Monday, September 5, 2016

Spring/Summer Hospital Stay Day 16

June 1, 2016

 vital signs continued to improve today however the progress that has been made has not yet positively impacted how she feels. She is still battling shortness of breath, intermittent fevers and nausea all conditions which have left her exhausted.
The medical staff is still investigating several theories that could potentially be the source of her symptoms. It was revealed to us to day that the new number one contender appears to be a viral pneumonia. Her latest X-ray revealed cloudiness along the top quadrant of the right lung which is indicative of pneumonia. While there are several other possibilities that could explain the shadow the most likely cause is pneumonia. As a result of this finding the team prescribed the antbiotic Levequin and stopped all other antibiotics from being introduced into her system.
A further examination of the lungs revealed that the fluid on her lungs is slowly being eliminated. The course of action going forward will continue to be the use of Lasix to assist with the elimination of the excess fluid.
There was no recognizable difference in kidney function over the last twenty-four hours. Her creatinine value of two and reported protein leakage is indicative of damaged kidneys however doctors believe that this issue could correct itself as functionality of the lungs is restored. This is a serious concern and will continue to be monitored by the Nephrology team.
Her white blood cell count continues to rise with a value of 7.2 reported today up from the 6.2 that was reported yesterday. The increase was realized with no transfusion so the bone marrow is clearly productive. More importantly the neutrophils are now within range changing her status from neutropenic to normal. She is no longer anymore susceptible to disease than the average person.
The best news of the day came around lunch time this afternoon when she was told by her primary doctor that he expects her symptoms to subside in time for her to attend her son (my stepson) high school graduation on Saturday. Immediately following receipt of that news her pulse dropped from the high 90's to the low 80's and her respiration rate dropped to 20 from what was the low 30's. Earlier in the week her pulse was upwards of 110 and her respiration rate fluctuated between 35 to 45.
The final piece of good news delivered by her primary doctor was that her body is ready for solid food.
I find myself tearing up anytime good news is delivered these days and this afternoon was no exception. I'm not the most affectionate guy on the face of the Earth but I had the urge to give the doctor a great big hug.
She has made some giant strides but still has many challenges ahead of her. Her hemoglobin is low (<7) which in combination with excessive fluid build up on her lungs has her in an exhaustive state. She barely has the energy to prop her head up on her pillows. She has been non-responsive to text messages, emails, and phone calls and will remain so until her treatment takes effect.
It was an up and down day because all signs are pointing in the right direction but she still feels very bad. This woman can internalize pain like no one I've ever seen do before. I'm sad when I watch her suffer but I'm amazed at the method she uses to cope.
I'm going to give this day a thumbs up and the round to Angela Bursler, The road to winning this war will be long but cancer just may have picked on the wrong person.
#heartofalion

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