How John's Doing

Well, here it is Easter Sunday, and John is still in the hospital.  I was kind of freakin' out a little bit on Friday when he told me some things that were wrong with him, but now I have calmed down a lot, because I know he is in really good hands at Hershey Medical Center.  It is hands down one of the best hospitals in the country.  The doctors and nurses there are talking to me by phone and keeping me updated.  How nice to be taken seriously by the medical profession!  

Here's the scoop.  On Friday they told him his potassium and sodium levels were off.  His sodium is too low, which makes his body go into painful muscle spasms.  His potassium is too high.  They told him that could make him have heart failure.  They are very concerned about that.  They are taking him off a medication (Tachro) to make the potassium level come down.  They are giving him saline to make his sodium level raise.  They think they know the reason the sodium is to low, and how to correct it.

On Saturday they did a renal ultrasound and found a one inch kidney stone!  He will have to have an operation (lithotripsy) to get that blasted.  They will do that at a later date.

Today after Dr. Claxton and Dr. Dougherty saw John, Dr. Dougherty talked to me on the phone.  He told me that John's renal (kidney) function is not stable.  Gee, just one more thing.  He said his kidneys were not working propersly, and that they knew this because of his creatinin level.  He said this was due to the Tachrolimous (an immunosuppressant medication that John has been taking since his transplant), and that Dr. Claxton is going to wean John off the Tachro.

Well, that's about it.  That's my understanding of it, anyway.  So how am I doing?  First I feel terribly bad that John is alone on Easter.  I didn't go up there because I thought he would be home quickly.  And I can't just jump in the car and go now.  You see, I can't drive long distances.  Okay, don't laugh at me, I have something that someone referred to once as "road hypnosis".  When I drive long distances, I become kind of entranced, and have a hard time keeping my eyes open.  I could even fall asleep for a few seconds.  When I am a passenger in the car, I DO fall asleep.  It is just something that happens to me, it is the motion of the car.  That is why I only drive short distances around my home.  Short distances don't bother me at all.  Long distances do.

So anyway, he's alone.  I feel dreadful about that.  But I talked to him on the phone, and he says he is fine. 

I am alone too.  It is hard.  I had a nice day planned.  We were going to go to the Easter Vigil Mass last night, and today we were going to eat a nice Easter dinner and invite my sister Val and her friend John2 over.  It would have been a nice celebration!  I am not going to cancel it entirely though, we are just going to do it on another day after John gets home.

I am feeling kind of weepy today.  But one thing I can be sure of, John is in a great place.  Better to be there and getting good medical care, then to be at home and ill.  

Well, thank you all for listening.  I think I will go do some things.  And I want to thank you all for all the support you have been giving me.  I love you all.  :)  Krissy