No Improvement in MRI

Tim had his repeat MRI today. It showed no improvement. The neurologist said it's possible that the vasculitis is slightly worse. Likewise, there's been no improvement in Tim's memory and cognitive reasoning. We are gradually removing Tim from the steroids, since they don't appear to be doing anything at this point. The neurologist isn't sure what to do next. He is going to consult his colleagues and Tim's oncologist before recommending a future course of treatment.

We see the oncologist this Wednesday.

On Our Own

My mom, bless her heart, flies home tomorrow. So we will be learning to manage on our own. The oncologist says Tim is doing really well in terms of the stem cell engraftment. We will be having labs done this week, but no doctor visits. The neurologist will still be seeing Tim for awhile. Tim has a repeat MRI scheduled for April 27.

Tim still doesn't drive and I'm not really comfortable leaving him home alone. So I'll be looking for folks to help out Sunday mornings so I can get to choir. I will also be looking for help in the evenings (mostly Wednesdays and Fridays) so I can get the kids to their sporting events. If you can help out in either of those areas, drop me a line and I'll put you on our schedule.

Tim at Home

Tim was discharged yesterday. We are still working out the details of his follow-up care. Lots of lab work and doctor visits.

Preparing to Come Home

The doctors are pleased with Tim's progress. Although he will still need a lot of follow up care with both the transplant doctors and the neurologist, the doctors believe that Tim can receive the rest of his care as an outpatient. So as soon as we line up the home health support, the medications, the doctor's appointments, etc, Tim will come home. Possibly as soon as tomorrow, certainly no later than Thursday.

Back on 15

After 24 hours of cardiac telemonitoring and an echocardiogram, the cardiologist decided that nothing is wrong with Tim's heart. He just occasionally has a low heart rate. So they moved him back to the transplant floor to room 1589.

They did discover a blood clot around the picc-line in his arm, so they removed it. The clot didn't totally block his blood vessel, so they are waiting to see if it dissolves naturally. They'd prefer not to give Tim blood thinners because of the vasculitis.

They also stopped one of his anti-rejection medications on Thursday to see if that is contributing to the confusion. He seemed a little better yesterday morning, but by Friday evening he was muddled again. The doctors said that it would take a few days to see any improvement if the drug was contributing to the confusion.

Tim's on a Field Trip

Tim had a low heart rate this morning (38). This concerned the doctors enough to bring in the cardiology team. The cardiologists don't think anything is wrong with Tim's heart, but just in case, they have moved him to 1683. This will enable them to monitor his heart activity for the next 24 hours. They have also ordered a bunch of tests for tomorrow, just to confirm that everything is okay.

On the confusion end of things, Tim occasionally has trouble recognizing me now. He is the topic of tomorrow's neurology seminar. Hopefully, all those brain doctors in one room might come up with something to help.