Emergency Induced Coma

Hey everyone!

This is Ryan again, until stated otherwise, it’s going to be me from here on out until Maria is better. 

After being discharged from the Hospital on Thursday March 24th, Maria seemed to be getting stronger, retaining less fluid in her stomach and having more energy! She was able to drive a car for the first time in months, she was able to go to the gym and workout for the first time in months and we even got a little fancy and went on a date for the first time…. in months 🤪 These moments were amazing and they were absolutely everything! Maria had told me that she felt like a miracle was happening and she was so thankful and happy! The good days are truly good!! 

However... we have had very bad & challenging days since Monday night at 11:45pm on the 28th of March. Maria was feeling weird and off that day and wanted to rest (She had not slept so well Saturday & Sunday night due to lots of wind). So Maria explained to me that she was just exhausted and tired. I thought absolutely nothing of it because I too didn't get much sleep. I also had a friend visiting at the time from Germany so I was able to spend some of the day with him while Maria rested and spent time with her mom. When we came back home, Maria kept saying she was pretty tired, so her and I agreed that she should go to bed early and rest. She was laying in bed for a few hours and couldn’t fall asleep. She said that when she did close her eyes, she was having weird dreams and felt a little nauseous. I had immediately suggested we go to the ER (emergency room) because she was weird all day and now nauseous. With her history of puking blood, I was VERY, VERY, scared! Suddenly, before we got to make a plan to go, she ran to the bathroom and puked blood. 

Thankfully this time I was much more prepared. It was also much better than the last time. Maria didn't puke as much and she was much more calm. It was also not so scary this time for Maria and I because we knew it was a possibility that it could happen again. During the event, I was able to stay calm, call the ambulance, and have Sebastian help me with Maria. As the ambulance arrived, I had told them that she had not passed out yet, but that she will soon and she’ll likely have a seizure. Shortly after, she did… they then realized that it was very serious and that they needed her to get to the hospital fast. Once we arrived, they gave Maria blood because her blood percentage was low (which is why she passes out and has a seizure). The staff told us that it's normal for her to pass out after vomiting and it's nothing to worry about. 

The last time this happened, they said it was VERY important that Maria immediately gets a gastroscope and a CT scan to locate the bleeding so they can stop it. He said there was no time to waste. But this time, we saw a different doctor and he said that it wasn’t necessary because Maria was “stable.” He also said that she can wait until the morning because no one was at the hospital at 12:30am to do it. I was FURIOUS! I raised my voice, I got mad at the doctor and I told him to call people in to do the procedure. Over and over again he ignored me even though my gut said it was very serious and important that they do it that night! 

That doctor said it was unlikely she would puke blood again (like he knows… he didn’t know anything about her) but that she just needed blood to bring up her blood values. He also said that she would need to puke again in order for them to find the source of the problem. Which sounded like the most stupid solution. Hours later, Maria puked blood again in the hospital and the doctors and nurses were too late and couldn’t find the bleeding site. When I saw that doctor again from the ER (emergency room), I YELLED AT HIM! 

Other doctors told me that they disagreed with him and that he should have called people into the hospital to do the procedure. After the 3rd time of puking, they STILL couldn’t figure it out or find the bleeding site. Doctors and nurses told me they were watching for elevated heart rate, lower blood pressure or a spike, a drop in her blood percentage etc. because that indicated that she’s actively bleeding and they needed to act quickly to find the bleeding source. The doctors and nurses couldn't figure out if she was bleeding from her esophagus or from her stomach. It was too difficult for them to figure out because her puking was happening intermittently. 

In the evening, while I was there at the hospital visiting her in Lillehammer, Maria’s heart rate jumped up very high! I immediately told the nurse but she told me that she didn’t want to call the doctors because they had already done a gastroscope in the morning. Turns out that Maria was bleeding when I told the nurse but they didn’t act on it. Maria puked again and they missed their chance at finding the spot while she was actively bleeding. It got very challenging for the doctors in Lillehammer and they decided to fly her to Oslo with a helicopter. They had better staff, better equipment there and they wanted Maria to have the best service. They also chose a helicopter because it was quicker than an ambulance.  

Maria flew to Oslo on Wednesday, March 30th where she was then admitted to Ullevål in Oslo to the intensive care unit (ICU) floor. The doctors and nurses decided it would be best to put Maria in an induced coma so they can try and stop the bleeding immediately when they see any indication. They said it would be the fastest way & the safest way so Maria doesn’t get any blood in her lugs. Up to this point, Maria was conscious and wanted to do anything to solve the problem. So putting her asleep is something Maria was happy with. It does NOT mean that Maria was on life support. It is a controlled procedure that they do in order to figure out the problem quickly. 

Maria was supposed to start Liquid Sunshine on March 31st but that has canceled at this time. After meeting with the oncologist, they said they saw no further spreading of her cancer on the last CT, so they said it’s safe and ok for Maria to wait 1-2 weeks before starting her 3rd round of Liquid Sunshine. The top priority right now is to stop the bleeding. With Maria being in an induced coma, they have her very stable, comfortable and are ensuring she is in no pain. They started to give her a new medicine through IV (Glypressin) and they said that this new medicine decreases the pressure in her portal vein in the liver that they suspect is causing the bleeding in her esophagus. 

The great news is that they have surgeons and doctors at the hospital 24 hours a day and ready to do a procedure as soon as she starts bleeding again. There are also between one to three nurses at all times in her room monitoring her. The nurses have lots of machines hooked up to her and they are checking her blood nearly every hour. If they see a change in her blood or anything else, they will check her blood every 30 minutes. So they are very on top of it! 

Unfortunately, the second day in Oslo in the morning, they noticed that she was bleeding (thankfully she can’t puke). But they were 40 minutes too late to find the source of the bleeding. (I was FURIOUS) In my head, how can you have 3 nurses in the room, surgeons and doctors waiting and be 40 minutes too late??? I let them know they better not be late again!! I have been doing my ABSOLUTE BEST & HARDEST to advocate, fight, and work HARD for Maria! Throughout this entire process, I only think about and do what’s best for Maria. 

I fight for her to get the BEST and safest care!! I let every doctor and nurse hear my voice and I’m not afraid or ashamed if I get stern with them. Thankfully, because I have raised my voice and have been stern, Maria has been able to get some of the care she really needed. Her family & I feel like if I didn’t act in this way at times, she wouldn’t have gotten the help she needed when she needed it. So I wont stop fighting until she’s better! The #1 advice that many people shared with me as soon as we got the diagnosis was “Advocate, Advocate, Advocate!” & wow!!!! were they right!! I feel like we truly have to work HARD and advocate for ourselves to truly get what we need! So I would like to let everyone know that I am not some crazy American just screaming all the time! I'm still very respectful to the hospital staff, I appreciate all their hard work, but I do everything I can that's best for Maria.

When the doctors did the gastroscope in Lillehammer, they noticed that Maria had 3 large dilated veins, so they put in a stint to push against the walls to stop the bleeding in Ullevål as a temporary solution. They then took another day to monitor her and come up with a new plan. They then decided they were going to do a CT scan to locate all the dilated veins and to check on her liver. After that, they came back to us the next day with a new plan. A good plan! 

They told us that Maria would go down to do a special liver examination to check the pressure that is going through the portal vein in the liver. If the pressure was high, they would do something to decrease the pressure. They were also going to put coils inside the veins that were dilated in her esophagus. I’m so pleased to say that the procedure was successful!! They were able to put a stint in her portal vein (which reduced the pressure by 3x the amount it was) and they were able to put in the coils in the dilated veins. They had intentions to wake her up that same day, but they decided it would be best for Maria to rest another day after the procedure and just monitor her first. We also thought that was a great idea and option as well! 

Throughout this entire process, Maria’s parents and I have been able to see Maria everyday. The nurses and doctors also inform us that she is stable, they tell us her blood levels, and they do their best to make us feel comfortable. While we are with Maria, we tell her that we love her, that all of you are thinking about her, we hold her hand, etc. My aunt even had a great idea of playing relaxing music for her so she doesn’t have to listen to the machines the entire time. So we did that for her as well! On a couple of visits, she even opened her eyes from time to time and showed us her beautiful blue eyes. Immediately when she looks at me, I tell her I love her. One time she moved her jaw slightly, so I feel deep down, that she was trying to say it back to me. 

Everyday the nurses and doctors here in Ullevål made us feel comfortable and happy. They are really doing an amazing job at taking care of Maria! They also let us know if ANYTHING changes and that’s also very comforting. They tell us to call anytime and they always answer all of our calls. Although this process has been hard emotionally, and mentally, it’s comforting that they will wake Maria up soon and that we will soon hear her voice. 

Maria will likely be in the intensive care unit until Sunday, April 3rd. She will then hopefully start round 3 of Liquid Sunshine shortly after that depending on her strength. Nothing is set but we all know it’s important that she doesn’t wait too long. 

There has been many of you that has reached out to Maria but please don’t think the worst. She is in great hands, she’s going to wake up soon. Maria is STRONG, FIERCE, UNSTOPPABLE, and more. She will overcome it all! 

Thank you for your constant love, thank you for your constant support, and thank you for your constant prayers. God is good!! Miracles can and WILL happen! We all believe it, we are all praying for it!

With lots of love,

- Ryan & Maria

If you still wish to support us, you can do that here on our Go Fund Me , or on our Venmo's or Icelandic Bank. 

Here are some pictures of our good days! 

First time driving in months!! 

Date night!! 

First time going to the gym! 

Loving her new jacket! 

Naps with Sunny because she loves to cuddle mommy! 

Jokes with Sebastian and she loves her new hat!! 

Sushi for dinner with great company!