Well today has certainly come with its own challenges!
Firstly this weather is just mayhem! We hope that everyone is safe and sound at home!
Secondly Shane has had a new development today. When he gets his "obs" (observations) done the nurses measure blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturation (of the blood). Around midday today Shane's oxygen saturation dropped down to around 85%. The normal range is 98-100% less than this is a concern.
Initially they thought that Shane was fluid overloaded as they measure fluids in and fluids out. With excessive fluids the lungs can fill up reducing their capacity to re-oxygenate the blood. To treat this he was given Lasix, which helps him remove the excess fluid - very quickly! The first time he was given lasix, he lost 4kgs in just a few hours and it all came from his ankles (cankles rather!).
Anyways, after getting rid of excess fluids, Shane is still struggling to maintain proper O2 saturation and needs to stay on oxygen to help him along. The Doctor now thinks its mostly likely the start of GVHD of the lungs. This is apparently common in the Hyper-acute cases. They are not taking action to treat it today, but will monitor it closely over then next few days.
Other surprising things today are:
Shane ate some jelly and drank some apple juice!
Shane is still, in his words, "wigging out" and talking to his imaginary friends.
Shane's neutrophil and WBC count made an appearance in his blood test. This will most likely change tomorrow as he has his last dose of methotrexate.
I thankfully made it to the hospital safely today and I am staying at a friends house tonight to avoid driving too much in this wild weather. The hospital is mostly insulated from the worst of the storm. We did experience a blackout, but the power kicked back in instantly. Also Butterfield street and the bottom level of the carpark have flooded. I came prepared with gumboots, rain coat, and spare clothes to change into!
Stay safe everyone!
xx
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