Please help us...

Please help us...

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Day +18 Up, Up, and Away


I would like to start today’s blog by thanking the invisible person who slipped sleeping pills into my dinner last night. Thanks to you, I was able to get a pretty good night’s sleep. Jason and I woke up around 9:00 AM and we both feel more rested than we have in days. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that we both were able to get 5-6 hours, which is a record since we have been here.

Last night we spoke to one of Jason’s doctors about his blood and marrow goals for over the weekend. By Monday she was hoping that Jason’s White Blood Cells would increase from 0.4 to 1.0. It’s only Saturday and, drum-roll please, Jason’s White Blood Cell count is 0.9!

The goal for Jason’s hemoglobin was that it would remain stable. Yesterday, Jason’s hemoglobin was 9.1, today it is 9.2.

The goal for Jason’s platelets (platelets are used to clot and heal) was 20,000 by Monday (we would say “20”). It’s the beginning of the weekend and Jason’s platelets are 22!

As far as Jason’s blood is concerned everything is on a slow, steady, positive course. Jason still needs Neutrophils, his first line of defense against infection, of those he has none. But we are hoping that as his white blood cells increase his neutrophils will start to increase. And Jason’s vital signs are steady as well. His temperature was 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit, his oxygen level was 98%, his blood pressure is 90/58 (nobody panic, it’s not that low for a young, healthy, athletic human being who has been through a lot and is on a diuretic).  

A little hiccup this morning was the sudden nausea that led him to vomit. This has only occurred once so far today but we are watching him.

The infectious disease doctors were here this morning and they were happy that Jason was feeling OK. In five days they will perform a blood test to see how much Voriconazol (the antibiotic to help his pneumonia) is in his system, and will check his lungs. Today we are grateful that Jason is feeling good, his numbers are increasing, and that we can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Continue to pray for his lungs, neutrophils, and protection from infection.

And, “Hello,” to the new readers in the Netherlands! Thank you for reading the blog and I hope it blesses you.

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