Jim Update

Jim is still in the ICU but improving. They took out his breathing tube yesterday so he was very happy about that. He is just on an oxygen mask now. He will hopefully be transferred back up to the bonemarrow floor in a day or two.

Tomorrow puts Jim in the hospital 1 week. So to date Jim has spent 14 weeks in the hospital since the beginning of March. Yikes.

Now we just need to make sure he continues to not bleed and get his graft vs. host under control. The doctors have decided that the walnut size mass in his lungs is most likely fungus or mold. Jim's brother Bob is convinced it is just a hairball.

Despite Jim's weakness, he is doing the work in order to get stronger. He made two laps around the unit today. Go Jim Go. It is going to take some time to get him stronger. Spencer looked at his legs the other day and said "Dad, you have Barbie Legs." He does indeed.

Today I AM THANKFUL to see no breathing tube, Jim sitting in a chair and walking the unit. He is a "MANIMAL."

Back in the Hospital

We were home for a week and now we are back. Friday, Jim came back in for a flare-up of graft vs host disease (tummy symptoms). We thought it would be a quick fix. Early Saturday morning Jim was coughing up large amounts of blood. Good thing we were in the hospital. By Saturday afternoon Jim was moved to the ICU. Early Sunday morning Jim was intubated and placed on a ventilator. Poor guy. This is Jim's third pulmonary hemmorage and a reminder of his RSV days. He is stable and doing fine on the ventilator. We are hopeful that he will be extubated in the next couple of days.

This definately has been a rough 5 months. Even when Jim has been home it hasn't been great. To make this short, here are Jim's many issues right now.

Pulmonary Hemmorage - Keeping placelets high and on ventilator for support. Unknown as to why he keeps bleeding.

Unknown walnut shaped cavity in lungs - possibly fungus or mold - on medication to treat.

CMV in Lungs - Is on a trial medication for this

Kidney failuire - Dialysis at least 3 times a week. Special kidney diet. (Hopefully kidneys will recover)

Graft Vs. Host Disease - Several lesions in stomach, intestines, colon, etc - Increase in steroids to treat.

Congestive Heart Failure - Medications and special diet

Anti A blood- Jim's B+ blood still attacking Evan's A+ blood. Conversion still not complete. Just takes time, but causes alot of problems with blood breakdown. Needs blood products frequently.

Left Foot Drop - Cannot control his left foot. Makes it difficult to walk. Physical Therapy working with him.

Weakness - Physical Therapy working with him

Weight Loss - Lost 40 lbs during last 2 week hospital stay

I am sure there are more issues than I am remembering but these are the main ones. Despite how long the list and how bad it sounds, Jim is hanging in there. The staff on the bonemarrow floor call him the Energizer Bunny because he "takes a lickin and keeps on tickin." He just keeps on fighting. The ICU staff get nervous when he comes down because he has been here so much and gets so sick but I remind them that it is ok because Jim definately has nine lives. He has for sure used a few of them in the last 5 months, but he has some left.

Today I AM THANKFUL that Jim is such a tough cookie. He just takes whatever comes his way and keeps fighting the fight.