Long journey home, By FAYE WHITBECK, Staff Writer

“She smiled at me, I went to her side and said I loved her, and she mouthed the words ‘I love you’ back to me. I told her some of what the details about her are, trying not to confuse her, and we just kept telling each other that we loved each other.”
CaringBridge Journal Entry ~
Dave VanBergen June 2007

When Dave VanBergen headed for the Mayo Clinic emergency room last June, what he knew was that his wife Ann was very sick.
What he didn’t know was that the journey would be a descent into hell.
Desperately seeking answers for Ann’s increasingly ill health, the couple left for Rochester. Ann was suffering a mysterious condition that was worsening by the hour.
But they had only reached Ericsburg when Ann’s state was so deteriorated that Dave turned around to retrieve some medications. Ann was now slurring her speech and was so weakened she couldn’t get out of the vehicle. It soon became clear to Dave that his wife wasn’t going anywhere but the local emergency room.
By next morning, she was LifeFlighted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth.
Ann VanBergen would not see home or familiar faces again for months.
Ann’s organs were beginning to shut down. And as her system suffered one assault after another, she was beginning a retreat from reality.
After 19 weeks on an unplanned journey, Ann VanBergen is finally at home. In the next few weeks while her mind was on a journey all its own, Ann’s family would watch her endure blood transfusions, a spinal reconstruction, skin grafting, coma, tracheotomy and artificial ventilation, blood clotting, heart valve injury, stroke, a fluid increase of 100 pounds, kidney dialysis, surgeries, pneumonia, hair loss and more.

Local emergency room
What doctors at Falls Memorial Hospital could tell the VanBergens that day was that Ann’s blood pressure was dangerously low. And she was losing blood volume, as much as 30 percent. They could tell them that her heart rate was very high. Duluth doctors advised she be sent down as soon as possible. They doubted that she would survive the trip by land. They told them that her situation was grave.
But they couldn’t tell them why.

Discovery in Duluth
Ann’s helicopter flight brought her to the Duluth hospital before Dave and one of his daughter’s, Deb from Grand Rapids, arrived by car. There was news when they got there: Blood-born staphylococcus infection.
Circulating in Ann’s body was a staph bacteria. Her body was succumbing to septic shock and was shutting down all peripheral functions.
It would be another day before the infectious disease doctor could classify the bacteria to determine its particular sensitivity to antibiotics.
Even though they now had an answer, many dark and terrifying valleys lay ahead.

“She is in a very perilous place and is in need of a lot of prayers, some luck, good medical care, and a small miracle.”
CaringBridge Entry ~
Dave VanBergen

Backing up a bit
The story actually begins in 2005 when Ann injured her back building a rock garden in her yard. Over-compensating for the injury caused her to have problems in one knee.
The remedy for the resulting knee injury was a relatively routine operation in which the joint was cleaned up and tears repaired. Ann was injected with a spinal anesthetic for the knee surgery which seemed to be a success.
But about six weeks later, Ann began experiencing a different type of back pain.
“And I was terribly tired,” Ann said. “I was growing weaker and weaker.” Ann was already seeing specialists for her back and her knee, but none suspected a bacterial infection. Her steady decline ultimately led to the attempted Rochester trip.

Devastation
After the blood infection diagnosis, Duluth doctors told Dave they had discovered large abscessed deposits along Ann’s spine. She would need surgery as soon as the infection was under control. But Ann was sinking quickly and they decided to do the surgery right away. This was the first, but not the last time, Dave heard the words “She could die.”

“I feel that every decision I am faced with holds her life in the balance, at this point, and that what the doctors and nurses do will determine the outcome. Prayer is a powerful thing, so please keep them coming.”
CaringBridge Entry ~
Dave VanBergen

The infection had so severely damaged Ann’s spine that bone segments of her seven lower vertebra were removed. Muscle straps in her back were stretched and reattached to secure the spine. She would require skin grafts along her back. And she was returned for a second back surgery for what Ann’s doctor said was “one of the largest amounts of clotted blood he’d ever seen.”
In those first few weeks, deposits or “vegetation” was also found attaching to Ann’s heart valve which could mean open heart surgery (her body gradually dissolved them on its own). She was also experiencing what doctors call “third spacing,” a condition where fluid abnormally leaks outside the body’s cells, causing tissues to swell severely. Toxins, by-products of the bacteria, were causing Ann’s kidneys to shut down, leading to necessary dialysis.
Some of those heart valve deposits broke loose, causing an embolized shower or mini-stroke in Ann’s brain. This was one of the darkest days for Dave VanBergen and his four children.

“The infectious disease doctor called me about twenty of eight a.m. to tell me that Ann has suffered a serious setback... He said the seizure was caused by a shower of very small particles in her brain from some of the material on the heart valves ...
The call brought a reality that I may not have Ann much longer ... what will I do?? I rushed to Duluth and called the kids on the way to tell them they should come.”
CaringBridge Entry ~
Dave VanBergen

Weeks went by. It was touch and go.
Her children, six grandchildren, friends and family, came and went.
Slowly, with all her setbacks as well as cognitive and neurological impairment, Ann began to progress. After about 10 weeks, she began to recognize family and they noticed miniscule bits of her personality returning. Speaking would take time and she lost her fine motor skills. She’d have to regain all her muscle strength and learn to walk again.
This meant 10 weeks of grueling rehabilitation with a transfer to the Miller Dwan Center. Dave rode her hard, Ann now says in slow, deliberate but cheerful speech.
“If it hadn’t been for Dave, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” said Ann who still struggles with walking distances and has severe pain and swelling in her left leg and foot. She knows she has a long way to go, probably at least six to nine months.
Her husband has been at her side faithfully. As he speaks, she watches his face, often laying her hand over his in visible appreciation of his devotion. In more than 19 weeks, he left her side for only six days.
Ann has absolutely no memory of at least 12 of those weeks. She struggles with the pieces of the puzzle. Throughout her husband’s explanations, she replies in bewilderment: “You’re kidding” and “I didn’t know that.”
And often, in his emotionally hesitant and gut-wrenching narrative, Dave glances at his wife judging whether she can handle what he is about to say.
Dave meticulously chronicled Ann’s journey at www.caringbridge.org, a Web site made available by St. Mary’s hospital. With nearly 100 reports on Ann’s situation, her site is filled with good wishes and to date has received more than 7,500 hits.
“Ann said every time she reads it, she cries,” said Barb Strand, a friend. Strand added that it is awesome to see how their relationship is strengthened. Dave’s emotional and descriptive journal entries are strong testament to that thought. He said the crisis hit him hard in those first few days:
“I had very quickly realized that in living our lives, our routines, day to day; it is really easy to take each other for granted. In a heartbeat, it can change. Think about what you have.”

“I know that I married a woman much stronger than I have given her credit for. This is also a testimony of the power that family, friends, prayer, and love have in our lives. We have a long way to go yet, but with everything we’ve got pulling us along, I know that "there ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough to keep..." us from finishing this journey. Thanks and love to all of you.”
CaringBridge Entry ~
Dave VanBergen

Prevention of staph infections
Staph infections are increasing in America, including the dangerous MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureu ).
Protecting yourself can seem daunting, given how widespread and virulent the bacteria have become. But these common-sense precautions can help lower your risk:
• Careful hand washing is your best defense against germs. Scrub hands briskly for at least 15 to 30 seconds, then dry them with a disposable towel and use another towel to turn off the faucet. If your hands aren't visibly dirty, you can use a hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol.
• Keeping wounds covered with sterile, dry bandages will help keep possible bacteria from spreading until they heal. The pus from infected sores often contains staph bacteria.
• Avoid high-risk food in public. In a restaurant, avoid mayonnaise-based salads and cream sauces. At home, refrigerate food promptly, especially dishes made with mayonnaise or eggs.
• Reduce tampon risks. You can reduce your chances of getting toxic shock syndrome ( resulting from staph bacteria) by changing your tampon frequently, at least every four to eight hours. Use the lowest absorbency you can and try to alternate using tampons and sanitary napkins.
• Keep personal items personal. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. Staph infections can spread on objects as well as from person to person. If you have a cut or sore, wash your towels and linens using detergent and hot water with added bleach and dry them in a hot dryer.
• Get tested. If you have a skin infection that requires treatment or are scheduled for surgery, ask your doctor if you should be tested for MRSA.

Preventing hospital-acquired infections
Every year, about 2 million Americans develop hospital-acquired infections and 90,000 die of them. Many of these are the result of MRSA, one of the most virulent and tenacious of the antibiotic-resistant germs. Hospitals are fighting back by instituting surveillance systems that track bacterial outbreaks and by investing in products such as antibiotic-coated catheters and gloves that release disinfectants.
But the best way to prevent the spread of germs is for health care workers to wash their hands or use alcohol rubs frequently, to properly disinfect hospital surfaces and to take other precautions such as wearing a mask when working with people with weakened immune systems.

Here's what you can do to protect yourself, family members or friends from hospital-acquired infections.
• Wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand rub often.
• Make sure your hospital has an active program to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and that those practices are followed.
• If you're hospitalized or visiting someone in the hospital, follow infection precautions closely.
• Don't ask for antibiotics for illnesses they won't help, such as colds and flu.

If you go:
Friends of the VanBergens have organized a fund raiser to offset the enormous expenses associated with traveling and living away from home for almost five months.
Benefit Spaghetti Dinner for Ann & Dave VanBergen
Tuesday • 4 to 7 p.m. at Aquinas Hall in the Falls
Those who cannot attend but would like to make a donation, can drop it off at TruStar or mail to: Ann VanBergen Benefit, c/o TruStar Federal Credit Union, 601 Fourth Street, International Falls, MN 56649.