Getting close

Visit off the floor

Jam-Packed Room 

It’s been been over a week since my last post, and I was hoping to provide you all more definitive news, but can’t. I think Ruth is close to discharge though. 

I can’t believe it’s been 50 days now. 

Physically, lingering infection(s) are still keeping her here. She’s had off and on fevers the last few weeks. She’s on her third yeast blood stream infection now. We’re still waiting to identity what this third one is.  She’s had to have her lines pulled out and put back in a bunch (including dialysis catheter) because yeast can “stick” to them and be hard to eradicate. 

It’s frustrating, but I think it’s just a matter of time before she kicks these infections. Though her new bone marrow has engrafted, her immune system is not fully functional enough to completely rid her of some of these infections. 

Quick primer on white cells, the ones that fight infection: 

Ruth’s neutrophils are back in full number - these are your Marines, your first troops in. 

Her T-cells though can take months to be fully functional. This is your Army. 

B-cells take even longer to come in. This is your Air Force with more exact targeting systems.

So really Ruth’s fighting with her Neutrophils mostly. And all her cells are fighting with only partially working weapons because Ruth is on immune-suppressing medications to keep rejection at bay. 

Normally she’s on 2 immune-suppressing meds after transplant but they added a third when she had the lung hemorrhage. One was stopped just under 2 weeks ago. I’ve been bugging the team about weaning another quickly (steroids). As they do this, her Marines will get their guns, bazookas, and bombs back in working order. The Army may be arriving soon too. Air Force - they’re probably still all at home, sitting on the air craft carrier, eating Cheetos watching Messi on Apple TV.  Ruth will need to be revaccinated with all childhood vaccines in the next year, which will re-equip her Air Force’s jet weapons for pin point accuracy. Doctors tell us it will  be than year before she has a normal immune system again.

Her red cells are in now too but won’t ever be normal because her kidneys are bad- they make a hormone that tells you to make red blood cells.

Her platelets are slowly coming in. So her risk of bleeding again in the lungs or intestines are less each day.

That’s also less transfusions overall.  She probably close to or over 100 since the start of her diagnosis. So I’m so glad to see less bags being hung to support Ruth.  

Anyhow, earliest discharge would be in 1-2 weeks. She remains on dialysis and this will likely be permanent. Ruth is weak and not eating a ton. She did need tube feeding but had it pulled out because of nose bleeding 2 days ago. She needs a Walker and wheelchair currently. 

Mentally, she has turned the corner and is conversing again, starting to show some real emotions again. There are times still when she regrets having gone through this whole process and wishes it just ended. So we’re really trying to help support her through all this. 

So for those praying, pray for her mind…and soul. Pray for a shot at her kidney making a comeback. Pray she can eat. Pray that she gets out of the hospital soon. I think I’ve explored every nook and cranny in that maze of a hospital and am getting bored. 

Roy 

Brother and Nephew visiting-climbing Beacon Rock

View from Beacon Rock - Columbia River- Ruth would have loved it