Concerning Issues

Nick called Thurs afternoon to let us know he was on way home saying he was tired. I was attending our CureSearch kickoff party but more than anxious to get home to see him. He said he drained a liter and it was full of tissue. Eeeeew. He had terrible abdominal pain, not cramps, but like doing 500 crunches (well, like 5 for me). Two oxycodone later, he slept through the night. He felt better Friday, moving from bed to couch, thirsty and drinking a lot, but little food. Saturday was the same, hockey playoffs keeping him occupied. I served him dinner in bed, which he couldn't keep down. Eeeeew. A boatload of buddies came by and really lifted his spirits.

By Sunday, his pain began increasing again. He tried to drain his tummy, but it seemed to be completely clogged. By Sunday night, he said, "let's go". I called the oncologist on-call, who recommended going to ER - our favorite! Nick was in a lot of pain and feeling nauseous. I packed our usual bags, blankets and pillows and we piled in the car with Nick holding a plastic bag, just in case. He had "the look" and I asked him if he was going to get sick and he nodded. I yelled, "then get out!!". We were still in our garage, I was hoping he could make a run for it. Nope. Eeeeew.

The ER nurse asked him what his symptoms were: fever of 101.5, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, distended tummy, high pulse rate and the new one where he had pain in his right shoulder, similar to when he had a blood clot. They drew a ton of blood, X-ray and CT scan - results came back stable and we were sent to Huntsman, 4th floor at 4:00 a.m., loaded with fluids, antibiotics and pain meds. Nick's room number is 4506 and his direct phone number is 801-587-4506 (his cell doesnt work well here.)

So now we are waiting to see how they are going to fix his drain, ought to be interesting. We were supposed to meet with Dr Gouw at 10:30 but not sure how this will affect the clinical trial. He still has a fever with what is probably a bacterial infection in his abdomen (white blood cell count at 17). It is common with acites and fairly easy to treat, but will need a fluid sample to confirm. He doesn't have a large enough pocket of fluid built up yet (so why is his tummy distended?) so not sure what they are going to do yet.

What I do find amazing is that Nick made it home just in time, after enjoying every last second with First Descents group in Moab. As soon as the last of the campers headed home, his body told him it needed some rest. And he listened.

More later,
With love,
Lori