Day 9 Hospitalized: October 22, 2015 @Cleveland Clinic
CBC: Whites .39!!; Hemoglobin 8.8; Platelets 56,000; ANCs: Too low to count!!!
Liver Function: Total Bilirubin: 5.6; Alkaline Phosphatase: 258; ALT: 50; AST: 39
Coagulation: PT Sec: 11.3; PT INR: 1.0; APTT: 35.6 (high)
Well, instead of getting to go home today as planned, Todd is still here. He spiked a fever of 101 last night about 12:30 a.m. They didn't need to give him anything for it, and really couldn't because his bilirubin yesterday was the highest ever. It went down on its own throughout the night.
I knew this probably meant that they would NOT let him go home today and the Nurse Practitioner confirmed this news early this morning. When the Attending Hematologist/Oncologist, Dr. Sekeres and his team came in before noon, he had already formulated a plan of action, one that I was happy with. Unsure what caused the fever to spike: whether it was the Rhinovirus/Cold hanging on or the pneumonia, he decided to run a new CT scan of the lungs and the abdomen. They want to get a fresh look at the pneumonia, and have their own radiologists look at it. Up until now, they have only been able to review the CT images sent to them from the scan down last week at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. They are just doing the abdominal scan as a precaution. The Dr. said it never fails, that a day later, they wish they had done the abdominal, so he is trying to avoid that scenario.
Well, transportation within the Cleveland Clinic appears to be an issue too. So far, we have been waiting an hour for someone to come up to get Todd to take him to radiology. Ugh... Our nurse told us that there still is a shortage of help in medical staffing all around: doctors, nurses, and transportation staff. He explained that is why the doctors are making more use of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. Well two of our kids may be heading into the medical profession to help with this shortage. Abby was planning on going into Psychiatry, and is taking pre-med coursework, but she really has developed a passion for alternative, holistic medicine. She just found out about a study abroad trip to India with the pre-med program and a doctor going there to treat patients with alternative medicine. The trip will be during Winter break, but she needs to get signed up and paid for it now. We are looking into it. And, my youngest, Ellie, just joined the pre-med club at school, and is looking to start volunteering at Soin Medical Center. My Hannah Lewis will cheer everyone up with her awesome art! The Cade family has got this!
They finally took him down an hour or so later, and it only took about 15 minutes. I checked with his nurse about 7:00 p.m. and he said Todd's results were back, but wasn't sure if the doctor had a chance to review the radiologist's report yet. From a quick look at the images and the report, nothing officially, it looked like the pneumonia was a bit more defined or not as hazy with "nodules" which if I recall my prior conversations with the infectious disease doctors and others, that can be an indicator of an fungal type of pneumonia. So, I guess we won't know the official results until the nurse practitioner or the doctors make their rounds in the morning.
So, as long as he can go through the night without a fever, and the pneumonia and Rhinovirus can be treated orally at home, we should be able to go home tomorrow either late morning or early afternoon.
Sue Mize, our current social worker at the Cleveland Clinic called after she noticed Todd had been admitted to offer a room at the Hope Lodge for tonight, as they had an opening. I declined since Todd should be able to released tomorrow. My neck has been stiff though from sleeping on that recliner bed and if I knew he was going to be here any longer, I would have been tempted to accept! It was nice to know though, that if this happens again, that I could call her and she can try to make arrangements for me there in the future. Nice option to have if he would ever be hospitalized for a longer period of time.
Personal notes:
We may have someone coming to see the house this weekend from out-of-state. I'm not finding work, and I'm just resigned that it is not the right timing, but I could continue to use prayers in this department. I have applied for a fellowship at the Library of Congress starting next year, but it is a long-shot to say the very least and would require a temporary move of the family or me. So, that's not ideal. Right now, I will be happy to get through this semester and graduate, although after graduation, internships will likely become a closed door to me.
When we get home, I will need help with Todd, so that I can get back to my practicum at the University of Dayton. I mainly just need someone to come sit with him during the day (9am-5pm). I know his mom and my parents will be willing to help, but it would be nice, to have several people willing to rotate. I would like to be the one to go with him to his appointments if I can. His research nurse Ashley came by today saying she had been trying to get a hold of his local oncologist all day to set up an appointment for Monday, October 26, 2015 of next week. (Where has this month gone?). And, if he is feeling better, they would like to see him on Thursday of next week.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
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