Monday, March 28, 2011
update
Hi Everyone: Well, we are 15 days from the end of the medicine. Give or take a few, possibly. The week Jim was on the meds in the hospital counts towards the 6 weeks, so...The doc called today and Jim's kidney's are getting worse. He's been having bad kidney numbers since the chemo/stem-cell transplant, but being on this medicine, they really started to creep up there. At one time, Jim was told that he is at half kidney strength. I'm afraid to ask with these newer higher numbers today. Today's numbers were the worse so far. Please pray for protection of his kidneys. The kidney doc believes after this med treatment the numbers will go back down to "not so good" rather than "pretty bad." Also, it kind of feels like 15 days of not having to look at whether this medicine even worked or not, and then having to make another decision. I am calm tho, which is good. Jim's a bit more nervous. The women at bible study today laid hands on me and prayed and I continue to feel the peace of the Lord through this. Thanks friends. And Jim and I continue to wait on the Lord together, held up by the love and prayers of all you family and friends out there. We love you. Us PS Gary, for some reason, I can't e-mail you. I have been trying to do so since I got your card. Still trying. Didn't want you to think I didn't get it yet. Thanks mate.
Friday, March 18, 2011
He's been home
Sorry about the confusion. Yes Jim is home and has been home.
We are doing good playing patient and nurse. Or patience and nurse or patience and patience.
Jim needs a bit help with patience, so maybe you can pray for him. He's just tired of getting up and doing nothing but fighting for his life, particularly since his life is nothing but fighting for his life. I've been practicing detaching from the insanity without detaching from my dear husband. What else can I do, or else I would go nuts...or should I say more nuts.
Anywho, the incision sight from the port is doing well. Jim's having some panic attacks and needs prayers for that. That can be because of the heart infection. The more I hear and read about this problem, I know why Jim is having panic attacks and is tired of the fight.
Jim's potassium is elevated, so he has to go to the hopt for another blood test tomorrow, separate and apart from the 3 blood tests he's given so far this week. This can cause irregular heart arythmias, so he could use some prayer there, too.
Also, he has 2 lines on his pic line. One for blood, one for the meds. The one for the blood is clogged, which means the nurse is coming here this weekend to do this long drawn out thing to try and unclog it. And now we give Jim heparin to keep the med line open. Pray that it stays open, or he'll have to go into the hopt for his meds. 5 weeks worth? I think he would opt to die, he's so tired of it. SASH. Saline, antibiotic, saline, heparin. This is how we remember to give the drugs in order.
There's something else to pray for, but I forget, but I imagine that's enough for this month anyways. :)
Pray of course for the meds to work.
Oh my!!!
Have a nice weekend ya'll.
Us
We are doing good playing patient and nurse. Or patience and nurse or patience and patience.
Jim needs a bit help with patience, so maybe you can pray for him. He's just tired of getting up and doing nothing but fighting for his life, particularly since his life is nothing but fighting for his life. I've been practicing detaching from the insanity without detaching from my dear husband. What else can I do, or else I would go nuts...or should I say more nuts.
Anywho, the incision sight from the port is doing well. Jim's having some panic attacks and needs prayers for that. That can be because of the heart infection. The more I hear and read about this problem, I know why Jim is having panic attacks and is tired of the fight.
Jim's potassium is elevated, so he has to go to the hopt for another blood test tomorrow, separate and apart from the 3 blood tests he's given so far this week. This can cause irregular heart arythmias, so he could use some prayer there, too.
Also, he has 2 lines on his pic line. One for blood, one for the meds. The one for the blood is clogged, which means the nurse is coming here this weekend to do this long drawn out thing to try and unclog it. And now we give Jim heparin to keep the med line open. Pray that it stays open, or he'll have to go into the hopt for his meds. 5 weeks worth? I think he would opt to die, he's so tired of it. SASH. Saline, antibiotic, saline, heparin. This is how we remember to give the drugs in order.
There's something else to pray for, but I forget, but I imagine that's enough for this month anyways. :)
Pray of course for the meds to work.
Oh my!!!
Have a nice weekend ya'll.
Us
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
still in hopt.
Well, Jim is still in the hospital. However, there is a chance he may be home today. He has his pik line in, and we are awaiting news from the doctor. Jim's kidney numbers are up. (I don't like this at all) and it's probably because of the vyncomycin(sp) that he is on, but they said he HAS to be on this medicine for 6 more weeks for his heart. So...
I had my Nursing IV class. He will need 2 infusions a day of this medicine. They will take ~ 2 hours each, and I have to be super careful to follow each step and not contaminate him or touch parts or drop things or....YIKES. Jim will have to pay me for this one.
He is super bored. I am super tired (didn't sleep well) and we are still super in love. Crazy, huh?
I had my Nursing IV class. He will need 2 infusions a day of this medicine. They will take ~ 2 hours each, and I have to be super careful to follow each step and not contaminate him or touch parts or drop things or....YIKES. Jim will have to pay me for this one.
He is super bored. I am super tired (didn't sleep well) and we are still super in love. Crazy, huh?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
update 2,352,225,089
Okay, well, maybe it's not that many posts, but it feels like.
Jim still in hospital. He has a staph infection in his blood. Not sure what kind. Anyway, yesterday he had an echocardiogram or something, and he kept waking up during it and it was horrible, poor guy. But the doc called me in and showed me this vegetation that was flailing around as his valve opened and pumped blood...or sg like that. Anyway because the infection is in the heart, he will have to get a pic-line in his arm so that he can administer meds at home. He will need to be on antibiotic through IV for 6 weeks at home. (they better get him a home nurse.)
Now, the doc told me to hope that this antibiotic works because whether this is a new vegetation or an old one, his opinion is that it needs to be gone or it can break off and cause a stroke/death????I can't remember. I was in semi-shock. If the antibiotic doesn't work, the doc says that they would then normally replace the valve, but that with Jim's history, this isn't the way they would want to go, but they will if they have to. Jim says he doesn't want to do that because he would need to be on anti-rejection meds for a pig valve or something and he can't take those types of meds. That's what he was taking for the GVHD, and they cause the pain to sky rocket. So, here we are.
Now, there's a lot said here, but there is also a lot unknown here, and possibly some guessing. Like does one really need anti rejection meds with a replacement valve? Anyway, we ain't worrying about that now, are we, cause this antibiotic is going to do the trick, isn't it?
Jim is at Passavant, room 306. His spirits are good and so are mine. I mean, the final word is "we belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He's our daddy, and when this life here is all said and done, whether sooner or later, that's pretty sweet.
Jim still in hospital. He has a staph infection in his blood. Not sure what kind. Anyway, yesterday he had an echocardiogram or something, and he kept waking up during it and it was horrible, poor guy. But the doc called me in and showed me this vegetation that was flailing around as his valve opened and pumped blood...or sg like that. Anyway because the infection is in the heart, he will have to get a pic-line in his arm so that he can administer meds at home. He will need to be on antibiotic through IV for 6 weeks at home. (they better get him a home nurse.)
Now, the doc told me to hope that this antibiotic works because whether this is a new vegetation or an old one, his opinion is that it needs to be gone or it can break off and cause a stroke/death????I can't remember. I was in semi-shock. If the antibiotic doesn't work, the doc says that they would then normally replace the valve, but that with Jim's history, this isn't the way they would want to go, but they will if they have to. Jim says he doesn't want to do that because he would need to be on anti-rejection meds for a pig valve or something and he can't take those types of meds. That's what he was taking for the GVHD, and they cause the pain to sky rocket. So, here we are.
Now, there's a lot said here, but there is also a lot unknown here, and possibly some guessing. Like does one really need anti rejection meds with a replacement valve? Anyway, we ain't worrying about that now, are we, cause this antibiotic is going to do the trick, isn't it?
Jim is at Passavant, room 306. His spirits are good and so are mine. I mean, the final word is "we belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He's our daddy, and when this life here is all said and done, whether sooner or later, that's pretty sweet.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Back in the hospital again
Hi folks:
Yup. He's baaaaaaaack. Poor guy. And me, poor gal. K, nuf self pitty.
Well, after the trip to the ER on Saturday and finding out the heart was okay, we were happy. The doc we saw in the ER was great, thorough. No worries about the heart (still don't know why that CK number is high) but the doc ACTUALLY read Jim's history and new about the immune problems and such and did extra blood tests, including drawing blood out of the port to check for infections. Monday morning the tests came back and something was growing in all the tests. (that explains the sweats)
Jim does take antibiotic prophalactically(sp...did I get that right Leah?) to ward off blood infections and such, so I guess that was working...kinda. Anyway, they don't know what it is, possible a staph infection in the blood.
Here's what I know right now. They are making sure it's not another heart infection. Jim has the same valve problem as Ruthie, and they are checking. They are going down his throat with a scope to get a better look at his heart and they are doing some other heart things. I guess that CK number has them worried. As for the infection, they are probably going to have to take out his port. YIPPEE. I can finally lay in "my spot" without feeling that coin in his chest touching my cheek. It is surgery and he's going to have to go under and such, so pray for him for that. His platelets are high enough to do this type of surgery, so this is good. While these ports can last 12 years and on, with his immune problems, it needs to come out. Besides, it's not like he would ever get any more chemo if the cancer came back, so, out it goes. So, for now, they are doing lots of checking.
It probably really helped him that he started taking that VERY GOOD immune booster that helped with his pain, or perhaps the infection would be worse. Don't know. But the pain is still doing better. He hurts a bit more now that he's in the hospital, laying on that bed, but it's still good.
Thank you Jesus for that awesome ER doctor, higher level of platelets and that despite our life being extremely tough, your grace has enabled me to NEVER turn away from You. After all, You are my everything.
Keep praying folks
(no poetry needed...tee hee hee)
Yup. He's baaaaaaaack. Poor guy. And me, poor gal. K, nuf self pitty.
Well, after the trip to the ER on Saturday and finding out the heart was okay, we were happy. The doc we saw in the ER was great, thorough. No worries about the heart (still don't know why that CK number is high) but the doc ACTUALLY read Jim's history and new about the immune problems and such and did extra blood tests, including drawing blood out of the port to check for infections. Monday morning the tests came back and something was growing in all the tests. (that explains the sweats)
Jim does take antibiotic prophalactically(sp...did I get that right Leah?) to ward off blood infections and such, so I guess that was working...kinda. Anyway, they don't know what it is, possible a staph infection in the blood.
Here's what I know right now. They are making sure it's not another heart infection. Jim has the same valve problem as Ruthie, and they are checking. They are going down his throat with a scope to get a better look at his heart and they are doing some other heart things. I guess that CK number has them worried. As for the infection, they are probably going to have to take out his port. YIPPEE. I can finally lay in "my spot" without feeling that coin in his chest touching my cheek. It is surgery and he's going to have to go under and such, so pray for him for that. His platelets are high enough to do this type of surgery, so this is good. While these ports can last 12 years and on, with his immune problems, it needs to come out. Besides, it's not like he would ever get any more chemo if the cancer came back, so, out it goes. So, for now, they are doing lots of checking.
It probably really helped him that he started taking that VERY GOOD immune booster that helped with his pain, or perhaps the infection would be worse. Don't know. But the pain is still doing better. He hurts a bit more now that he's in the hospital, laying on that bed, but it's still good.
Thank you Jesus for that awesome ER doctor, higher level of platelets and that despite our life being extremely tough, your grace has enabled me to NEVER turn away from You. After all, You are my everything.
Keep praying folks
(no poetry needed...tee hee hee)
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