ICU

The IvG was infused, but the red blood cells continue to fall and the source has been identified as a leaking spleen. His clotting factors are worse than last week, so he's not a candidate for surgery. He was admitted to ICU last night and they're trying to treat him with FFPlasma, Red Blood cells, vasopressors and lots of IV fluids.

Still Hanging In There

The Coombs test was negative, so his sudden anemia is not hemolytic. There's also no obvious signs of bleeding, in spite of a PT INR of 6.1, so the loss of red cells is still a mystery. All signs point to a bad infection, but cultures are still pending. He's still in bed 24/7, and feeling every kind of lousy. I thought he looked a tiny bit better today, and the doctor & nurses agreed. Dave is not so sure. Still waiting for insurance approval for his IVIG infusion.

No Good News

Update on Dave's condition: We still don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, it ain't good. His condition has deteriorated rapidly in the last three weeks and he spends about 22 out of every 24 hours in bed. He's in pain, he can't sleep, he can't eat much, and if he tries to do anything besides rest in bed, his lips turn blue and he starts gasping.

We saw the oncologist today and he ordered a boatload of more tests. The working hypothesis today is that he has hemolytic anemia as well as some kind of systemic infection. But that's still a guess, at this point. None of the labs that were done so far present a clear-cut picture (hence- more tests.) They took enough blood today to make a healthy person faint.

He started on antibiotics (Levofloxacin) today. Tomorrow we go to radiology and Friday we see the doc again. The doctor is also trying to set up a Gamma Globulin Infusion for Friday, if the insurance will cover it.