LIFE-THREATENING Infection & Blockage

I wish I had something good to say this morning.
We once again find ourselves needing another miracle (two) for Denise & the doctors.

In last night's post, I said that pseudomanas bacteria is back again. They assume that's what it is (what was found was a gram-negative rod... still need to wait for it to grow more). It was originally found in the uterus, ab fluid, and now sputum & blood... it's systemic now. The problem is that it's very resistant to antibiotics. A few weeks ago I mentioned that there was only one antibiotic that could be used. If my understanding is correct, the bacteria has adapted itself to overcome the antibiotic. The choices of what to give her so she doesn't succumb to this infection are pretty slim, and the side effects are severe. We're having to wait to be sure of the exact infection, and wait for the infectious disease doctors to figure out if there's anything that can be done. We've gotta find something to combat this.

More bad news is that yesterday's CT scan of the ab revealed that the barium contrast got into the stomach and small intestine, but didn't go to the large intestine. This, along with Denise's vomiting, points to a blockage. We don't know yet what's causing the blockage. The doctor needs to call a surgeon, but Denise is in very bad condition and not a good candidate for surgery. On a side note, because of the blockage, the doctor thinks that Denise is starting to dehydrate, since the large intestine isn't getting anything from which to extract water. They've stopped the gastro tube feeding and increased the IV feeding to help her out.

Denise has been carried through other scary moments in this ordeal. In my mind, this one ranks among the top, even though there's a wait involved. She has made progress; nurses coming back after a week or so off have commented on how much better she gets. But if nothing can be done for the infection, and the risk of resolving the blockage is too great, we stand the chance of losing Denise. We have to wait for several doctors in different fields to huddle and figure out what to do next.
Pour on the prayer.

Read More

Pseudomonas again, Fevers, Heart, Kids visit

We've completed 7 weeks in the hospital, and here we go into week 8. Denise's condition over the last few days has been marked by a return of very high fevers (high as 105.1 tonight), racing heart rates (into the 160s a couple times), increased ab swelling, and today, the return of pseudomonas bacteria, now in the latest blood culture (I believe that previously it was only in a swab performed by the ObGyn). I don't know if I'm more discouraged at her having fevers and not knowing the cause, or finding another infection in another place.

Denise started looking a little better after starting the 5000 calorie per day diet. She nodded when I asked if she felt better & more energetic. She moved her arms & legs a little more than usual to prove it. When alert, she moves easier and with more coordination. She was able to write "I need to shop" fairly legibly. I asked her what she needed to shop for and she held up a part of her gown and made the classic face that says "Eeew, I hate this color & pattern."

The kids came in for a visit on Sunday, I believe. Denise was more alert earlier in the morning, but was on the decline by the time we arrived. This was Gracie's third visit, and she did great, as usual. This was Jake's second visit. He was too sleepy for the first visit, and this time he got scared, cried & screamed. Denise, thought not really able to animate her face much, looked very hurt that Jacob didn't want to come to her. After some soothing and becoming interested in some of Gracie's doctor kit toys, we were able to sit him on the bed next to Denise. Gracie was using her toy stethoscope on Denise, and Jake picked up the cue, using a toy syringe to give her an injection. Eventually, he kissed her hand & our short visit had a happier ending than beginning.

Yesterday Denise must have thought she was at Arcadia Methodist Day Spa, because she got her toenails painted. I think some of the staff have taken her on as their special project. Denise loved the attention. And tonight I left the hospital unusually early, and happened to run into a friend from high school that I'd lost touch with. That was one of those neat moments where if one of us were 5 seconds earlier or later, we would've missed each other.

Let's see... what else? Because of the massive amount of "food," her blood lipid and blood sugars are up now, and that needs to be dealt with. Denise's other chest tube is out now (I wonder if it fell out or if she pulled it out, now that I think about it). So there are no more chest tubes. Doctor says that her vent is on such low pressure, it should be OK. She pulled her PICC line out of her arm today (second time she's done that), and a new one was inserted. There was another CT scan of the ab done tonight. Yesterday we noticed something looking like a boil on her left wrist, and it's warm to the touch, with red around it. With all the infections that she's been dealing with, I'm pretty paranoid and will be keeping an eye on that. I've slept well maybe three or four nights since this ordeal began. A friend let me borrow some Ambien the other day and it worked incredibly well... I got to sleep fast & didn't feel groggy at all when waking up. I asked my doctor for it but instead was given some Temazepam. You should see the long list of side effects for this stuff! Well, I'm giving it a shot anyway. If I don't post for a few more days, somebody come to my house & wake me up.

Thanks a million to my friends, neighbors & family that have supported us in every way. We're getting meals, excursions for the kids, fun sleepovers, yard work, child care, shopping runs, car repair, house work, prayer support... you name it. I'm not feeling the usual amount of self-suffiency that I usually have. I'm blessed, humbled, and feeling incredibly loved because so many of you have offered to help. Those of you that know me personally know that I usually prefer to be on the giving end of service, and feel pretty uncomfy on the receiving end of it. I don't like being a "charity case," I guess. But feeling so obliterated as I have been lately is changing my perception of receiving. I ran into someone at school the other day that reminded me that doing a good turn benefits two parties: the giver and the recipient. If God tells somebody that is willing and able to help, "Hey, go help Phil's family" and I say, "No, you don't have to do that," that really robs someone of the joy of serving. Just one more concept that I've heard & agreed with in my head many times over the years, but living this life right now is really driving the point home in a very real way.

Read More

Women's Health - Endometrial Cancer

This article give you know : What is endometrial cancer?, What causes endometrial cancer?, What are the symptoms? and other things about endrometrial cancer.
Lets we read one by one

What is endometrial cancer?

Endometrial cancer is the rapid and uncontrolled growth of cells in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped organ in a women's abdomen. Endometrial cancer usually occurs in women older than 50. Fortunately, it is highly curable if detected at an early stage when the cancer is still contained in the uterus. Most women with endometrial cancer are diagnosed in the earliest stage, and up to 93% of these women are cancer-free 5 years after treatment.
What causes endometrial cancer?

The cause of endometrial cancer is currently unknown. Exposure to the hormone estrogen over many years without enough of the hormone progesterone to balance it (unopposed estrogen) appears to be related to the development of endometrial cancer.2
What are the symptoms?

The most common symptom is abnormal vaginal bleeding after menopause. About 20% of women who have abnormal bleeding after menopause have endometrial cancer.3

If endometrial cancer is more advanced, additional symptoms may be present. These include difficulty urinating, a lump in the pelvic area, pain in the pelvic area, and weight loss.
What increases my risk of developing endometrial cancer?

Being exposed to estrogen for years without progesterone to balance it (unopposed estrogen) appears to be the greatest risk factor for developing endometrial cancer. Long-term exposure to unopposed estrogen may occur as a result of:

* Beginning your menstrual cycle before age 12 or starting menopause after age 55.
* Not ever being pregnant or completing a full-term pregnancy.
* Not ever breast-feeding.
* Using hormone replacement therapy without progesterone.
* Being obese. Fat cells produce estrogen. Obese women have many fat cells, which increases the rate of estrogen production.

Additional factors that increase your risk include:

* Taking tamoxifen, a breast cancer medication that acts like estrogen in the uterus.3
* Being older than 50.
* Having a history of breast, ovarian, or colon cancer.
* Having endometrial hyperplasia.
* Having a family history of endometrial cancer or hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC).

How is endometrial cancer diagnosed?

Endometrial cancer is usually diagnosed with an endometrial biopsy. A biopsy removes a small sample of the lining of the uterus for examination under a microscope.

Your doctor will determine the stage of your endometrial cancer, or how far advanced it is, by gathering information from a variety of tests, including blood tests, bone scans, and X-rays. The stage of your cancer is one of the most important factors in selecting the treatment option that is right for you.
How is it treated?

Endometrial cancer in its early stages can be cured with treatment and close follow-up. The primary treatment for endometrial cancer is surgery (hysterectomy) to remove the uterus, cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Pelvic lymph nodes may also be removed. Other treatments may be used depending on the stage of cancer and whether you are at high risk of having the cancer return. These treatments include radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.

source: http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100077084

Read More

Katrina relief, Denise needs 5000 calories

Katrina relief:
A friend down the street told me about his friend that owns Grand Slam, a local batting cage/laser tag/arcade in Monrovia CA. On Monday (Labor Day) he'll be open 10am - 7pm, and he's donating ALL of that day's proceeds from batting, slam dunking, and laser tagging to hurricane relief. With gas prices being what they are, lots of us are staying local this weekend. Let's help this guy help a lot of other people out. Bring the family. For those of you that know me through Pasadena Christian School, I believe that this is the same Grand Slam that we send kids to during our magazine drive and jog-a-thon fund raisers (if so, they love it).
Click here for the address & more info: Grand Slam

Usually when disaster strikes, Red Cross asks for more blood than usual. Denise is A positive, so that frees up a bunch of you to donate elsewhere. She hasn't needed a transfusion for several days, now that I think about it. So those of you that have been holding off on donating in case Denise needs you, now's a good time to donate to Red Cross or City of Hope (if you're local to us) or some other place that needs it. Free juice & cookies are in it for you.

As far as Denise's progress goes, today was relatively uneventful. The draw of fluid from around that psoas muscle was performed today and turned out to be a pocket of old blood... a hematoma, probably from the Lovenox. She was a little bit more alert today than yesterday. She had a twitch in her upper lip that I hadn't seen before. The resting energy expenditure test was also done and it was determined that Denise is using up about 5000 calories a day. A guy my size needs about 2000 calories a day (well, probably less, now that I'm sitting on my keister most of the time next to a hospital bed). I don't know how they're going to pump that much food into her. I thought of going to Cheesecake Factory, buying a couple cheesecakes, pureeing them, and pouring them through a funnel into Denise's g-tube. Any nurses reading this, I'd buy one for you all to share, leaving it intact, of course.

It occurred to me that Denise has been absent from the house for over six weeks, and I've not in this time gone to Tommy's for one of their chili burgers. See, Denise detests the smell of them, both before and after ingestion, and prefers that I only eat them when she's gone visiting her parents for a weekend. She once asked me to order one of their burgers without the chili (blasphemous... the lady taking the order over the drive-thru speaker said, "Que? Chili no?" and I heard laughing in the background). Anyway, I finally went to Tommy’s today. Scary, but the double cheeseburger, chili fries & shake may have amounted to Denise’s aforementioned required daily caloric intake.

And for the smart alec that asked about my parking by David Hasselhoff the other day:
No, he doesn't still talk to his car.
(I talked to his sister today... she said that she was still in high school while Knight Rider was on TV and she always got teased)

Read More

Exercise for Women Pregnant

Exercise for Women Pregnant
By : Raymond Kelly

There are many benefits for women who wish to exercise through their pregnancy.

Exercise can:

· Increase energy levels
· Help prevent feelings of discomfort, clumsiness, and unattractiveness
· Improve circulation, reduce swelling and formation of varicose veins in the lower legs
· Help tone muscles allowing the body to return to its pre-pregnancy state much faster
· Improve posture, so less back ache

The major concerns of training whilst pregnant are:

· Foetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen for the baby)
· Foetal hyperthermia (internal temperature gets too hot)
· Reduced carbohydrate supply to the foetus (baby doesn'tget enough food)

These should only be concerns if the mother does not exercise intelligently. Ask your doctor for further information when obtaining your medical clearance.

Guidelines:

· Obtain a medical clearance prior to commencement
· Never let your heart rate get over 135 beats per minute for a sustained period. This can vary from person to person but a good rule of thumb is to reduce the intensity if you cannot comfortably hold a conversation with someone whilst exercising.
· Balance will be a problem as you get bigger so always keep both feet on the ground (no jumping, skipping, lunging, stepping, etc).
· Non-weight bearing exercise (eg. Cycling, swimming) is preferable to weight bearing exercise (eg. Jogging).
· Exertion levels should be determined on an individual basis. Someone who has had a long exercise history and a high fitness level will be able to tolerate higher intensities without affecting the foetus.
· Avoid strenuous exertion during the first trimester. If you haven't exercised before, walking is a great way to start.
· Increases in exercise quantity and quality should be very gradual for previously inactive women.
· Avoid exercise or positioning of the individual in the supine (lying on the floor face up) posture, particularly in late gestation (due to decreased cardiac output).
· Avoid exercise in warm/humid environments.
· Drink liquids before and after exercise to avoid dehydration. Wear loose cotton clothing.
· Do not exercise when fatigued, particularly in late gestation. Never exercise to exhaustion.
· Periodic rest intervals may be helpful to minimize hypoxia or heat stress to the foetus.
· Pregnancy requires an increase of 300k/cal per day so if you are exercising you require even more. Ensure you have an adequate diet.

Read More

Step back? Gross good news

I've heard that this ordeal can be described as "two steps forward, one step back." We're at a step back, or perhaps a pause. Denise's oxygen concentrations are at 50% (been at 30 for several days), heart rate racing (I'd seen as high as 157), still dealing with fevers. They're not going to push weaning her off of the ventilator. She didn't want to be in the cardiac chair even 15 minutes today, and she was very out of it every time I saw her (not much today, as I had my second day of teacher orientations). Bummer, as I'd been getting used to interacting with her for the past few days. It'd be nice to see her alert, breathing & pulsing more comfortably, and happy more of the time.

It turns out that the indium scan did indeed show some abnormality around the right kidney. But the CT scan showed it to be OK. They did find a small pocket of fluid at a muscle between the thigh & back. Could just be blood. Could be an abcess (unlikely, as it would have lit up with the indium scan). So I signed the form to have her jabbed again (with help from the ultrasound machine so they avoid poking anything they don't want to poke). Let's hope that tomorrow's probe will shed light on why the fevers & ab swelling persist.

They're going to do a "resting energy expenditure" test. It's a test that measures the oxygen going in and the carbon dioxide coming out in order to figure out how many calories she's using. The thought is that maybe she's breaking down protein because she's not getting enough to "eat." They'll also do a thyroid check. I told the doctor that there was no family history of thyroid problems. Then I found out tonight that there are supposed to be some problems on her dad's side. So family that's reading this blog, sound off if there are any thyroid problems so I can clue in Denise's team. They'll also do an endocrine check. No stone unturned, you know.

And now for the gross good news... I know that when Denise wakes up and reads what I'm about to share with all of you, she'll chase me around the house with a rolling pin. But it really is a nice bit of news, considering the effects of the colitis lately.
Denise only pooped once today.
We can all be happy. The nurses today may be the happiest of all.

Read More

News

Read More