Posted by Becky
The CT scan of the nodes (whatever they are) in Leif's lungs showed that they were smaller, so he did not need to get a lung biopsy. Today they gave him a dose of vancomycin. This is an antibiotic that he had a bad reaction to in the past - it made him swell up alarmingly, making it difficult for him to breathe. However, the antibiotic he's currently on for one of his infections, linazolid, suppresses bone marrow. His blood counts started dropping yesterday, and the doctors suspect that linazolid is the culprit. And of course, he can't get linazolid during the transplant, because it would suppress the engraftment of the new bone marrow cells. The only other antibiotic that works on this bug is vancomycin.
Fortunately, the doctors found a protocol for helping people like Leif tolerate vancomycin. They gave him a bunch of Benedryl and then a slow drip of very diluted drug, increasing it gradually every five minutes for several hours. Eventually he needs to get 1 g of it twice a day, but they started him on 500 mg this morning and (I think) another 500 mg tonight. So far, so good. The Benedryl makes him feel cruddy, but he hasn't felt any ill effects from the vancomycin, and his vital signs all look good. He slept for a lot of the morning, since he didn't sleep well last night, but this afternoon he went for his usual walk and remote-controlled helicoptering session, and stayed up and about for a while. He's been really hungry lately, powering through the lentil soup, PB&J sandwiches, greens, yogurt, etc.
It sounds like Leif might have a meeting tomorrow with the transplant specialist to talk about the plan and schedule for his transplant. The team that came by his room today had heard something to that effect, although we haven't heard it from the scheduling department. Meanwhile, the team is discussing ways to get Leif out of the hospital for at least a short break prior to transplant. We weren't expecting him to get a break, since the docs warned us that he might not get one. Although he will still be on an IV antibiotic, apparently they can train us, with the help of a home health nurse, to dose that ourselves at home.
The CT scan of the nodes (whatever they are) in Leif's lungs showed that they were smaller, so he did not need to get a lung biopsy. Today they gave him a dose of vancomycin. This is an antibiotic that he had a bad reaction to in the past - it made him swell up alarmingly, making it difficult for him to breathe. However, the antibiotic he's currently on for one of his infections, linazolid, suppresses bone marrow. His blood counts started dropping yesterday, and the doctors suspect that linazolid is the culprit. And of course, he can't get linazolid during the transplant, because it would suppress the engraftment of the new bone marrow cells. The only other antibiotic that works on this bug is vancomycin.
Fortunately, the doctors found a protocol for helping people like Leif tolerate vancomycin. They gave him a bunch of Benedryl and then a slow drip of very diluted drug, increasing it gradually every five minutes for several hours. Eventually he needs to get 1 g of it twice a day, but they started him on 500 mg this morning and (I think) another 500 mg tonight. So far, so good. The Benedryl makes him feel cruddy, but he hasn't felt any ill effects from the vancomycin, and his vital signs all look good. He slept for a lot of the morning, since he didn't sleep well last night, but this afternoon he went for his usual walk and remote-controlled helicoptering session, and stayed up and about for a while. He's been really hungry lately, powering through the lentil soup, PB&J sandwiches, greens, yogurt, etc.
It sounds like Leif might have a meeting tomorrow with the transplant specialist to talk about the plan and schedule for his transplant. The team that came by his room today had heard something to that effect, although we haven't heard it from the scheduling department. Meanwhile, the team is discussing ways to get Leif out of the hospital for at least a short break prior to transplant. We weren't expecting him to get a break, since the docs warned us that he might not get one. Although he will still be on an IV antibiotic, apparently they can train us, with the help of a home health nurse, to dose that ourselves at home.
Another Yay for Leif and the medical team. How great to keep hearing good news. And, won't it be wonderful to get a little hospital break if possible even it does mean a trail of IVs goes with you.
ReplyDeleteTell Leif I'm probably going to have similar issues with antibiotics! They set off hives! Sounds like, tho, things are coming along very well. Getting past some big hurdles! Time for a little celebration. I'm grateful " the team" sees the good in a break from the hospital, too. That means a lot. Keep plugging, y'all. We are with you!
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