October 3

Happy Saturday!

This is just to let you know that Denny is still at St. E's and will most likely be discharged Monday. As suspected, his extreme sensitivity to the steroids caused his near collapse on Thursday, so now it's a guessing game again. We took quite a long walk throughout the hospital halls last night and today he told me that his right arm and hand seem somewhat better.

My guess that we might have to see a cardiologist proved to be wrong. I had a lengthy conversation with the pulmonary doctor yesterday and he said that given all of the clots that packed Den's lungs last November, this lungs are weak but with rehab he will gain some strength. The doctor has also ordered a CPAP machine to help Den get a more restful sleep at night which, in turn, may help with his daytime fatigue. There is a tiny bit of pulmonary hypertension, but nothing treatable, and his heart is basically healthy except for the irregular beat. Most people with that condition are given a blood thinner, but since that causes bleeding in Denny's brain, he cannot take that. Basically, he is going to have to fill his days with lots of different types of therapies to try to build up his strength. He's been relatively sedentary for a year, so this will take some discipline. I think it will fall into place if we can just get the steroid amount right and keep him hydrated.

So, he's been thoroughly checked and rechecked and his MRIs have been reviewed by all of the specialists. Dr. Mahindra (the lung specialist) said that tumor, whether it's active cancer or has turned cystic, is still there and Den's body recognizes it as foreign so it keeps fighting against it. That, in turn, causes the edema around the mass, which requires the steroids to calm it down. It's a vicious cycle, that's for sure.

Denny really does love hearing from family and friends, so please don't hesitate to call, e-mail (doudenhoven@new.rr.com) or leave a message on this blog site. Part of his occupational therapy is to use the keyboard, so having someone to write to would sure beat typing random word and sentences!

I hope you are enjoying the weekend. Fall is really here!

Love,
Carla