Today has been a long day for Brian. His appetite returned on Wed. morning, and he still hasn't been allowed to eat anything (now 10pm on Thurs). He has craved all kinds of foods, like he's pregnant, and I've gotten a kick out of his list of desired cuisine. He dozed off earlier today, and when he woke up, he said he was dreaming about eating a nacho bell grande! He is thoroughly enjoying watching every minute of the NCAA tournament.
So the 8am CT turned into a 3pm scan, due to other emergency matters in radiology that took priority over Brian. In the meantime, the doctors notified us that the J.P. drain (looks like a grenade) cultures showed significant amylase, which are proteins found in pancreatic juices. Normally, the count should be zero, obviously because the pancreas shouldn't be leaking any fluid; Brian's count is 100,000. They have decided to keep him off anything by mouth, as this amylase isn't going to stop until the pancreas heals. Since the pancreas processes everything you take in, that is the obvious solution. The pancreas is sometimes harder to heal, based on what it is made of, so it is a matter of waiting for it to scar off. Once it stops leaking, it should be healed an not be a problem again.
He will start nutrients via his port. The not-so-great news is that this will probably be necessary for a while, maybe 2 weeks. He's having trouble getting past having to wait on those nachos, and what he'll do about eating cake at our nephew's first birthday party next weekend! They say he can go home on the nutrients, so we'll take what we can. He'll also likely go home on i.v. antibiotics. As Dr. Miller said, Brian will have some stepping stones this time to get back to himself. Also, his white blood cell count was down to 17,000 today.
The CT scan results showed that the pocket of fluid decreased minimally. It seems to have walled itself off, yet the drain seems to be right near the pocket. The fact that the drainage has amylase present has really nothing to do with this. Regardless of the size of the pocket, the presence of amylase dictated that he can't eat just yet. They may have to replace the J.P. drain with a different type of drain, but it appears that we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find that out. It is sad to see how much this oncology floor is hopping, and is a reminder of the suffering of so many, brought on by cancer.
This news also revealed that we probably won't go home on Friday. I'll even be half surprised if we go home on Saturday, but we'll play it by ear. We miss the kids terribly. They are getting along great, but it is very difficult to be so far away from them. We talk often on the phone, but I can tell by their voices that it isn't the same.
We have been blessed to be visited daily by someone from the Newman Center or one of the Catholic Churches in town. We both have been able to receive Communion daily, and have welcomed the prayers straight into Brian's room. We pray for Amy Wilhoite (leukemia) and Little Miss Kyrie Thome (brain tumor), and all of our fellow melanoma warriors. We also ask for God's healing hand upon Brian, and the chance to return to enjoying our wonderful life. We praise the Lord for our many blessings, and are thankful that He carries us through these difficult times. We also pray for peace in the world, in our country, in our homes, and in our hearts.
Health tip of the day: ONE serious sunburn can increase your risk of developing skin cancer by as much as 50%. The sunburn you receive this summer may take 20 years or more to become skin cancer.
Read "Get Serious About Sun Safety" and help keep your loved ones safe.
http://www.skincancer.org/content/view/202/
Many blessings from Columbia,
Jenni
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