Thursday, September 21, 2006

Update # 60

Hi,

Jeff received the diagnosis of "sepsis" this morning.  

It's called an overwhelming infection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria.  Tomorrow they will know a little bit more from the blood culture.  The treatment is the strong antibiotic they had immediately started him on yesterday when we arrived at Costas.

His fever continues to hang around 102 degrees but 

sometimes spikes to 103.8 and even came down once to 100.8   

Jeff's body shakes even under 3 blankets and his pulse continues to be very high even when he sleeps.  His blood pressure is normal.

The lung CT Scan from yesterday proved they were clear.  

They are watching his liver, kidneys, and electrolytes.  

Jeff received a unit of platelets this morning and is now getting 2 units of blood.

Dr. Chu even stopped by today to check on Jeff.  The doctors had always said to watch for a fever and Jeff had been fortunate to have never had a problem.  The doctors were so glad we immediately brought Jeff down to StL and they were able to start him on the medicine.  

We're not sure how long Jeff will be in-patient.  It will take several days to clear the infection out and even then the fever may continue afterwards.

Jeff looks exhausted, feels absolutely worn out, and sleeps most of the time.  But we are thankful that God is watching over Jeff.  Continue your prayers for healing through this sepsis.  Thanks for caring for our son.

love,

Marcia