Monday, August 29, 2011

Out with the old & in with the new... plasma


It was another day of ups and downs. The doctor told us this morning that another 10+ days of hospitalization is to be expected, not necessarily all in ICU. Drew had a dialysis catheter put in (his shoulder) this morning. I was previously unaware that there are more than one type of catheter. The ten days & catheter are both a part of the plasmapheresis treatment he'll be receiving daily, starting today- see machine below!



Julia and I may be every nurse & doctors worst nightmare. By the time they enter to tell us Drew’s newest diagnosis or medication we have done our research- reading up on the 82 possible symptoms and then browsing countless stories about others who have 'been there, done that'… we finish by comparing notes. Drew's team of nurses and doctors have been patient with us and attentive to his needs- thanks for praying for them!

Today Drew had a feeding tube put in around 2:00p. At 4:00 he got his first treatment of plasmapheresis. It was a little scary to watch Drew’s blood get pumped out and then put back in. His plasma just hanging out…. Outside of his body and then thrown away… So crazy. I have a new appreciation for medical technology. 

Drew has had back pain on and off this last week- he had a CT scan for it yesterday morning and the results came back good. The pain showed up again full force during the plasmapheresis. The worst feeling ever is watching him in pain and not being able to do anything. They give him pain medication but can only do so much because they don’t want to impair his already fragile breathing. The doctors say that the back pain is not related to GBS but may be from being bed ridden for over a week- plus he already had some minor back pains before getting sick. Please pray for Drew's perseverance and that this pain would go away. 

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for connecting us to your blog! You are all in our prayers, i am praying for all of you to get thru all this! Im so sorry to hear of this tragic news, but I am optimistic Drew will have a full recovery! Try to get rest when you can, We will be thinking of you often. Lori and Monte

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  2. Whitney. THANK YOU for the update. Please keep them coming. There are people all over the world wanting to check in with Drew and call his hospital bedside. This site is perfect. Thank you. LOVE YOU GUYS. Praying that God will move his hand of healing over Drew right now.

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  3. Thanks for the updates. I will be praying for Drew, you and your families. (I was Drew's roommate at NST.)

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