track. When I got to the hospital this morning, he was on the trach collar and he had already worked with the occupational therapist. He has gained a little weight, but needs to gain more. God is making all the pieces fit in place in His perfect timing. Thank you all for caring about us and praying for us. Several of you have sent cards and I appreciate that so much. A bright spot in the day. Love you all, Greg and Kathy.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Anyone heard anything? Been several weeks. Hard to believe this shit started over 6 months ago.

 

[MTF]

Anyone heard anything? Been several weeks. Hard to believe this shit started over 6 months ago.

I wanted to ask for an update a few hours ago but I've been sick with COVID since yesterday and it's been beating me up.

I have even more sympathy for @Runum now as yesterday I felt the sickest in my life. This shit can really mess you up.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

Anyone heard anything? Been several weeks. Hard to believe this shit started over 6 months ago.

I still check daily and no recent updates since 29 June. It seems like his wife, Kathy, has switched to only updating every few weeks now which makes sense since the updates have been about gradual progress and no longer about acute illness. It seems his recovery timeline is happening over spans of weeks instead of days, but it sounds like he is still making progress little by little each day.

I saw that he did like a Facebook post from his daughter on June 19, so that tells me either someone logged into his account and liked that post or he liked it himself. Other than that, no activity from him on his Facebook since mid-April when he liked Russ H's post.

His Fastlane account was last seen on Thursday (hadn't thought to check that till now), so if you're reading this Runum, hope you're doing well!

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

I wanted to ask for an update a few hours ago but I've been sick with COVID since yesterday and it's been beating me up.

I have even more sympathy for @Runum now as yesterday I felt the sickest in my life. This shit can really mess you up.

Hope you feel better soon, MTF. I went through my own bout in June and was pretty fatigued for 48 hours. Not sure if it was BA.2 or BA.5, but BA.5 is becoming the dominant subvariant now and seems to be more severe than BA.2 was, so I wish you a speedy recovery!

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 13 July:

Update on Greg B****** : My oh my God is so good to us! Greg has been working so hard breathing on the trach collar. This morning, the speech therapist worked with Greg and he spoke, on and off for 30 min. It was exciting and emotional. I could not understand all that he said, but could understand some. I asked him to be patient with me for asking him to repeat himself. Big step for him to have a voice!! He is sitting in a reclining chair most days for an hour or two. Works on a puzzle while in the recliner a bit when he feels like it. Thank you for continuing to pray. Love, Greg and Kathy.

 

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[msufan]

New update 13 July:

Thanks for posting these -- rooting hard here!!

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 26 July;

Update on Greg B****** ; Greg has been on the trach collar 6 and 1/2 days now. He is talking clearly most of the time. He told me that his talking gets sloppy when he gets tired. He was happy to get to talk with Bec, our daughter, a bit yesterday. He passed his swallow test to have liquids and soft food. Still working on getting his jaw strength for solid food. Physically he is getting stronger. His heart rate is going down, which is a wonderful thing. Physical therapy got him in a wheelchair this afternoon. Greg said it was strenuous. Getting closer to heading to north Texas. God's timing is perfect. Keep praying please. Love Greg and Kathy.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

New update 2 August:

Update on Greg B******; Praise the Lord,our God, we traveled from Brownsville to Ft. Worth yesterday. Greg in an ambulance with three kind young men paramedics. I followed in the truck. We are in Caraday of Ft. Worth. Greg is doing great!! We have spoken with the respiratory therapist and they are confident that Greg will be off of the trach before long. Hoping to get physical therapy going today and get to talk to his new doctor. So glad to be back in north Texas!! Thank you all so much for praying and keep it up! Love Greg and Kathy.

 

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[MTF]

New update 2 August:

Awesome news. As always, thank you for providing these updates.

 

[Parks]

Glad to see Greg doing better. We knew he would get through this. Anytime someone close to me gets covid, my first thoughts are on this thread.