Thursday Update #2

Praise: Today's ultrasound showed normal gastro-intestinal functions.
Prayer:
1. For Steve to regain lucidity. He is confused and not speaking.
2. His skin is very itchy and he is scratching and pulling on the various tubes and PICC line (the doctor has already ordered restraints).

Thursday PM Update

1. Steve's condition has not changed very much.
2. His diarrhea has slowed (which may allow increased feeding).
3. He is becoming irritable, his arms flailing and pulling at various tubes. Restraints are being considered.
4. We are trying a chinese medicinal supplement, lingzhi, with doctors' approval. He took the first dose yesterday.

Wednesday Update

1. Steve continues to be delirious.
2. Steve continues to have digestive problems, unable to get much nutrition. (very slow feeding, 15mL/hr)
3. His TPN drip is causing liver functon problems.
4. He is on antibiotics, but none of his blood/urine/stool culture indicate infection. The doctors are reluctant to stop the antibiotics because everytime the antibiotics stops, Steves goes into sepsis.
** Steve is mal-nutritioned and his organs are gradually failing. **
** We are not sure if there is much more the doctors can do to get him out of this vicious spiral **

Tuesday Update

1. White blood cell count continues to rise, indicating possible infection. The doctors ordered more antibiotics and more tests to determine the source of the infection.
2. Liver enzyme readings are high, indicating possible problems with liver function.

Please pray that Steve would be able to digest his food properly so that the G-tube feeding can speed up. Also, please pray that the doctors will be able to identify the infection and find the right antibiotics.

Monday Evening Update

1. Steve is back on G-tube feeding, but a very slow rate (10 mL/hr) because of the problem he is having with digestion.
2. His bedsores on his lower back has advanced to stage 3 (maximum = 4) and is causing him a lot of pain.
3. He is not entirely lucid today, but did seem better toward the end of the day.

Sunday

Steve's coughing spell has finally stopped.
Early Sunday afternoon he received one unit of blood transfusion to help decrease his heart rate. His heart rate is holding steady in the110's, praise God!
After the transfusion, he started to have some minor skin irritation. After a dose of Benedryl, Steve finally slept well for the first time in two days.
The reading of the CT Scan of the abdomen indicated no significant change since the last examination on July 16, 2007. Pockets of scattered air filled loops in the small intestines may be the cause his colic-like pain. The underlying cause is not known. But what the report suggests is a dysfunctional small intestine. Please pray earnestly for the doctors to have wisdom in their diagnosis and treatment. Without the small intestine performing its function to absorb the nutrients, the chance for Steve to fight the disease diminishes greatly.

Saturday Morning

Even though it was light and sporadic, Steve's cough persisted through out the night. He is tired from lack of sleep. His lung is slightly congested right now. Intravenous fluid input was reduced to see if it would alleviate the situation.
The glucose level is in the 60's despite a higher dose of dextrose. Possible cause is the insulin level in his TPN being too high. A new order with a lower dosage of insulin is being formulated.
At 9:00am, Steve was wheeled to be examined with the CT Scan.

Friday Evening

With the help of the respiratory therapist, Steve was able to cough up some phlegm this evening.
The discomfort has decreased with the help of an empty stomach. He is receiving a new anti-fungal medicine and a boost in amino acid intravenously. After an examination by the GI specialist who felt Steve's abdomen is distended, a CT Scan was ordered for the abdominal cavity to check for infection, obstruction or other possible cause.
There will be no chemotherapy this weekend. The oncologist has decided to wait for another week to re-evaluate. He is considering to only administer the mildest drug in order to maintain the progress made so far with lymphoma.
The air bed arrived at around 8:30pm tonight. New medication was ordered to enhance the healing.

Friday 7/27 AM Update

Although the G-tube feeding had resumed last night at a slower rate, Steve's stomach is still not quite well. He complains of regurgitation. At the moment the feeding is stopped. He is off the oxygen, primarily because he does not like the nasal cannula.

At the moment, he is lucid but is uncomfortable without being able to pinpoint the source.

Thursday PM Update

1. Steve is out of ICU and is now in Room 151.
2. He still has bowel problems. The doctors are checking to see whether there are toxins or bacteria in his stool. If his stool is clear, they will resume the G-tube feeding.
3. The doctors have ordered a new bed designed to alleviate his severe bed sores. They have also consulted with a wound specialist to examine the sores.