Here's What You've Missed...

Despite the lack of new blog entries (sorry about that), there has been a lot going on with Patrick, both good and bad, so here is a quick rundown of the past month.

Patrick was released from his last round of chemo after six weeks on Monday, October 4th. He was up for a while once he got home, but went to bed pretty early that evening. On Tuesday, his roommate tried to wake him up, but Patrick told him his stomach was hurting, and to let him sleep. On Wednesday afternoon, when his roommate got home from work, Patrick still wasn't up, so he tried to wake him up, and realized something was wrong. Patrick was awake and conscious, but he wouldn't respond verbally to anything his roommate was saying. His roommate called Ben who went over and quickly realized there was a problem and called 911. When the EMTs got there, based on Patrick's condition, they diagnosed it at a reaction to one of his medications, so they took him straight to the ER at OSU. He spent all night awake, but extremely agitated and still not speaking, other than to say "ow" when they pushed on his stomach and "yes" to any question anybody asked him. He fought off anybody who tried to run any tests, so they sedated him and finally got some tests going. They ruled out a med reaction first, and found that his kidney function was dangerously low and he was extremely dehydrated. They pushed fluids and platelets, but he still wasn't getting better. Early the next morning, they started some more complex tests because nothing had come back giving any answers. They kept him sedated and did a bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap because his symptoms were starting to point to the leukemia spreading into his brain. They both came back negative though, so the doctors were stumped, and had run out of tests to do. He was making very slight progress with communication (he would say "hi" if somebody said "hi" to him first, and eventually was able to say "Linda" if the nurse asked him who his mom was). But, that was it. Nobody knew what was happening, what the cause was, if it was going to be permanent, or even that he would make it through what was happening. That night, though, he woke up, and everything was fine!! He didn't know anything had happened (he didn't even remember being released on Monday) until the morning when the nurses started asking him questions and he was able to answer them. He was just miraculously fine!! They kept him in the hospital for a while for observation, but that was it...it was over. A very long, very scary few days, and just like that...a happy ending!

After Patrick was released follow his "episode", he headed home and was doing pretty well for about a week. Last Tuesday, however, his temperature started going up, and he ended up having to go back to the hospital. Another slew of tests later, and they diagnosed him with another case of diverticulitis, and readmitted him. He's been in the hospital since, and has also been diagnosed with a C-Diff infection and a spot of infection just outside his lung, so they've got him on antibiotics galore, and hopefully he'll get to head home very, very soon!

Now that you're caught up with what's been going on...time to look forward and get some updates on what his treatment looks like from here out. First things first...get the infection cleaned up. Soon after that's done (they were initially saying Monday, but Patrick, of course, would love at least a few days out of the hospital, so maybe a few days later now), he'll start a new course of chemo. It'll be about another six weeks in the hospital. Then after another quick break (probably one or two weeks), he'll receive the transplant which will be followed by a long term stay (one - three months), and if EVERYTHING goes according to plan...that's it! Still a long way to go, but finally having the treatment plan laid out makes it seem more manageable.

Saving the best piece of news for last...they have found a donor for Patrick's transplant that has not only agreed to the procedure, but is a PERFECT TEN OUT OF TEN MATCH!!! It's the best news we could have ever received! Thanks so much for all of your prayers, and please keep them coming, for Patrick and for the donor who is willing to give such an amazing gift to Patrick and our family!

As for Patrick, he's feeling pretty good, and is enjoying getting visits from his friends and family. He's hoping to make it to the Puntober Fest benefit on Saturday (at Buffalo's Pine Cafe in Newark) and is really looking forward to seeing everybody that he hasn't been able to visit with for such a long time.