The news is a double-edged sword... the bad news is that Rod's blood pressure continues to run low, and more significantly, he started with a low-grade fever last night. We took him in to the BMT center at about 10:30pm, and they gave him IV fluids and started a broad-spectrum antibiotic, then at about 2:00am, sent him with us back to the apt.
We went back to the BMT center at about 10:oo am today. More tests and cultures were run to try to figure out what is causing the fever. It could be C-Diff again, but so far, nothing is coming back positive. The doctors want to find out what is causing the fever/infection so they can give him a specific antibiotic targeted at that bug. But, in the meantime, he was give a couple more rounds of other broad-spectrum antibiotics as a pre-emptive measure. All day long, his temps went up and down, up and down, but never got higher than 102.
Dr. Sheldon believes the fever will be conquered tomorrow, and then Rod will feel much better. He fell asleep about an hour ago, and is hoping to get some good rest. Joanie and Sue are sleeping in his room and will be keeping watch in case he needs anything in the night.
We are actually not on the BMT unit because all of the inpatient rooms were in use there. They moved us up to the ninth floor, and we are in the Oncology center. The staff here is incredibly caring, accommodating, and thoughtful. The room is fairly big, too, and quite comfortable.
In regard to the echocardiogram which Rod had done on Monday, all is normal with his heart signals. The chemo apparently did not do any damage there, thank goodness.
Todd and Victoria came down today, and it was great to see them and they visited with Rod for a bit. He was sleepy and not feeling the best, but became more comfortable and talkative with them! Vic and Todd also did more shopping for us today, which as always, is a great help.
We have been very impressed with people we have met in Birmingham (Bham). Even total strangers on the street are super friendly and offer to help. Bham folks in 'Bama have treated us wonderfully and it is appreciated more than words can say.
*Rod's Recovery Coordinators*
Hi Sue and Joan,
ReplyDeleteAre they going to discharge Dad once his fever goes away, or are they planning to keep him a little longer than that? And do they think his central line might be infected?
Love,
Eva
Eva,
ReplyDeleteYour dad's fever has been normal now for several hours, so that is great. Dr. Shelton said last night that the plan was to get Rod's fever to normal by sometime in the next 24 hrs, but like I said, it's already been normal for several hrs. That might mean they may discharge him today, but I think they might be keeping him one more night for observation, to be safe.
They have confirmed that Rod has C-Diff and they started Flagl at 5:00am today. He had been having a lot of diarreah and cramping and finally they let him take Immodium this morning. He gets an Immodium pill every 3 hrs from now on.
Otherwise, he has been feeling better today than yesterday.
The docs did discuss taking out the central line because of possible infection, but everytime they look at it, it looks just fine with no signs of a problem.
Well, all for now! We will Skype at 6;30pm.
Joan and Sue,
ReplyDeleteThank you guys so much for coming down here and taking care of Dad. You guys are awesome!
I'm so happy that Dad is improving and that he is making his own white blood cells! That is fantastic!
It's also good to hear that you guys are experiencing "southern hospitality"!
Keep up the good work!
*Hugs*
Vic
Hey Vic,
ReplyDeleteThank YOU ALL for inviting us to come to 'Bama to help out with Rod. You know we were just itching to come down here, so we were very pleased that you asked us.
It is our pleasure to take care of Rod. While it is difficult to see him suffering and sick, it's also very rewarding to be able to help out and support him through this ordeal.
Yes, we have been experiencing southern hospitality and it is very warm and delightful.