Brenan received one bag of platelets again today along with 2 units of blood. He needed blood transfusions because of low red blood count and low hemoglobin. Good news is that preliminary results from the cultures that were drawn on Sunday morning came back negative for any specific infection. The lab will continue to grow the cultures for several days in order to see if anything else is found and it will take up to 5 days for final results.
Unfortunately, Brenan is very weak and tired right now. Some chemo side effects he is experiencing include fatigue, lower back pain, and a nasty rash. He continues to run a fever of 100 to 101. He was started on 3 broad spectrum IV antibiotics as a precautionary measure.
Tonight, the doctor told Mom, Dad, and Brenan that he is surprised with Brenan's reaction to this round of chemo and they did not anticipate his body reacting in this way. The goal is to get Brenan released from the hospital when his white blood cell count reaches 1000 for two consecutive days and other lab results are stable.
Brenan's friend Rachel brought a movie, popcorn, and Brenan's favorites, Milk Duds and licorice, to the hospital today. Brenan and Jess snuggled in the bed, with Rachel on the cot, and they watched a flick. Mom and Dad came in later and treated Brenan to a massage to help him relax.
I'm glad to hear this blog is helping so many people stay updated with Brenan's condition. Definitely stay tuned as I try to post as much as I can. We encourage your comments! At the bottom of every post there is the word "Comments" and a number showing how many comments were made in regard to that post. Just click on "Comments" to add your message. You can select anonymous so you don't need to create a profile - just be sure to include your name in the post so we know who you are!
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3 comments:
Hi,
Dave has been trying to call, but kept getting a busy signal. We could understand you getting alot of calls, so thought we just needed to be patient. It wasn't until last night that Dave came to the realization that we had written the wrong area code down, so hopefully he will be more successful the next time he tries!!!
We were out playing 'Paul Bunyan' this morning by cutting a big tree down that carpenter ants had gotten into. The tree stood next to where we park one of own vehicles. It's interesting living in the woods.
My local art club had their annual art show last weekend, so the last few weeks have been extremely busy getting ready for that. I was happy with my sales and I have a commision to do a painting for one of the patrons who came to our show. I feel fortunate to be a member of this art group, they do nice work and are a good group of people.
We have been thankful for the blog and have been passing the information on to Irene. We think of all of you daily.......... knowing it has been a long road to travel....
Love, Audrey (& Dave)
Hey B, sorry to hear that you're still trapped in the hospital. Hope you can bust out soon. Also sorry I haven't been by recently to visit, I've been a bit under the weather the last few days so clearly not a good idea to swing by. Hopefully by the time I'm feeling better you'll be free and we can get together again.
Hang in there!
dan
Hey Buddy
Just letting you know that all the Ortons are gradually returning from all corners this summer. Know wherever everyone has been , we've all been thinking of you.
CJ is the world's most consistent blood donor; we'll get him on it.
See you soon. Love, KS-O
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