THE ARNULFO PALOMO STORY

Arnulfo Palomo was admitted to Valley Grande Manor on March 29, 2001 from Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas. He was status post vent dependent with a tracheotomy for breathing and a peg tube for feeding. His diagnosis was all acute bacterial pneumonitis and acute A-fib complicated by a history of Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Hypertension, Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease and Congestive Heart Failure. Due to a lengthy hospital stay and poor nutrition he was also suffering from three sacral decub (bed scores requiring wound therapy) and one left heel decub; one of the sacral decub was classified as a Stage IV, the highest acuity given to a wound.

On April 6, 2000, Mr. Palomo spiked a fever, went into respiratory distress, and was readmitted to a local hospital where he was placed back on a ventilator and was sent to I.C.U. He was treated for sepsis and returned to Valley Grande Manor on May 2, 2000 and was weaned again from mechanical ventilator, but not for long.....he spiked a fever on June 6, 2000 and again was admitted to a local hospital.

This recurrent sepsis became a monthly occurrence with hospital admission on July 4, 2000; August 10, 2000 and November 28, 2000 where he was placed back on a ventilator each time and would be weaned to oxygen collar between the septic episodes. On December 27, 2000 he seemed to begin to win the fight for his life as that was the last known hospital stay to date. He did so well that he was weaned completely off the ventilator by the new year 2001; and January 16, 2001, the trach was removed completely.

The tide really turned for Arnulfo when on February 28, 2001 he passed his swallowing evaluation and began to eat real food.

He joined the rehab staff each day for exercises and continued to improve and get stronger.

On May 1, 2001 there was not a dry eye in the house when Arnulfo was discharged home and WALKED OUT of the facility, but they were tears of JOY!