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#31
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Re: KarenH Speaks !!!!!
Thanks for the update, Chris! And let Karen know that we will not forget about her...honestly, if I could come visit, I definitely would...But seeing as I'm over 3,000 miles away, that wouldn't work too well. ='(
Let Karen know I am praying and I sincerely hope the change in hospitals goes well for you all. Best of luck to you. Quote:
--Dori |
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#32
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More News
It's been a quiet week in Cedars-Sinai...
Karen spent most of last week undergoing tests to see if she was a suitable candidate for an experimental treatment. The new treatment has had good results and takes just 2 days vs 2 weeks for the standard cyclosporin treatment. She was pretty excited about being able to participate. BUT... she failed one of the last tests. This was a severe disappointment. So Friday they put in an additional PIC line and started the cyclosporin treatment. Yesterday when we visited she was very tired and not quite with it. Probably due to the medications. Hopefully it is one of those getting sicker before you get better sort of things. They are monitoring her blood very closely and adjusting her dosages daily. She is hooked up to an infusion pump 24 hours a day and has to drag around her "ball and chain" everywhere she goes, not that she is going very far for a while yet. The good news is that her blood sugar levels are more stable and they haven't had to give her insulin shots for a day or two. The bad news is that she needed a blood trasfusion to keep up with what she is losing. She still doesn't have access to e-mail, unless you send it through me. I'll be happy to deliver anything I get. She also has a phone and if you want to call PM me and I can give you the number but I don't think just posting it is a good idea. Thanks for all your prayers ChrisH |
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#33
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Re: More News
It's been yet another quiet week in Cedar-Sinai...
I figured it is about time I got around to another update. Karen is on day 11 of her 14 day cyclosporin treatment. Things are going well so far. Her insides are acting more normally and her red cell count is going up. She is still on IV medications, but the doctors say the transition to oral medications will only take a day or two. Her blood sugar levels are still really high and she is getting insulin just about every day. That is supposed to go away after they switch her to the oral meds. It sounds like that should happen really fast though I think they will keep her and check her for a couple of days before I can bring her back home. Hopefully she will make the next report from here at home. Guess who's going to be doing some MAJOR housecleaning this weekend? ChrisH |
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#34
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Re: More News
Yikes, good luck with the housecleaning! I'd help, but I'm a bit too far away ;-)
And thank you for the update, I was wondering how she was. =) She's still in my prayers, and let her know we miss her very much here! |
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#35
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Re: More News
I hope she gets well ASAP and stays well down the road. She'll be/been in my prayers!
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#36
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
I’m Home from the Hospital!
It’s hard to believe I spent SEVEN whole weeks in hospitals: August 20-Sept 16 at Torrance Memorial, and Sept. 16-Oct. 8 at Cedars-Sinai, one of the best hospitals in the west. And much of that time I was hooked up to one (or two) infusion pumps. (Remember who invented the infusion pump?) I spent a lot of time thinking about all the wonderful inventions used for modern medical treatments. My Cyclosporine treatment would have been impossible without the pump, because no human could have monitored the extremely slow drip rate 24/7 for two weeks. The other really wonderful invention is the PIC line (Peripherally Inserted Central venous catheter). Normally, IV fluids are sent in through a little catheter in a shallow vein somewhere in the patient's arm. After three days or so, the vein stops being usable, and the nurse has to find another vein. Well, no one ever had trouble finding a vein in my arm, until after I'd been in the hospital a few days. Between inserting the IV in one arm, and drawing blood every day from the other, the hunt for usable veins was becoming like a safari for endangered species! With the PIC line, however, the doctors use ultrasound and X-ray to locate a big vein deep in the upper arm. Using local anesthetic, they insert a long catheter that goes into the chest. The procedure only takes twenty minutes or so. The PIC line can have one or two ports, and it can stay in indefinitely. The patient can even wear it home. Best of all, there is NO pain, except when the tape holding the ports pulls on the skin a little (like removing a Band-aid). I started with a single port, but needed two: one for the Cyclosporine to go in, and the other for blood to be drawn. They can't be mixed, or else a chemical reaction will throw off the blood counts. Watching the PIC line team changing from single to double ports was amazing: they ripped open packages, threw stuff on the floor, did something to my arm, and there was the new PIC line! They could easily make an episode for a reality TV show. On the other hand, I thought of a new invention that is needed: the mobile chest X-ray units in Cedars-Sinai could sure use a computerized drive system. Every time the technician tried to position the arm of the X-ray to aim at my chest, the cart wheels would drag it back one or two degrees. It was as bad as a grocery cart! I'm thinking some kind of omni-drive would be nice... Of course, it would further drive up health care costs (--sigh--).During my 14-day I.V. Cyclosporine treatment at Cedars-Sinai, the inflammation in my colon finally came under control. I had a hard time believing it at first, since I’d been bleeding so long. (Because my red blood cell count dropped, I had to have three transfusions altogether.) Now I’m on three potent (and toxic) oral medications to keep my colitis under control. If all goes well, I will be tapered off two of them, and the third will be my “maintenance” drug. If all does NOT go well… let’s just say that the surgeon told me that there’s a 50-50 chance of a patient like me having a remission and requiring a total colectomy within a year after the medical treatment. After a year, the odds for not needing surgery are much better. I’m also on half a dozen other meds and supplements to deal with the side effects of the main drugs! You should have seen the pharmacist trying to figure out the seven prescriptions last night. You also should have seen me trying to figure out what to take when, because each medication has a different dosing regimen; no two are the same! (Now I know why they use computers to track medications in the hospital.) Monday, I return to the lab so they can test my blood levels and tweak my medications yet again. Meanwhile, I’m trying to enjoy being back home, but somehow a housewife always has trouble relaxing in her home after it’s been occupied by two “bachelors” for weeks. Robo-vation parts just don’t seem to match the living room décor. Now for the important part: I want to say a big THANK YOU for all of you who sent e-mails, expressed your concern for me through this thread, and supported me in prayer. |
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#37
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
WELCOME BACK! Glad to see you're better and at home!
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#38
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
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#39
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
It's a relief for all of us to know you're improving and home again. We have all been very worried for you.
I can only imagine the boy's elation in having you home, and really it isn't because of Dad's cooking, or the hospital food while they were with you. Where are those Robovation parts going to live now they've been evicted? Last edited by Mark McLeod : 20-10-2004 at 15:17. |
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#40
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Quote:
-Kyle |
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#41
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
Quote:
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#42
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
Welcome back, Karen!
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#43
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
Glad you're back Karen.
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#44
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
Welcome back! it must feel good to be back from the icky hospital. Stay better and feel better. best wishes
-Court- |
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#45
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Re: CD Member in Hospital
Welcome back Karen!
There's nothing that beats the feeling of being home again after what you've been through. |
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