We went to see Dad this morning and realized they did rounds early --- how kind. Maybe they were trying to avoid our questions - maybe they were just early birds this morning who knows.
We called two of the residents over and they answered some questions for us this morning --- none of which made either of us feel that much better.
His temperature overnight was pretty consistent - definitely not as high as it was - it was about 99-100 all night. The nurse sounded positive about this that it hadn't risen any higher.
They did many cultures yesterday in search of the infection. They took samples of his urine, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, and lung sputum. Most of those are not back yet. The only one that came back was the lung sputum. It tested positive for Gram positive bacteria Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. They started him on Vancomycin this morning to begin treating this to see if it will clear that up. This is the second time they started this drug, maybe they will let him stay on this longer so it can do its job and work this time. This antibiotic is specific to Gram positive bacteria, and its pretty strong and hopefully should work well on clearing up the infection.
The ativan sedation medication they have him on still has him really really zonked out- for lack of a better term...
They said they bumped this down a little this morning again, to see if they can keep this balance with this and the morphine. They said they were trying to wean him this down on the ativan and less on the morphine. They don't want to take his pain medication down much, since they want to keep him as calm and comfortable as possible.
Here is some of the results as far as numbers go for some of you that are interested.
The white blood cell (WBC) count two days ago was at 26.2, and was 30.5 yesterday. Today it rose to 33.3. This is a most definite sign that his body is reacting to infection and trying to fight it off. Normal WBC counts in a healthy person are between 4 to 10 --- so this is significantly higher. Hopefully, the antibiotics will lend a helping hand in this infection battle!
His RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels are all lower than they should be. The doctors are hoping all of this is attributed to some of the severe bruising that he has on his back and other areas. The body has to process all of this and they are also saying that this might be the reason he is jaundiced. They said that the hematoma - the bruises - are reabsorbing and healing. This accounts for some of these levels being out of whack.
The bilirubin level I mentioned in the last blog rose much higher. It was at 6, and then 8, and today was read to be at 13.5. The normal for this is 1.3 or lower, so this is pretty significant. He still looks very very yellow today, and the doctors say they are working hard to figure out why. The results from the ultrasound on his abdomen haven't been evaluated by radiology yet, but the floor doctor did look at them. She said, "Now granted I am no radiologist, I don't see any swelling of the ducts or any issues with his gall bladder or liver." So, she didn't see anything jumping out at her, but the specialists will give that all a very close look today to see if they can find any explanations.
The doctors mentioned again today what they call ischemic cholestasis. This is an obstructive jaundice, which would mean that there is some blockage in his bile ducts, a gall stone blocking something somewhere, or something of that nature. We just don't know right now, so we will let you know when we do.
Uncle Michael and his wife Michael --- no it's not what it sounds like they just have the same name --- they are actually very normal !:) ---- they came by last night and just really really lifted our spirits. They sang Peace Oh Peace to Daddy when they went to see him upstairs, and then they sang it for us in the hallway. It was so sweet and comforting. They prayed with us after we visited, and it was the type of prayer we needed. So sincere, real, and just amazingly comforting. Their positive attitude and complete trust in the Lord that Dad will be better makes it so much easier to trust in that ourselves.
So, all in all, today we will be waiting for lab results and I will post them here as we hear something to keep you all informed. Again, as we have been saying, thank you so much.
We love you
Meg and Mom
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