IF IT'S NOT ONE THING IT'S ANOTHER (BUT SHE'S FEELING A BIT BETTER)

 

****Quick update to below:  I should have put this in the blog, but for now, no visitors (unless OK'd by Kristina) for the next few days. Even though she is feeling a little better, the contagious nature of C. Diff warrants caution.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.  For those going through Chemo and a hospital stay, there’s the big story – Leukemia and the transplant – but there are also dozens of ‘little stories’ that inconveniently hitch along for the ride.  One indignity after another.

For Kristina, the latest one was the diagnosis of C. Diff.  Which stands for ‘clostridium difficile’.  A punch to the gut.  Literally.  This was not totally unexpected in a hospital setting.  There are a variety of ‘bad’ things floating around a hospital – MRSA, CMV, RSV, even Shingles among others.  So this wasn’t totally unexpected.

C.Diff causes diarrhea and is highly contagious.   It also causes an elevated protection protocol – (gown, gloves, mask etc.)  She’s on a 10 day course of oral Vancomycin and the impact on the arc of her discharge and transplant are currently unknown.  So many unknowns and each one has its own worry.  Which Kristina’s been doing since about midnight.

Her Neutaphils are still zero, but in a surprise statement her doctor said ‘oh we can still discharge you even if they haven’t come back’.  Kristina’s still processing that, but it’s another example of ‘new thinking’ vs older thinking but there’ll be more discussion on that front over the next few days.  Her BMA aspiration, the test to assess the level of blast cells, is still set for the 24^th, but the new C. Diff diagnosis may alter that.

Despite all this, Kristina was feeling a little better.  Her temperature this morning was 36.9, which translates to 98.4.  About right and about time after having 5 days of fever.  Blood pressure 114/61, still low, and her oxygen was 93.  Still low but better than before.

She’s on 3% Oxygen now, the delivery of which has caused another indignity.  The rubber nasal cannula that she wears has rubbed her nose raw and she’s been battling bloody noses all night.  Kinda gross, but very real and uncomfortable.  Did we mention the diarrhea?   It’s uncomfortable battling a life threatening disease.

All these things – the 2 rashes, the streptococcus infection that jumped from the mouth to the blood, the low blood pressure, low oxygen levels, the sand papery / gun metal mouth feel, hair loss, skin peeling from the lips – and now C. Diff.  One indignity after another.

No wonder she posted “After this week I really need to be taken out…on a date or by a sniper, either one is fine with me at this point”. 😊

Despite all this, she’s saying she’s OK.  It’s just hard at the moment.  She’s battling boldly and her voice sounds pretty strong. 

Yesterday she raised her blinds up for the first time in several days and today’s chore will be dealing with the last of her hair.  It’s really starting to fall out at this point.  That first cut early in the week was the toughest.  This is just clean up.

More news later on how the C.Diff diagnosis impacts her trajectory of discharge, tests, and transplant.