Hospital Update

On Sunday night, a doctor came around and gave us some news: first, that the infection was not in the urinary tract, but in the blood. The next step was to determine the type of bacteria in order to treat the infection with the appropriate antibiotics. Second, that there was some kind of "pocket" that showed up on the x-ray around the heart that they wanted to follow up on with another x-ray, apparently to determine whether it was linked to the infection (pneumonia) or if it was a result of Anne sleeping in a particular position. Third, Jean-Paul had noticed on the labs that her levels of creatinine had increased - abnormally high creatinine levels are used as a marker to indicate renal malfunction - and so I pointed this out to the doctor, who was unaware because she had not checked the most recent lab reports. This ultimately resulted in the scheduling of a CT scan for Monday morning to determine whether or not the stents were working properly.

Overnight, Anne remained nauseous and had her fever return. She also vomited a little a couple of times. In the morning, she had her second chest x-ray and had her CT scan around 1:30. By this time, her fever had gone. She was quite keen on drinking a soy drink that Miriam had bought in the cafeteria, and did so in small doses. She ate the smallest bit of a cracker. Later in the day, she seemed to perk up and requested a coke and some ice cream. Small portions of these items were obtained by Miriam, mixed, and avidly consumed by Anne, and she continued to drink the coke. This seemed to relieve some of her nausea, to our relief, and to perk her up some more.

A doctor from urology came in the late afternoon to recommend an ultrasound to determine whether Anne's stents were functioning. I countered that she had just had a CT scan a few hours earlier for that very purpose, which surprised him and caused him to leave to have a look at it and return about 45 minutes later.

The next big piece of news was that Anne's hydronephrosis - swelling of part of the kidneys and ureters - had not gone down. (Monday's labs had also indicated another rise in creatinine.) The assumption was that the stents were not working properly, and therefore that they would recommend inserting nephrostomy tubes into her back and kidneys. Essentially this means eliminating urine via these tubes straight from the kidneys and into a bag.

While this may not be the best news, we may take some comfort in assuming that Anne's persistent nausea has been due to the stents not functioning. At this point our desire is to have the nephrostomy procedure done ASAP so that she can start being and feeling healthy again, and come home. The doctor also suggested that this procedure will be less painful than the stents procedure. Further, there is the possibility that renal function will return at some point in the future.

There has been no update on the status of Anne's infection at this point (Monday evening), nor on the results of the second x-ray. Her oxygen situation seems to be better today. Miriam has spent two nights at the hospital with Anne, the first in a chair while resting her head on the foot of the bed! Last night she slept in the little bed with Anne, but we have now brought a mattress into the room so that one of us can be with her at all times.

Thanks for all the good vibes! Knowing that so many people care is a great support to the family. If anyone is aware of any mistakes or misunderstandings of my interpretation of the medical information in this and other postings, I'd really appreciate correction in the comments section. Thanks again!