Dear Family,
If you have been reading your emails, you know that Grandma is back in the hospital and is on the second floor in Intermediate Care. She has a yeast infection in her blood and this is the most serious condition she has had yet. She is on an anti-fungal medication to help treat the yeast and is also on two other antibiotics. Yesterday, Val and I were at the hospital most of the day. Butch came for a couple of hours and then came back to stay the night in her room. This will be a hard fight for Mom and we really can't predict the outcome. So far she has been able to maintain a good blood pressure and her temperature hasn't gotten too high. Yesterday they put in a central line which is like a picc line but it goes in her neck in the big vein there and down into the superior vena cava chamber of her heart. They are able to regulate her blood pressure better with the central line. Mom was quite trembly yesterday and would have periods of chills and shaking even though her temperature wasn't all that high. Val is at the hospital today and this morning she said that Mom is stable, alert and seems to be responding to the treatment. She had a little fever spike in the night but it has dropped back down for now. Mom was able to sit up to eat a little breakfast this morning which was good--she wasn't able to eat much of anything yesterday and was quite nauseated. Of course, all of Mom's blood levels are low and probably won't start to go up until the end of this week or sometime next week. Over the last week or so she got two units of red blood cells twice and two units of platelets twice. She was getting some more red blood cells when I talked to Val this morning. Val also said that Laurel was planning to fly in on Thursday morning.
We know you have all been praying for Mom's healing and recovery--keep up your faith and prayers. This is a very serious situation and we will just take it one day at a time. We will keep you updated. We know this is all in the Lord's hands and we also know that Mom is a fighter.
Love,
Kathie
1 comment:
Lulie,
I'm hoping one of your family members is watching your e-mail account. But just in case, I'm cross-posting this to the comments area on the blog. But, I wanted you to know you are still in my thoughts and prayers. I've been subscribed to the blog, and saw the post for June 1, yesterday. My brother-in-law, Gary Stone, was here yesterday afternoon helping me to till up some ground to plant of all things... raspberry, blackberry, and boysenberry canes. He never has said anything about anyone he might meet/treat at the hospital. He's a model of high medical ethics. But, after reading the blog, I wondered if he might have been aware of your being there on Sunday. He asked mom if we knew how you were doing. He is a respiratory therapist on the intermediate care floor at UVRMC.
I had hoped to visit you in between your chemo treatments, but was traveling on business at what seemed the most suitable time for you (between treatments), and then I've had allergies and colds, and I could never tell which was which, and knew I shouldn't bring anything to your door like that. I drove by your house last Friday, and saw Jennie, I think, in the yard working, but I was on a lunch hour, and I knew you were finishing up chemo. I should have stopped, rolled down the window, and yelled! :)
Anyway, if you're able to get these messages, I just wanted to say again how much you are in my prayers, and that I love you. I have especially spent many quiet hours the past several weeks in my yard thinking of you, while I've been expanding my vegetable garden, preparing and planting flower beds with annuals, and amending / adding to my perennial bed. You didn't think I had it in me, did you? My yard will never be the Eden you have created physically and emotionally for your dear family, but I've been working on it!
I'll keep watching the blog, and any e-mails that come my way.
Much love to you, Bishop Gus, and your great family.
Laura Busby (and Juanita, too!)
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