Ashley's Story

Mont Belvieu, TX

We keep waiting for him to walk back through the doors.

Bryan Tomlin, husband of 18 years and father of three.

Our Nightmare Begins

“They just watched him for 2 days and then day 3 intubated him.”

Our nightmare started the weekend of Easter 2021. We came back from my husband’s parents’ house, and all came back with Covid. This was the start of a horrible nightmare. My husband was 42 and I have been his wife of 18 years with 3kids ages 12, 10, and 9. He was healthy, but when he got sick, he went to our local ER they sent him home on basic antibiotics. Three days later he got progressively worse and went back. He was then told that they would do a 24hr watch and if he got worse, they would send him by ambulance. Mistake #1; they gave him the option to stay or go home and of course, he chose home. That night he drove himself to the local hospital and was immediately put into a room where they just watched him for 2 days and then day 3 intubated him.

Transferred

They were putting him in the swimmer’s position and turning him but kept him laying on the same side and face. Because of this, he ended up with stage 3 lacerations on his face and ear (right Side). Not once did they document this or the fact that he woke up while being intubated and knocked out a front tooth. I was never contacted about this but was told by a nurse to get him out asap and into a prestigious hospital because he had a better chance of living. We were lucky enough to get him stable enough to be transferred to Baylor’s Scott and White in Dallas and they were on top of their game. Bryan was very well taken care of for the most part.

He Felt It All

"Then the surgeon and his assistant came in to apologize and said that this wasn’t the first time."

He stayed at Baylor’s for 4.5 months on ECMO and on a trach. Before being put on these he was given Remdesivir without my knowledge. It was all looking promising, but he was having a lot of bloating in the face /neck/etc.… they realized that his feeding tube wasn’t in direct contact, and all his feedings and meds were being pushed into it was being forced in between his skin and abdominal wall. So, they decided to go in and drain as much as they could. The doc doing the procedure came in went over everything with him and me.

Then came problem#2 the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist told Bryan “I’m gonna give you twilight meds to roll u down and once they get you prepped, I’ll give u the sedatives.” So, the doctor prepped Bryan and instead of giving him the sedatives, she just told the doctor she gave him everything and he was ready, knowing FULL and well he couldn’t speak and couldn’t lift his hands or feet. My baby had to lay there, and he said he felt it all. The cutting open, the draining, the moving of organs, and last but not least, the stapling closed. A few days later they tried out a device called the Pasmere valve which allowed him to somewhat talk. I recorded him saying what happened in O.R. He never trusted anyone after that. The anesthesiologist came in later and apologized to him saying she felt he didn’t need it and that she was watching his vitals. Then the surgeon and his assistant came in to apologize and said that this wasn’t the first time this had happened and that it was being investigated. I NEVER heard anything else.

Closer to Home

“Know that you are their voice.”

He finally got his ECMO disconnected and the doctor felt he was coming out of the woods, so he suggested we send him to a Lsac place closer to home. We were all so excited because now it was nearly 5mths in. We got him closer to home and a few weeks in he started to decline fast. I was told if u don’t stay on top of them, they will sit and let him die. I was there EVERY day and had help from his parents. He ended up catching pneumonia once again and never got better. My baby died wanting to go home and eat fruit. He wanted to hold his family a little longer. The Lord called him home on August 8th, 2021. After his funeral, I proceeded to get justice for the neglect and malpractice that had taken place at the hospitals. With all the things we had recorded, we were told because it was a Covid case it wouldn’t stand in court. We were told there were too many like this and that no one would honor it. When you feel how hard it is to watch your loved one die and struggle always, know that you are their voice. Know it’s even harder because they have to lay there and take it. Put on your brave face for your family and loved ones. It’s so hard… still is... we keep waiting for him to walk back through the doors, but the reality is he won’t. We have our own angel in Heaven protecting us from the skies.