Getting better

Well they decided to remove his PICC line today. After removal he immediately began to feel relief. He was able to relax and take a short nap. He just woke up and the redness around the infected area is almost completely gone. He is sitting up trying to eat. (not an easy task when you have ulcers in your mouth and throat) I am so proud of him. He suffers through the pain because he knows it's what is best for him. He is stronger than I could ever be. He has a break from any ports until tomorrow when they decide what route they want to go next. He will definitely have to have another port of some kind we just don't know yet which one they are going to try. More than likely it will require surgery this time for insertion. He is very nervous about having another procedure but I know he will do fine.  Also, for those of you who do not know, he can't have visitors until they get this infection under control so please call before coming by the hospital. I figure it will only be a few days. I will let everyone know when he can have visitors again. Thank you all again for your prayers and ongoing support.

Up all night

Donald was up and down all night. The infection in his chest is very uncomfortable and he just couldn't rest last night. It doesn't hurt as bad today as it did yesterday but he is still in a lot of pain. His throat is extremely sore this morning and he can hardly swallow. They are discussing whether or not to remove his PICC line. They think it could be the reason for the infection but we will not know for sure until we get cultures back. The doctor has not come around yet to let us know what the plan is. They have stopped using the PICC line for now and they have put in an IV to use until they can figure out what type of infection we are dealing with. They have him on a very strong antibiotic but we have not seen a change in the infection yet. Hopefully the doctor will be by soon to shine some light on the situation. Praying for healing.

Very Long Day

We have not had a very good day today. The Doctor prescribed a muscle relaxer for Donald but it didn't help at all. He also ordered a bag of platelets because his count was just under the limit. Not long after the platelets were administered Donald started hurting worse than before. He also developed a red area on his chest. As the day went on the pain just got worse. We had the nurse call the on call doctor because the pain had become intolerable and his pain  meds were not doing anything to relieve the pain. The doctor came in and at this point the reddened area had spread and had begun to swell. The doctor has now ordered the PICC line not be used and they had to get an IV started on his other arm to administer antibiotics because he now has what they believe is an infection. The doctor would like to keep the PICC line in until the blood cultures come back so that he can possibly keep it but they are not sure at this point if that is the best thing to do. He has had his first round of antibiotics and was given something for pain. He is now resting and hopefully he will be able to stay asleep for the majority of the night. The doctor said he infection sight should begin to clear up by tomorrow. We now just have to wait for the blood cultures to come back so that we can see what we are dealing with. On a brighter note, we had a few visitors today which brightened his spirits regardless of the pain. Well I guess I'm off to bed now. Praising God for all of the blessings he has bestowed on us and praying for a restful night and healing for Donald.

A Bad Day

Donald is still in a lot of pain but the doctor came by and has ordered a muscle relaxer to see if it will clam his muscle spasms and relieve some of his pain. The good news is his PICC line is still good and functioning properly. The doctor said to keep heat on his arm and chest and they would see how it is in the morning. We still have not gotten his labs but looks like he might make it through another day without platelets or whole blood. He has had his Chemo treatment for today and is trying to rest now. We are waiting on the pharmacy to bring up his muscle relaxers. Praying they help relieve his pain and allow him to sleep.

Long Night

Donald had a pretty bad night last night. His PICC line site was causing him to be in excruciating pain. He was able to sleep for a few hours before waking up in pain. The nurse gave him some medication and changed out his dressing with little to no relief. He has developed sores in his mouth and throat now from the Chemo which makes it difficult to eat and swallow. I rounded up a wheelchair at about 3 this morning and took him to the cafeteria for some ice cream which really helped with the pain in his mouth and throat. We sat up for a little while and watched some comedy to try and take his mind off the pain and the he was able to rest for a little while. We are up now and he is still hurting pretty bad but one of his doctor's just came in and is pretty confident that he just pulled muscle when he threw the bottle across the room the other day. He is going to see about getting him a muscle relaxer ordered to help calm the muscles down a bit. Please keep praying for him. He is holding in there but it is wearing on him.

Praying for rest

It was a pretty uneventful day. Donald has been resting most of the day and trying to get rid of some of this fluid. I left him alone for the first time in days to go for my MRI today. His friend BJ came and stayed with him while Patricia took me over to the Pavilion. Lance came by as well to visit for a while and brought him a case of water and some oreo's. He hasn't gotten into them yet but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. LOL! He is still doing okay. He has been a tad bit emotional the past couple of days but it passes quickly. From what I have been told the Steroids reek havoc on your emotions. He was trying to be mighty man yesterday and tossed a bottle at the trash can with his PICC line arm. Needless to say it didn't feel so good and it is very sore today.  He will get another round of Chemo tomorrow and possibly some more platelets and whole blood. He has not had to have either in 2 days which is great. The bone marrow transplant team called today but Donald was unable to speak with them and will call them tomorrow, assuming they work on Saturday. They are hopefully going to get started on finding a donor for him. Well, we are going to try to get a little sleep tonight. Going to bed early. Praying for healing and rest tonight.

Down

Donald slept a little last night but was pretty restless. The fluid retention is beginning to make him very uncomfortable. We have finally gotten his sugar levels under control which is great. He has been up moving around this morning and had a good breakfast. The Steroids are making him very jittery. He is a little down this morning because he wants to go home and is tired of being stuck in the hospital. He will be okay though. His white count has finally dropped down to the point of wearing a mask anytime he leaves the room. Overall though he is still doing well, all things considered.