Platelets are level....
....and that is good news. The hematology specialist visited this morning to announce our victory. She would like to watch his levels tomorrow just to make sure - but the trend is good and everyone feels that he is now producing enough on his own to rebuild the inventory. The white blood cells have continued their upward trend.
In another piece of good news, we heard that UCLA took a look at the WBC/platelet issues Keith has had and reached the same conclusion that the Kaiser specialists reached. There is universal agreement that the problem came from the introduction of Keppra and not the chemotherapy agents Keith took the week before surgery. This means that there appears to be no barrier to our continuation with the experimental protocol. We expect to be able to resume about 4 weeks after surgery. Keith will need to be completely free of the pneumonia.
In spite of the positive "statistical" trends, Keith is still feeling really sick and really weak. His color is much better - but aside from that there are no visible signs yet that he is on the mend. He does not have the energy to sit up on his own and the little bit of exercise he gets with OT and PT wears him out for hours. He is now eating quite well, however, so I am hoping that a combination of better nutrition, gradual increase in activity and the imminent restoration of normal platelet levels (he's at 67,000 and normal is 130,000-400,000) will begin to give him a boost. For now he is unfortunately quite despondent and keeps articulating his fear that he will never get out of the hospital. We are reassuring him as often as possible that he is getting better and that he is heading home in just a matter of days. Nonetheless he is very distressed - and the sooner he has evidence that he is improving (by feeling it) the better he will be.
In another piece of good news, we heard that UCLA took a look at the WBC/platelet issues Keith has had and reached the same conclusion that the Kaiser specialists reached. There is universal agreement that the problem came from the introduction of Keppra and not the chemotherapy agents Keith took the week before surgery. This means that there appears to be no barrier to our continuation with the experimental protocol. We expect to be able to resume about 4 weeks after surgery. Keith will need to be completely free of the pneumonia.
In spite of the positive "statistical" trends, Keith is still feeling really sick and really weak. His color is much better - but aside from that there are no visible signs yet that he is on the mend. He does not have the energy to sit up on his own and the little bit of exercise he gets with OT and PT wears him out for hours. He is now eating quite well, however, so I am hoping that a combination of better nutrition, gradual increase in activity and the imminent restoration of normal platelet levels (he's at 67,000 and normal is 130,000-400,000) will begin to give him a boost. For now he is unfortunately quite despondent and keeps articulating his fear that he will never get out of the hospital. We are reassuring him as often as possible that he is getting better and that he is heading home in just a matter of days. Nonetheless he is very distressed - and the sooner he has evidence that he is improving (by feeling it) the better he will be.
posted by Keith and Kathy | 10:28 AM
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"Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you." Oscar Wilde.
We can't wait to hear your voice again and see your smile again, Keith...We love you! Mercedes, Isabel and Scott
Kathy, please give him my love & tell him I hope he'll be back home soon.
x spk
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