Thursday, June 11, 2009

A bump in the road - by Liz (per Tim's direction)

I'm posting this for Tim who is indisposed right now, but wanted to make sure everyone had the latest status. Liz

Things have gotten a little bit bumpy, even though we think the prognosis is positive. Tim started running a fever on Saturday that didn't go away. He was averaging 102-103 degrees and on Monday we ended up in the St. Mary's Hospital Emergency room. He was admitted for IV antibiotics and drugs to boost his bone marrow function. Unfortunately his White Blood Cell Count hasn't really changed since he was admitted, and it is very low (0.5 when normal is around 10).

Lots of tests after his admission seem to have narrowed it down to viral pneumonia. This is good in one sense since we know what it is, but bad in another because they don't have many drugs to treat viral pneumonia. Normally, the hospital just lets the patient's immune system respond while they provide supportive therapy. In Tim's case, his immune system is artificially supressed due to the chemo.

So, Tim is now at Georgetown University Hospital ICU with access to all of his doctors. I spoke to him and he is positive, though worried about how long he will be incarcerated (his phrase). He has some great stories about the ride to Georgetown and the ICU in general to share once he's got more energy. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated as always.
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6 comments:

  1. JasonJune 11, 2009 at 8:50 PM

    Liz, thanks for the update. My thoughts are with you both. Does Tim need anything at g-town? I can't go see him (immune suppressed myself), but I'd be happy to pick up anything he needs. Its a short run from Arlington.

    -Jason

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  2. Heather HaneyJune 11, 2009 at 11:05 PM

    Happy Birthday Tim. We are all praying for your speedy recovery and we love you! -Heather

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  3. Peggy DziewitJune 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM

    Sending all my best wishes your way. Hopefully things will return to boring soon.

    SailNavy/Jason ... Yauman? Is it you?

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  4. BradJune 12, 2009 at 4:31 PM

    Thanks for the update Liz. We were concerned by the lack of updates after the abbreviated posts on Monday.

    Best wishes. Our thoughts and prayers are with you both.

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  5. JasonJune 12, 2009 at 9:15 PM

    @Peg, that'd be me.

    @Liz, jyauman (at) gmail dot com if there's anything I can do locally to help, please let me know.

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  6. Lisa KimballJune 13, 2009 at 3:41 PM

    Liz, thanks for returning my call this morning. Everyone down here is pooling prayers to send as one huge "GET WELL" to Tim. He's too hard-headed to let this get the best of him. We're thinking of you guys and I promise to keep everyone updated.

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