Friday, June 15, 2012

Titles should not be the hardest part of a post

Ever feel uninspired? Well, that's how I feel, so this update will be short and dull. You're welcome. Ryan ate a small bowl of Cheerios this morning with some soy milk. As he set the bowl aside, his nurse came in and let him know that he's NPO again (he can't eat food anymore, he'll have the TPN dosed at full strength again). Apparently they suspect GVHD, given all Ryan's stomach pain and other issues. So the hope is that if they back off on the food, maybe his body will calm down and we won't have to get into a serious GVHD situation. 

About ten minutes after that, we found out that Ryan has VRE. This is a bacteria that many people can carry. If you're healthy and have a normal immune system it rarely causes a problem, it just kind of camps out. If you're immune compromised, it can turn into an infection that is hard to treat and can cause some real problems. VRE is short for Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus. Vanco is one of the antibiotics Ryan is already on, so obviously that won't work to treat a possible VRE infection. So if it becomes a problem, they'll have to break out the big guns, antibiotic-wise. What I love is how the doctors and nurses come in and let you know you have VRE and that it's no big deal, don't worry, they won't treat it. At the same time that they say this, they're all getting hazmat suited-up and hanging a warning sign on your door. You have to laugh because it's kind of funny. I can picture a fantastic Andy Samburg skit about this. 

Other than that, Ryan has mostly slept and pushed the pain pump. So there's the update. Now here's one of my favorite pictures of Ryan- it always makes me smile.






2 comments:

  1. UP....and DOWN.... I'm sorry about this turn of events. Sounds like they are on top of things, knowing what to watch for and what to do about it. Oh, Emily, best of luck to you guys!! Positive thoughts from me to you and hang in, there. We love you!!

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  2. My heart aches for your stress and pain - I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles. Hang in there. Please let me give you some oils to try if the staff will allow. They can help fight the bacteria and help with the pain. I truly believe and have seen many miracles. We love you guys!

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