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2-26-05/Saturday
There have been many ups and downs since the last update. I’ll try and concentrate on the ups.
Dan is still in the ICU. He did have to have a breathing tube inserted to help him get the oxygen he needed. On day two it
was taken out and replaced with an oxygen mask which he continually took off. Day three the tube had to be reinserted, but
as of last night , although they left the tube in, he was breathing on his own. With the tube in they are able to suction
some of the fluids in his lungs. He had a chest x-ray last night and we were told it looked a tiny bit better than it had
in the AM. We’re grateful for any improvement, tiny or not! He was heavily sedated yesterday and we were told he will
probably not remember any of this, another thing we are grateful for. The few times he did wake up, he looked very frightened
and panicky. They had asked him prior to inserting the tube how he felt about it and he said as long as they had a plan they
should do what ever they needed to to get the ball rolling.
We don’t have the results of the bronchoscomy yet but we do have the results of the biopsy of his neck. It is a cancerous
tumor but the tumor itself is surrounded by dead cells which were active cancer cells before the chemo. Dr Fingeroth, Dan
calls her his angel, had another bit of good news. His LDH level, which is the most important factor watched in cancer patients,
was almost 1000 before the chemo and it is now 420. The normal average is between 150 and 200. Dr. Fingerof did show Kelby
two charts, which she said were jibberish to her, but the numbers on those have also come down considerably. His white blood
cell count, which was nonexistent has come up a bit.
Kelby just called and said Dan had a peaceful night and his nurse said when he suctioned his lungs this AM they seemed much
better than yesterday I don’t know what the day will bring, but hopefully it will take him a step closer to the 7th
floor which he considers his home away from home for the time being. I don’t know if it may also have something to do
with the wonderful nurses up there (who also happen to be very pretty!).
As I said at the beginning, I’m concentrating on the ups. Dan is not up to seeing anyone right now, but keep the thoughts,
prayers, and messages coming, you can’t imagine how much they have helped not only Dan, but also Kelby and the rest
of his family. I also want to add that Kelby has been absolutely outstanding throughout this whole thing, I am so proud of
her. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers also. Dan’s condition is very serious and it is those things that will make
the difference. Thank you all.
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