Friday, July 11, 2008

A good Friday

Arnie's on oral prednisone and able to leave here. There is a multi-function recliner chair with it's own little rooftop waiting for him on the deck. Everyone's flurrying around ordering final treatments and determining which drugs need to be written and by whom. Stitches coming out. Arnie looks great. Skinny. Finicky about food. Trying stuff. And when he's outahere, he stands a much better chance of finishing his food before he has to be interviewed by health professionals who inquire about his appetite. Now his cinnamon roll is cold and laying on a surface. And to be left alone all night to sleep will probably help, you think? Uh oh. A problem removing the sutures is probably going to involve getting the thoraxic team's involvement. So close! More soon. But I have to believe he's still getting out today. Thanks for the cards Kids and comments. MJ and Arnie

Monday, July 7, 2008

Monday Again

What he came here to do last Monday night has been accomplished. The lung and bone marrow biopsies are completed. The intestinal thing is culturing. The top line diagnosis of the lung tissue is Graft vs Host Disease which they will treat starting today with 4x a day injected steroids. MRSA (stands for something like common antibiotic resistant staph, common to hospital workers and people who have a weakened immune system) also showed up in the earliest lab results. They'll start treatment of the GVHD here at the hospital, it can't be done at home because of its frequency of dosage. Though all the results aren't in, the pulmonologist doesn't want to wait. I believe testing for progress will be done with CT scan only, in addition to improved symptoms. But, he'll need to be here for, I could say several more days, but I don't even annoy them by asking anymore. How can they possibly know--but when the dose is reduced to fewer injections, and maybe oral prednisone, he'll go home. Soon, I predict, he'll be bored and irritable, a sure sign of improvement. For now, he's drifty and recovering once again from the anesthetic administered for this morning's bone marrow biopsy. More soon--it should be much better in a few days. MJ

Friday, July 4, 2008

Day 5 Friday the Fourth

Arnie had the lung biopsy procedure Wednesday. Recovered in ICU Thursday. Is on the 3rd floor now being monitored. Each day he looks better. Can't eat though. Looks like a coat hanger, but his color is good. I've got tons of plants on the rooftop deck to surround him when he gets home. Jake got him a deck chair that reclines, has a footrest and a sun roof. So, recovery at home will be to Arnie's liking. Hot, sunny, with lots of trains going here and there. Erica's coming to the hospital tonight and today we're watching movies and documentaries. At some point, they'll do the bone marrow biopsy and they're trying to decide how best to proceed to discover the source of the intestinal difficulties that have gone on so long. Thank you for the cards you've sent. It's such a pleasure to bring him those personal notes from loved ones. We're on hospital time now, and it's a holiday, so not a good time for being impatient for results, so we're trying to become bovine about our expectations and timetables. Drugs and movies help. Let's say, we'll know something in a week? Until then, assume he's resting round the clock and he really does look good. Having hair helps, but his color is great. Mary Joe