We are starting a new week. Jody has placed a countdown to Christmas on her marker board. (The nurses write little goals on this same board so Jody can remember things she needs to do; like yesterday they had a goal of sitting up in a chair...) Her little countdown starts at 6 and goes to 1, which is Christmas Eve.
Jody also needs to exercise her lung capacity by sucking in on a breathing apparatus ten times every hour. As she inhales she raises a little diaphragm, which measure the amount of force or suction. Jody is fanatic about doing her exercises. Most of us take short breaths in and out all the time... Jody has to learn to inhale deeply and purse her lips when exhaling to strengthen her lung capacity and increase circulation. We all need to consciously do this and unless we are purposely told to deep breathe this way, many of us do not. Yoga teaches breathing techniques like this to improve our health. For Jody it is critical that she improves her lung capacity after losing 10-15% of her left lung.
Her CBC continues to improve, everything is back up including her HCT, White Blood Cells and Platelets. This tells the doctors her graft is strong and continues to gain in strength. In addition, Jody has not had any GVHD attacks during this episode, which also bodes well for her recovery.
I wanted to catch up on some of my book keeping before going to the hospital. I spoke to Jody a couple of times and she sounds a lot better over the phone. They are taking some x-rays to see how she is healing inside and determine if they can remove the tubes from her chest. We should know this afternoon.
I will write more latter....
The results came back too late for the doctors to do anything, so we are hopeful for tomorrow. Jody is resting so I decided to go home...
Jody's Garden
"No Worries"................. On a Sunset Cruise off Na Pali.................. "You can click on the picture for a tour of what we saw and the fun we had..............." (If you are new to my blog, I post the most recent news or event first (or on top). If you are trying to catch up, you may want to start with my older posts first by clicking on the "Blog Archive" and choosing a title)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Forty-Four
Arrived at the hospital today around 10:30 and Jody had just finished her breakfast. She is still weak from the operation but is alert and continues to improve. The surgeon stopped by along with her BMT doctor. They are happy to see the progress she is making.
By 1 o'clock she decided she wanted to get out of bed so the nurse helped her move to a chair. She stood for awhile and then moved to her chair. Jody's blood pressure has come down closer to her norm and her ANC (see "Day Zero" post) is back up to 4999 (Jody's ANC had dropped below 1500 prior to the operation). Jody's White blood cell count has gone up considerably, which indicates her new immune system is mounting a response to her infection.
The Bronco's play Oakland at 2:15 so we are settling in waiting for the game to start. Jody is excited to hear Tim Tebow will start. We have been discussing the game plan and the 4-3 defense pros and cons. ( This would not be possible with out her transplant and the fact she now has X and Y chromosomes. Ha!Ha! Let's see now she like Blue Moon Beer, loves hot peppers and wants to talk about football.)
The ICU physician stopped by to examine her and declared Jody is doing great. He thinks Dr. Metzdorff will probably be able to remove the tubes from her chest tomorrow. "Wouldn't that be great!" Jody and I are both holding out hope that she can come home for Christmas... not sure where the doctors are on the idea. If the surgeon removes the tube for her chest, the BMT feels she will be safe and Infectious Disease thinks I can give her antibiotics at home, it could happen. ("Oh, I almost forgot she has to have a pooh, too." you would be surprised how important this is...)
DARN! The Broncos lost, but Tebow had a good game. Jody has put the blame on the coaching staff, she is certain they had a bad game plan. Oh well, next week we have the Texans. Maybe that will be a turning point for the whole season.
Jody had her Chicken Tenders with French Fries. I think she looks content. One of Jody's many favorite nurses, Jane is on tonight, so she is happy. I turned on a Christmas show for her and I will be heading out to get some sleep and start all over tomorrow.
Continue to hold the calls, I will let you know when it would be good. If you just have to call, keep it short and do not have her go over all that has happened. She struggles to talk and is short of breadth. Think of something that will make her smile, laughing hurts.
Keep the prayers coming! You are doing GREAT... Love to everyone. See ya tomorrow...
By 1 o'clock she decided she wanted to get out of bed so the nurse helped her move to a chair. She stood for awhile and then moved to her chair. Jody's blood pressure has come down closer to her norm and her ANC (see "Day Zero" post) is back up to 4999 (Jody's ANC had dropped below 1500 prior to the operation). Jody's White blood cell count has gone up considerably, which indicates her new immune system is mounting a response to her infection.
The Bronco's play Oakland at 2:15 so we are settling in waiting for the game to start. Jody is excited to hear Tim Tebow will start. We have been discussing the game plan and the 4-3 defense pros and cons. ( This would not be possible with out her transplant and the fact she now has X and Y chromosomes. Ha!Ha! Let's see now she like Blue Moon Beer, loves hot peppers and wants to talk about football.)
The ICU physician stopped by to examine her and declared Jody is doing great. He thinks Dr. Metzdorff will probably be able to remove the tubes from her chest tomorrow. "Wouldn't that be great!" Jody and I are both holding out hope that she can come home for Christmas... not sure where the doctors are on the idea. If the surgeon removes the tube for her chest, the BMT feels she will be safe and Infectious Disease thinks I can give her antibiotics at home, it could happen. ("Oh, I almost forgot she has to have a pooh, too." you would be surprised how important this is...)
DARN! The Broncos lost, but Tebow had a good game. Jody has put the blame on the coaching staff, she is certain they had a bad game plan. Oh well, next week we have the Texans. Maybe that will be a turning point for the whole season.
Jody had her Chicken Tenders with French Fries. I think she looks content. One of Jody's many favorite nurses, Jane is on tonight, so she is happy. I turned on a Christmas show for her and I will be heading out to get some sleep and start all over tomorrow.
Continue to hold the calls, I will let you know when it would be good. If you just have to call, keep it short and do not have her go over all that has happened. She struggles to talk and is short of breadth. Think of something that will make her smile, laughing hurts.
Keep the prayers coming! You are doing GREAT... Love to everyone. See ya tomorrow...
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Forty-Three
I arrived at the hospital around 8 o'clock. Jody had ordered her usual breakfast; scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. She was challenged getting the eggs to her mouth with the IVs in her right arm, but I do have to admit it put a big smile on my face to see her eating.
Dr. Metzdorff stopped by around 11 o'clock to check her incision and drainage tubes, all of which passed in flying colors. He was excited to see there was no seepage from the incision. (The incision starts just below her shoulder blade on her back and runs across her side to her front.) Her chest also has a tube coming out just below her rib cage to keep fluids from building up in her thoracic cavity. Dr. Metzdorff saw no reason she could not return to the BMT ward.
The ICU doctor wanted to begin reducing her nitroglycerin drip and see how it affects her blood pressure, which has remained high. I went to lunch and returned to find Jody alert and wanting to stand. Greg, the ICU nurse thought it was a good idea so together we helped her to get out of bed and stand. She stood for awhile and marched in place. Her blood pressure did not increase. He felt this was a good sign.
Around 3 o'clock we were enroute back to the BMT ward. As a matter of fact we returned to the exact same room we left from on Thursday morning. It felt good to be home, not home, home, but a bit closer. Jody is sleeping a lot and is still on self-administered pain medication. "WOO HOO!" Because of the pain medication Jody is having trouble expressing her thoughts, which frustrates her.
It is now around 6 o'clock and I am preparing to go home. I first have to get her to order something. The have removed most of the IV's and she can now move her arms freely. Jody has to eat something to be able to tolerate her night time medicines. I am planning on returning around noon Sunday.
Please hold your calls for awhile... emails maybe, but she is not really looking at the computer... text messages drive her crazy because Jody does not text to well. Her room is 3211 and her phone number is the same as before (303-839-6211).
Love to everyone and more than anything we appreciate the prayers!
Dr. Metzdorff stopped by around 11 o'clock to check her incision and drainage tubes, all of which passed in flying colors. He was excited to see there was no seepage from the incision. (The incision starts just below her shoulder blade on her back and runs across her side to her front.) Her chest also has a tube coming out just below her rib cage to keep fluids from building up in her thoracic cavity. Dr. Metzdorff saw no reason she could not return to the BMT ward.
The ICU doctor wanted to begin reducing her nitroglycerin drip and see how it affects her blood pressure, which has remained high. I went to lunch and returned to find Jody alert and wanting to stand. Greg, the ICU nurse thought it was a good idea so together we helped her to get out of bed and stand. She stood for awhile and marched in place. Her blood pressure did not increase. He felt this was a good sign.
Around 3 o'clock we were enroute back to the BMT ward. As a matter of fact we returned to the exact same room we left from on Thursday morning. It felt good to be home, not home, home, but a bit closer. Jody is sleeping a lot and is still on self-administered pain medication. "WOO HOO!" Because of the pain medication Jody is having trouble expressing her thoughts, which frustrates her.
It is now around 6 o'clock and I am preparing to go home. I first have to get her to order something. The have removed most of the IV's and she can now move her arms freely. Jody has to eat something to be able to tolerate her night time medicines. I am planning on returning around noon Sunday.
Please hold your calls for awhile... emails maybe, but she is not really looking at the computer... text messages drive her crazy because Jody does not text to well. Her room is 3211 and her phone number is the same as before (303-839-6211).
Love to everyone and more than anything we appreciate the prayers!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Forty-Two
Jody went in for surgery at 8:03 am. The doctor hopes to speak with me around 11:00 am... After surgery she will be moved to ICU for observation. I will try to keep everyone posted on her progress. Keep the prayers coming...
The surgery was successful!
She was moved to recovery at 11:40 (the operation lasted three hours and thirty-seven minutes). The surgeon came out to talk with me. He said the surgery went smooth and there were no complications. He feels confident he was able to remove all of the diseased part of the lung. They discovered the small spot in the upper part of the lung was less than they had originally thought. The rest of the lung looked clear. They will send the lung tissue out to determine exactly what was growing in her lung. The report should be back in a couple of days. The surgeon said the operation took a little longer than he thought because he wanted to be sure he found all of of the fungus and that the operation was as minimally invasive as possible.
I am waiting for her to be moved from recovery to ICU, where I will be able to see her... I will let everyone know how Jody is doing.
Finally got to see Jody around 2 o'clock... Lots of tubes and breathing apparatus but she is responding. They are having some trouble controlling her blood pressure, but that is to be expected. It is tough trying to carry on a conversation with her as she goes in and out of conciousness. Jody knows who I am and what has happened but she is a little confused, this is understandable after what she has been through. I decided to come home early to get some sleep. She has her own Nurse, an Intern and a ICU doctor looking after her and I am just in the way. I will be back with her by 8 o'clock.
See y'all tomorrow...
The surgery was successful!
She was moved to recovery at 11:40 (the operation lasted three hours and thirty-seven minutes). The surgeon came out to talk with me. He said the surgery went smooth and there were no complications. He feels confident he was able to remove all of the diseased part of the lung. They discovered the small spot in the upper part of the lung was less than they had originally thought. The rest of the lung looked clear. They will send the lung tissue out to determine exactly what was growing in her lung. The report should be back in a couple of days. The surgeon said the operation took a little longer than he thought because he wanted to be sure he found all of of the fungus and that the operation was as minimally invasive as possible.
I am waiting for her to be moved from recovery to ICU, where I will be able to see her... I will let everyone know how Jody is doing.
Finally got to see Jody around 2 o'clock... Lots of tubes and breathing apparatus but she is responding. They are having some trouble controlling her blood pressure, but that is to be expected. It is tough trying to carry on a conversation with her as she goes in and out of conciousness. Jody knows who I am and what has happened but she is a little confused, this is understandable after what she has been through. I decided to come home early to get some sleep. She has her own Nurse, an Intern and a ICU doctor looking after her and I am just in the way. I will be back with her by 8 o'clock.
See y'all tomorrow...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Forty-One
I arrived at the hospital around nine this morning and Jody was definitely looking better. She had a low grade temperature last night but by morning she was normal. Her favorite meal at the hospital is breakfast... She ordered a cheese omelet with an order of bacon and two pancakes... YUM! The doctors like Jody to keep her appetite up.
More to follow...
Around 3 o'clock Dr Bearman stopped in to meet with Jody and me. He told us the pneumonia in Jody's left lung is due to a fungus called Zygomycetes, which is in the family of mold called Mucor. It is the same as a everyday bread mold and it is around us every where in the air and in the ground. A person with a normal immune system does not even know they have the fungus and their immune system easily destroys it. In Jody's case it can be a problem if it is not dealt with immediately. The doctor explained to us that it is not connected with the blood bacteria (The blood bacteria in Jody's blood is called Pseudomonas) they found in Jody's blood culture. It is a blessing (if that's the right term) she had the bacteria infection... it caused her to spike a fever... which caused them to look at her lungs... which caused them to do the broncioscope... which allowed them to discover the fungus. This fungus is what they watch for in allogenic transplant patients. It is usually not detected because the patient has no signs of infection until their lungs are fully engulfed. Dr. Bearman informed us he has called in a cardiovascular surgeon to discuss with us what needs to be done.
Doctor Metzdorff (a cardiac, thoracic, vascular surgeon) stopped in to discuss our options. The mold is confined to Jody's left lung, specifically the lower left lobe. They also found a fifty-cent size spot in the left upper lobe. Antibiotics will have no effect on the fungus, anti-fugal drugs can take too long to have an effect and the fungus can spread rapidly. The only option we have is to remove the infected part of her left lung.
The doctor explained to us he wants to operate on Jody at 8 AM tomorrow. (You could have picked us up off the floor.) Jody has been doing so well and shows no signs of discomfort. Dr. Metzdorff is confidant he will be able to remove ninty-nine percent of the mold and the infectious disease doctors can take care of the rest with anti-fungal medication. The operation is not without danger. Her immune suppressant drugs have compromised her blood vessels and bleeding is a big concern. Dr. Metzdorff assured us he will take every precaution.
The operation is expected to last about three-hours. After surgery she will have two-tubes stuck in her chest to drain any fluid build-up and remove air from her chest cavity to prevent her lung from collapsing. She will initially be moved to intensive care where she will be under constant watch. If all goes well Jody will be moved back to the BMT ward on Saturday. The doctors have told us their goal is to get Jody well enough to be home for Christmas.
Tonight will be a good night to contact her... Watch the blog and I will let you know when it is safe to call.
We love you all... Keep Jody in your prayers! She is a fighter and we are confident she will sail through this situation in flying colors.
I will keep everyone posted...
More to follow...
Around 3 o'clock Dr Bearman stopped in to meet with Jody and me. He told us the pneumonia in Jody's left lung is due to a fungus called Zygomycetes, which is in the family of mold called Mucor. It is the same as a everyday bread mold and it is around us every where in the air and in the ground. A person with a normal immune system does not even know they have the fungus and their immune system easily destroys it. In Jody's case it can be a problem if it is not dealt with immediately. The doctor explained to us that it is not connected with the blood bacteria (The blood bacteria in Jody's blood is called Pseudomonas) they found in Jody's blood culture. It is a blessing (if that's the right term) she had the bacteria infection... it caused her to spike a fever... which caused them to look at her lungs... which caused them to do the broncioscope... which allowed them to discover the fungus. This fungus is what they watch for in allogenic transplant patients. It is usually not detected because the patient has no signs of infection until their lungs are fully engulfed. Dr. Bearman informed us he has called in a cardiovascular surgeon to discuss with us what needs to be done.
Doctor Metzdorff (a cardiac, thoracic, vascular surgeon) stopped in to discuss our options. The mold is confined to Jody's left lung, specifically the lower left lobe. They also found a fifty-cent size spot in the left upper lobe. Antibiotics will have no effect on the fungus, anti-fugal drugs can take too long to have an effect and the fungus can spread rapidly. The only option we have is to remove the infected part of her left lung.
The doctor explained to us he wants to operate on Jody at 8 AM tomorrow. (You could have picked us up off the floor.) Jody has been doing so well and shows no signs of discomfort. Dr. Metzdorff is confidant he will be able to remove ninty-nine percent of the mold and the infectious disease doctors can take care of the rest with anti-fungal medication. The operation is not without danger. Her immune suppressant drugs have compromised her blood vessels and bleeding is a big concern. Dr. Metzdorff assured us he will take every precaution.
The operation is expected to last about three-hours. After surgery she will have two-tubes stuck in her chest to drain any fluid build-up and remove air from her chest cavity to prevent her lung from collapsing. She will initially be moved to intensive care where she will be under constant watch. If all goes well Jody will be moved back to the BMT ward on Saturday. The doctors have told us their goal is to get Jody well enough to be home for Christmas.
Tonight will be a good night to contact her... Watch the blog and I will let you know when it is safe to call.
We love you all... Keep Jody in your prayers! She is a fighter and we are confident she will sail through this situation in flying colors.
I will keep everyone posted...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Forty
Yesterday I mentioned Jody had an appointment at the clinic. I was unable to post more information due to the following...
While at the clinic we discovered Jody's HCT had dropped below 25 and she needed to go to the hospital to get an infusion. The doctor was also concerned about the fever she had last night, so to stay on the safe-side Doctor Bunvand wanted Jody to get a CT scan of her lungs. He also ordered a blood culture to test for any infection that may be in her blood.
The CT scan showed she had a dark area on the lower lobe of her left lung. This indicates she could have pneumonia. They will have to do several tests to determine for sure.
To do these tests Jody was admitted immediately into the the hospital to be safe. The doctors want to test to find out what kind of pneumonia she has and begin some IV antibiotics. This morning they are performing a broncoscopy to retrieve a sample of the infection.
I am on the way to the hospital, so I will post more from there.
The scope of her lung tissue confirmed it is pneumonia. They will take the sample to a Lab to see whether the infection is viral or bacterial. The results should be back Thursday.
The results came back on her blood sample they took on Tuesday. The tests indicated Jody has a bacterial infection in her blood. They are tuning her antibiotics to attack the specific bacteria. At the same time they are treating her lung pneumonia for the same bacteria while they await the lab results. They are certain it will come back with the same bacteria.
Jody is a lot more alert today and more upbeat. The doctors are hoping to knock the infection down quickly and let her go home. The estimate is anywhere from 2-4 days to 2-weeks, the latter has her more upset. Jody is (as always) ahead of the game; she has sent all her cards, wrapped all her presents and decorated the house. Everyone who knows her, knows this is probably part of the cause. By Friday we should know a lot more on how long our stay will be this time.
It is OK to call... she is in room 3211 at PSL, the same room we were in the end of October. Her room phone number is 303-839-6211.
I will post more tomorrow...
While at the clinic we discovered Jody's HCT had dropped below 25 and she needed to go to the hospital to get an infusion. The doctor was also concerned about the fever she had last night, so to stay on the safe-side Doctor Bunvand wanted Jody to get a CT scan of her lungs. He also ordered a blood culture to test for any infection that may be in her blood.
The CT scan showed she had a dark area on the lower lobe of her left lung. This indicates she could have pneumonia. They will have to do several tests to determine for sure.
To do these tests Jody was admitted immediately into the the hospital to be safe. The doctors want to test to find out what kind of pneumonia she has and begin some IV antibiotics. This morning they are performing a broncoscopy to retrieve a sample of the infection.
I am on the way to the hospital, so I will post more from there.
The scope of her lung tissue confirmed it is pneumonia. They will take the sample to a Lab to see whether the infection is viral or bacterial. The results should be back Thursday.
The results came back on her blood sample they took on Tuesday. The tests indicated Jody has a bacterial infection in her blood. They are tuning her antibiotics to attack the specific bacteria. At the same time they are treating her lung pneumonia for the same bacteria while they await the lab results. They are certain it will come back with the same bacteria.
Jody is a lot more alert today and more upbeat. The doctors are hoping to knock the infection down quickly and let her go home. The estimate is anywhere from 2-4 days to 2-weeks, the latter has her more upset. Jody is (as always) ahead of the game; she has sent all her cards, wrapped all her presents and decorated the house. Everyone who knows her, knows this is probably part of the cause. By Friday we should know a lot more on how long our stay will be this time.
It is OK to call... she is in room 3211 at PSL, the same room we were in the end of October. Her room phone number is 303-839-6211.
I will post more tomorrow...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Day Plus One-Hundred-Thirty-Nine
Good Morning everyone!
Today is Tuesday and we are off for the clinic. Jody and I decorated the house and trimmed the tree. We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas. I have heard from a few of you concerning my lack of posting on the blog. Sorry... there just has not been much to say. Jody continues to improve...
I will try to bring everyone up to date.
We are now at plus one-hundred-thirty-nine. As you may recall in October we were going to the clinic three times a week. In November we changed to two visits a week and now we are visiting one day a week. During our visits the Lab checks her CBC (Complete Blood Chemistry) followed by discussing our medication usually with a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant. They make any adjustments that her CBC indicates and ask how Jody feels. It is all about how she feels.
Her immune system is still growing and all Jody needs is time. One year is typical before we can start any vaccine regiment and two years (July 2012) to get all the childhood vaccines again. The staff at the clinic keeps telling us we are not running a sprint, we are definetly running a marathon. Everything takes time to develop. Jody is frustrated and wants to begin doing things. We both want to move on with our plans of retirement, but everything remains on hold.
Last d night we had a bit of a scare in that Jody's developed a temperature. Around 7 o'clock Jody complained she was flushed so we took her temperature. We discovered it was at 102.2. Jody got into bed and we continued to check her temperatureas well as place a call to the clinic. Around 8:30 I got a reading of 104.4. Doctor Brunvand was on call and responded to our call to the clinic. He told me to give her a couple of Tylenol and continue to monitor her temperature. Finally her temperature began to drop around 10 o'clock and I fell asleep next to her. Today Jody awoke feeling rested, her temperature was still ellevated, but she felt better. Our appointment this morning is with Doctor Brunvand at 8:00. I will write more latter.
More to follow...
Today is Tuesday and we are off for the clinic. Jody and I decorated the house and trimmed the tree. We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas. I have heard from a few of you concerning my lack of posting on the blog. Sorry... there just has not been much to say. Jody continues to improve...
I will try to bring everyone up to date.
We are now at plus one-hundred-thirty-nine. As you may recall in October we were going to the clinic three times a week. In November we changed to two visits a week and now we are visiting one day a week. During our visits the Lab checks her CBC (Complete Blood Chemistry) followed by discussing our medication usually with a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant. They make any adjustments that her CBC indicates and ask how Jody feels. It is all about how she feels.
Her immune system is still growing and all Jody needs is time. One year is typical before we can start any vaccine regiment and two years (July 2012) to get all the childhood vaccines again. The staff at the clinic keeps telling us we are not running a sprint, we are definetly running a marathon. Everything takes time to develop. Jody is frustrated and wants to begin doing things. We both want to move on with our plans of retirement, but everything remains on hold.
Last d night we had a bit of a scare in that Jody's developed a temperature. Around 7 o'clock Jody complained she was flushed so we took her temperature. We discovered it was at 102.2. Jody got into bed and we continued to check her temperatureas well as place a call to the clinic. Around 8:30 I got a reading of 104.4. Doctor Brunvand was on call and responded to our call to the clinic. He told me to give her a couple of Tylenol and continue to monitor her temperature. Finally her temperature began to drop around 10 o'clock and I fell asleep next to her. Today Jody awoke feeling rested, her temperature was still ellevated, but she felt better. Our appointment this morning is with Doctor Brunvand at 8:00. I will write more latter.
More to follow...
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