HE IS CURRENTLY
IN ROOM 318 A
Good news: He
actually got two hours of sleep last night.
Yeah!
Bad news:
Galore: -
-I thought he
was able to maintain his oxygen level with just the nose tubes. No, he’s been back and forth. He’s on the nose tubes until his oxygen level
drops too low, and then he’s put back on the mask. He sometimes asks to get off the mask for a
while.
-I was told his
hemoglobin was low, and he might need a blood transfusion and that the low HH
had something to do with his kidneys.
- I was told he
is still in critical condition.
THEN, his kidney
doctor came in:
Mostly good
news:
-Yes, his
hemoglobin is low. Normal is something like 12-18. His is at 8.4. They will give a transfusion if it drops
below 7.
-Yes, they have
been monitoring him regularly with a CBC. Now, they are taking blood every 12
hours to watch him. They have to be
careful as to how much blood they take because he’ll start feeling and looking
like he was attacked by a vampire.
-The reduce red
blood count is not a result of his kidneys.
It is caused by reduced output by his blood marrow. The doctor said that
it is normal for someone who is so desperately ill as Mike is. YEAH! This problem will correct itself as he gets
better. Phew!
-All this
information came from Dr. Lau, who is his kidney doctor. Then he said something
like, “ Since he is a candidate for a kidney transplant . . . “ WHAT!!!! He can
still get a transplant after this?!! Yep!
We’ll see. “ Maybe he can get a pancreas transplant at the same time he
gets a kidney transplant.’ I’ll be
married to one biologically confused human being. He already has a corneal
transplant. Any more organs want to
volunteer for replacement?
- When I told
Dr. Lau that he was still in critical condition. He agreed he was very sick,
but told me he has been moving in the right direction.
THE respiratory
therapist just came in. He agrees that
Mike is having difficulty maintaining his oxygen level on his own because of
his low blood count. It is the red blood
cells that carry the oxygen. However, he
also told me that he doesn’t have the nose cannula set at the highest
level. That means his body can do more
on its own. Also, he has been on the
nose cannula for more extended periods.
I slept pretty well last night,
more than the 6 hours I’ve been running. I had to leave earlier than usual
yesterday. I left at 3 instead of 5 or
6pm. I was going to wait till he was
moved to a floor, but I couldn’t bear another minute. My heart felt like I had
lead in it. And then, there was that lump in my chest a bit higher. It felt like I didn’t have the strength to
stand up straight; the weight was so great. I knew I had to get out of there
before I dropped dead at the foot of his bed.
Before Jean left to go back to NJ,
I tested my blood pressure with her monitor. It was 154/94. Yikes! That’s what I run on the very, very high end.
My blood pressure has been as low as 126/ 75 within the last year. Concerned
that my body would start considering this the new normal, I contacted my primary
physician in Kona and asked her to prescribe blood pressure medication for
me. Because I’m Kaiser, she could send
it straight to the hospital pharmacy. Done!
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference. I take
my blood pressure every morning and night and is still showing numbers like
150/90. My pulse is also high.
The good doctor told me to take it
one day at a time, he’s making progress.
I pointed out to the good doctor that this morning was the first time I
heard about his hemoglobin problems. As
far as I was concerned, this just started.
Ah, the good doctor said. It’s
not a steady process; it’s peaks and valleys.
I’m in shock and exhausted by this roller coaster.
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