Friday, May 20, 2011
Update # 150
Month 53
Hello from Hillsboro!
Jeff and I pulled into our driveway at 8:15 this evening. After 11 days in 2 hospitals, he is glad to see a home setting.
Thursday was a relatively quiet day. One doctor was suggesting that Jeff be inpatient for 7 full days of IV meds. Another was thinking of releasing Jeff on Friday. So we knew discharge was getting close.
Late last night, Jeff coughed up another 2 inch piece of something. This was not white but a reddish color. A couple of nurses and a doctor looked at it and said it was probably tissue. (This morning we heard the piece from IA last week was analyzed as tissue.) It was explained to us that since the lungs and airways have been through such trauma with the severe coughing, that tissue can slough off.
More Iowa news yesterday was -- biopsies from the bronchoscopy came back "negative"!!! We are most thankful for those test results.
The cultures can still take another 4 - 5 weeks for final results. The probable diagnosis of all this is -- fungal infection pneumonia. Jeff will take on a broad spectrum oral pill antibiotic for another 7 days. The fungal oral pill will continue long term for at least 6 months and possibly longer.
Jeff is to return to StL on Wednesday the 25th to see Dr. DiPersio's physician assistant. If all goes well, Ken will then drive Jeff back home to Waterloo. Dr. DiPersio has decided to see Jeff on that routine six-month appointment on June 20th. That is 4 weeks from hospital discharge and he is probably going to want another CT Scan to compare, hopefully, the decrease in nodules (probably fungal infection). Though Jeff's cough has diminished, it will likely continue for weeks into months.
Friday hospital discharges with Jeff are certainly interesting. The doctor asked Jeff at 8:20 AM if he was ready to go. Jeff answered yes but had to wait for the docs to have their meeting at 10:00 AM. The nurse came in at 2:00 PM and said it looked like Jeff was going home. And we waited and waited (sound familiar?) and waited. This time the problem was Jeff's insurance agreeing to the fungal meds the doctors wanted him to take. Then I had to wait at the hospital pharmacy for the meds. Finally, Jeff had to wait for the one doctor to come in and remove his PICC line. So at 6:35 PM, we left the hospital room door. Getting out of the parking garage and through some Friday night StL traffic, got us here at 8:15. It was a much shorter drive than last Friday and a much relieved mood knowing a probable diagnosis and seeing a definite improvement in Jeff.
This hospital floor staff was new to Jeff but we felt very encouraged by their words. When they discussed his past and the transplant, they would comment how great he really was overall doing 4.5 years out. One of the Waterloo infectious doctors last week summed up in a few short words Jeff's last ten years -- "You are one brave man". How true! He knows and feels the love of family, friends, and co-workers. (Yes, the package was here when he arrived.) Your strength, love, and prayers guide us all through those uncertain times. Our gratitude cannot be adequately expressed but thank you all so much.
Jeff's appointment on the 25th is at 3:00 PM so that return drive to Iowa would again be a late one. Ken would come back home on Thursday. If you hear nothing on Wednesday that means all went well and I'll update after Ken gets here on Thursday.
Again, God has given us the best support team in the world. Thanks for always being there for us. We love you all.
love,
Marcia