Last night was frightening . . .

Late last night Phil had to get another chest x-ray and now we know he has pneumonia.  He also had to do the whole prep think (drinking contrast) so he could have a CT scan.  His stomach became distended and they feared a bowel obstruction.  No obstruction—but he has “ascites” (fluid accumulating in the peritoneum—the lining between the organs and the abdomen wall).  

The ascites could be caused by poor liver function, due to all the tumors in his liver, or it could be that the cancer has spread to his peritoneum.  If it gets worse, he may need to have the fluid drawn out through a needle into the area where it’s swelling.  

He also spiked another fever of 100.8 around 1:00 a.m.  Liz stayed till then, and Becky stayed all night.  Becky was able to change her dad's IV from one arm to the other, and draw some blood for labs.  Phil said she's so good at it that he didn't feel a thing!  I might have said he's an EMT tech.  Oops.  She's an ER Tech and an Advanced EMT.

One good thing, today Phil's blood levels are all improving. His neutrophil count is up to 700!!!  That made us all happy.  It means his immunities are building back up.

Best case scenario: Phil will continue to have IV antibiotics for the next 24 hours.  If he doesn’t have another fever, they will switch to oral antibiotics and watch him for another 24 hours.  If he goes both days without a fever, he can go home.

Worst case scenario:  If he has another fever above 100.4, he has to be transferred to the hospital at Huntsman to work with an Infectious Disease doctor, who can hopefully isolate the exact bug and attack it.  

Thanks for your faith and prayers.

Phil is still very sick

Yesterday Phil's blood work showed some improvement—the most important number rose from 100 to 330.  We were so excited!  But today it dropped to 200.  Since Phil can't go home until it's at least 500, that's a disappointment.

Phil's temperature has stayed below 100 degrees for 24 hours, but it's still around 99 degrees.  

Today they’re switching Phil from the IV antibiotic, to an oral antibiotic to see how he does.  We're praying that it works and he doesn't spike a fever. 

Phil’s illness has been respiratory.  He has a bad cough and congestion that just keeps hanging on.  Today the horrible cough is worse.  The doctor said that’s a good sign.  It shows his body is trying to throw off the virus and he’s strong enough to cough.  He has breathing treatments with albuterol, but they're switching him to another drug to see if it helps. 

Today I’m pretty sick and won’t be going to the hospital at all. I'm sure I caught the bug that took Phil down.   My voice is nothing but a croak and I don’t even want to get out of bed.  Our angel daughter Liz is coming from Heber City to take care of us.  Her husband Brandon suggested that she come alone, and he will watch their four daughters.  He’s a very busy man, so that’s a real sacrifice for them both.  

Our daughter Becky is an EMT tech at the hospital, but she worked graves Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so she's catching up on much needed sleep.  Plus she's a single mom of three so she sacrifices a lot, too, to help out.  She sat with Phil most of Monday when this bug first hit me.  When she's in the ER, it's a real comfort to knowing she's at the hospital overnight, and close by if needed.  

Our other four children have been incredibly supportive, too.  They don't live nearby so we text all through the day to stay in touch.  Phil and I are very blessed to have such wonderful children, extended family, and loyal friends.  

We're very grateful.  

Turning the corner . . .

WOOT WOOT!!!  Phil appears to be turning a corner today.  His fever has been under 101 since yesterday afternoon—it’s been in the 98-99 range since then.  His blood work is improving, too.  His platelet count today is 79, compared to 59 yesterday (normal range is 88-368).  His neutrophils (the infection fighters) rose from 100 yesterday to 330 today.  The benchmark to be released is no fever and a count of 500. Phil is incredibly fragile so we hope this trend continues. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support!  

We're back . . . coming to you from Blue Mountain Hospital

It has been so long since I posted that I have to refresh my memory how to even do this.  I made my last post just weeks before a very dear friend lost his battle with cancer.  I think I just wanted to distance myself from that reality.  

Today, sitting beside Phil in the hospital, there's no denying, no one is going to live forever, not even my resilient, optimistic, unflappable husband.  Here's what's happening.  

Saturday night around midnight I took Phil to the ER.  His temp at home was 104.  It was 102.7 at the ER.  His White Blood Cell count (the infection fighters) was 300—normal is 3-5,000.  He was admitted to the hospital in Blanding for 48 hours of continuous IV antibiotic. They said Phil would be released when his fever was normal and his White Blood Cell count had risen to 500.

1)  Since then Phil’s White Blood Cell count (granulocytes) dropped from 300 to 100. Right now visitors are discouraged.  He's like the "boy in the bubble."  His immune system has bottomed out.

2) Phil’s Red Blood Cell count has also dropped very low.  Last night he had to have a blood transfusion.  

3)  Monday night Phil spiked a fever of 103.7.  They tried a second antibiotic, but he still had a fever.  Last night (Tuesday night) they added a third and a fourth antibiotic.  Since then Phil’s temperature was normal until today at 2:00 p.m. when it rose to 100 degrees.  They gave him Motrin and his temp was 100.6 thirty minutes later. It's encouraging that four hours later, it was still only 100.7, but it needs to go back to normal--that's how they know they're getting on top of the infection.

4) Monday his blood pressure dropped to 87/44.  They gave him more fluids and it gradually came up.  His BP has remained pretty normal since then.  

All this is in addition to the "normal" (that's an oxymoron if there ever was one) side effects of chemo.  On April 10 we found out the cancer has spread to Phil's lungs.  So now in addition to the enormous tumor surrounding his colon, he has 11 tumors in his liver, a tumor on his rectum, and two lesions in his lungs.  His chemo regimen was changed from 5-FU with Avastin and Oxaliplatin, to Avastin plus Irinatecan (or "I run to the can" as patients have dubbed it). Yes. Phil has suffered the classic side-effect: persistent diarrhea (the least of our worries right now). 

These are the highlights (lowlights?).  They're watching Phil to see how he does on the new antibiotics.  If his fever spikes, he'll be transferred to the hospital at Huntsman.  If he's holding his own, they'll keep him here in Blue Mountain Hospital until his fever is gone and his granulocytes rise from 100 to at least 500. 

So no neatly tied package with a happy ending--hopefully I can write about a happy ending later.  I'll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, we appreciate your faith and prayers.  Thank you, friends.