Hanging in...but not nice

Keith is hanging in there although there is little improvement to report at present. Yesterday (Thursday) we confirmed that he does have pneumonia but at present it is confined to one lung. If there is any good news, it is that there were no other lung problems turned up on the cat scan - he is vulnerable to other lung diseases and thankfully we aren't seeing any of these.

The blood work continues to show downward trends. Late yesterday afternoon he received another transfusion of platelets. He also received his second day of procrit - this is the drug which will help him to rebuild his neutrophils - the white blood cells which have dipped so low.

We are being well looked after and have a cast of specialists attending to us. Yesterday Keith was moved to an even more isolated isolation room. We are now at the end of a long hallway - it is quiet and there are few other patients around. Everyone who enters the room wears a disposable gown and mask to protect Keith from any harmful "bugs" we might be carrying around or breathing out. (No visitors for now except family.) Outside fruits/vegetables are off limits - these may also harbor unfriendly agents.

Our surgeon and his team stop by several times each day and are coordinating his overall care. At present, the surgical site is healing well and there is no sign of infection - this is great news. Our neuro-oncologist is also checking in regularly and has coordinated communication between UCLA and Kaiser to ensure that the two teams are up to speed.

The pulmonary specialty team is looking after Kieth's treatment for pneumonia. In turn, they have consulted with the infectious disease team because we believe Keith is allergic to penicillin which would be the preferred medication. The infectious disease team is working through an alternative for him.

Keith is also being followed with the hematology team. These specialists are monitoring his blood work and formulating our plan for getting him back up to par.

Keith is very weak (to be expected) but is still able to get up to go to the bathroom. He sleeps on and off and gets pain meds as needed. He is still having difficulty eating. The high doses of steroids have given literally everything a bitter taste. We have tried many approaches - and have found nothing which is palatable. We are hoping that this will begin to improve soon as the steroids are reduced.

I haven't had much chance to thank you, our dear friends, and words just can't cover it. Thank you. We feel so much love around us and that love nurtures our strength and gives us hope. Thank you.