Another delay

Hi guys,

We brought Craig to the hospital on Friday the 3rd with a fever.  This is pretty a typical scenario during his neutropenic time after chemo.  Usually after tests and scans and cultures, the doctors don’t find much and just wait for his blood counts to return, his body to recovering on its own.

But this time ’round, they have found MRSA in his blood.  It’s a strain of bacteria that is really resistant to antibiotics and can be a pain the arse to get rid of when your immune system is compromised.  Craig will be on a strong antibiotic for at least a month, and will remain in the hospital for a couple of weeks.  Because the doctors want Craig to be free and clear of this well in advance, transplant could be delayed once again. Grrrr!

Right now Craig is still battling fever, a racing heart and chest pains.  I hope he won’t remember to much about this week- it’s a rough one.  I am currently in his room, waiting for him to return from surgery.  They are removing the port from his chest, as it may be a harbor for infection.  His low counts leave him breathless and weak, and they will likely take much longer than usual to return to normal because of the infection.

Please keep us in your thoughts while we fight off this dang MRSA and we will continue to think of all of you when we feel we are at our wits end!  We are DETERMINED to get through this!

Love and hope,

Kat