No Visitors Today

Neal has more tests all afternoon and is not in the mood. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Wednesday

Just talked to Neal. He is going to dialysis this morning and then having the endoscopy this afternoon potentially. He is feeling fine. There is really nothing else to report.

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/national_world/stories/2007/05/30/kidney.html

Doctor update

I finally talked to a doctor. The abscess is around his diverticulities in his colon. Multiple experts have looked at it and do not believe there is enough fluid to drain. Typically if there is a bad infection your white blood cell count goes up. His is still normal. They have taken him off one of his immunosuppression drugs short term. She is hoping he will be out of the hospital by the end of the week and they will do a follow up CAT scan. One other thing she mentioned that did not sound pleasant, was possibly putting a line in order to administer iv antiobiotics at home. I do not think it will come to this, but who knows.

No drain

I guess they decided not to put a drain in. Apparently the area is too small. The doctors are going to treat him with antibiotics. I am not a doctor, but from everything I have read, antiobiotics do not cure this. I will do a little more research and see what I find. A doctor is SUPPOSED to be calling me to discuss all of this. If that actually does happen I will post another update.

IF ANYONE VISITS PLEASE GIVE ME AN UPDATE. THANKS!

Not much to tell/ Michele's emotional rant

I saw Neal at the hospital today. He was tired and had a headache. He did eat some food though. It sounds as though they are putting a drain in him tomorrow and possibly an external bag to collect the fluid. I am guessing he will be in all week. I could not get ahold of any doctors since it is a holiday. I will call the nurse who is always very friendly first thing in the morning to try to get more specifics. He is in room 924 Rhodes for any visitors.

I was pretty emotional tonight. I am trying to stay strong for Neal, but sometimes it is hard. I keep asking why is ALL of this happening to a kind hearted 30 year old man??? Sorry honey, but I had to mention your age. Everyone knows Neal is such a wonderful person. He did nothing to deserve this. We used to always say when it rains it pours, but when is it going to stop pouring? We never know what we are going to get day to day or hour to hour. I think if I had kept better notes (which I have started doing) he has only had a handful of good days in the last 2 months and has been in the hospital 30 days the last 2 months. I have probably made 40 trips to and from the hospital. I mean come on dialysis, blood clot, fluid around lung, diverticulitis, pneumonia, abscess....... GIVE US A BREAK! Regardless I told my mom tonight I need to go to the batting cages or driving range to get some of my anger/frustration out. Sorry for writing a book. What gets us through??? Two great friends who have offered us an amazing gift, another life...... and that helps us to get through each day.

We appreciate all of your comments. Please keep them coming, it helps. It is amazing how quickly the blog distributes amongst both new and old friends. We have an amazing support system.

To the ER again...

I wish we were counting down the days to the transplant instead of counting the number of times Neal is in the hospital. Last night he went to the ER because he was not doing well. They finally did a CAT scan after a few tears and some yelling. Neal does not believe me, but I think that is the trick! They found that his diverticulitis is back and he has an abscess in his stomach. Here is the info from WebMD:

An abscess is a tender, easily pressed mass generally surrounded by a colored area from pink to deep red. The middle of an abscess is full of pus and debris. Unlike other infections, antibiotics alone will not cure an abscess. In general an abscess must open and drain in order for it to improve. Sometimes draining occurs on its own, but generally it must be opened by a doctor in a procedure called incision and drainage. People with weakened immune systems get certain abscesses more often (Neal is on immuno suppression drugs).

He had diverticulitis before. My understanding is you get pockets in your colon and food can get caught causing an infection.

They admitted him last night and are giving him IV antibiotics. A surgeon is supposed to come by to determine whether he needs surgery or a procedure to drain the abscess. Meanwhile he will be getting his dialysis treatments at the hospital.

Ryan is scheduled for his MRI and CAT scan tomorrow. I will be calling the pre-transplant center to inform them of Neal's current problems and determine whether the transplant should be postponed.

Today Ryan, Leslie, Matt, Leslie's parents and I got a workout. We mulched Ryan and Leslie's yard and planted some flowers. The countdown is on and we all have a lot to do to prepare for a summer of not much activity. We have also agreed that group mulching is much easier! I hope everyone had a nice long weekend.

Unfortunately I missed Stacy's cookout yesterday, but I hear it was a great time. I just wish I could have seen baby Jack. Luckily the weather held out in Clintonville. There was a pretty good storm in Dublin.

Sunday

Last night Neal and I went out for a while and he was fine, but apparently something changed. He said he was sick all night long. I wish I knew what was causing this. He has been sleeping in bed all morning. I am headed to a cookout at Stacy's today. Neal is probably going to stay home and rest. Hopefully we will find out what is wrong on Thursday.