Day 24 - Eureka!

     The last 48 hours have been up and down for the family and me.  I'm more of a bad news first type of guy so we'll start with that.  Blood cultures from the previous night are showing e-coli bacteria in Evan's blood again.  This resets our departure timer along with other procedures he needs to have done (PICC or port install).  The doctors are lining up several tests for tomorrow to help identify the source.

Checking out Evan's stomach and rash this morning.

     Also, the pain in Evan's foot has returned.  This has the doctors a bit concerned that the bacteria may be causing the pain there.  An x-ray has been ordered for tomorrow along with a possible ultrasound of his upper cavity for any clots.  The ID doctors don't seem convinced that his bowels were the cause of the infection relapse and instead think there is a pocket or two hiding out in his lung or a clot.

     Most of the morning Evan was depressed and in pain due to his stomach.  The general consensus by the doctors and myself was to only give him something for the pain if absolutely necessary.  A side effect of the morphine and lortab is constipation, in addition to his chemo medications.  He's been quite the trooper in pain management and only asks for it when absolutely needed.

     On to the positives.  My young man finally had a significant bowel movement this afternoon.  Naturally afterwards he started to feel like his old self.  The stomach pains have greatly reduced and I'd expect if we can get a bit more out tonight he'll feel even better.  The bloating of his stomach has reduced to a level where we can see his belly button again.

Feeling better after visiting the bathroom.

     This evening the doctors ordered up a visit from the opthamologist.  People with blood infections are susceptible to eye issues because the bacteria will hide there at times.  The doctor gave him a good look and reported his eyes were healthy.  Evan's never had his eyes dilated before, but didn't seem to mind.  We'll be spending the rest of the night in the dark.

Evan's first eye exam.

     Next steps?  We need to figure out this bacteria issue.  The stomach and ankle/leg pains are still on-going, but could be related to the infection as well.  Vitals are stable.  Fevers are under control and the rash seems to be subsiding.  Blood counts are on the rise as well.  Within the next couple days I hope we have more answers and some idea on how to administer the chemo drugs once we're through Induction.