DAY 39, 40, 41, AFTER TRANSPLANT I AM BACK IN MAYO CLINIC ARIZONA HOSPITAL.........

Sorry for not having blogged since Saturday morning, but since 4:15 p.m., Saturday afternoon I have been back in Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, with a second urinary tract infection and bacteria in the blood. Dr. Hamawi and the Transplant Team confirm I am contending with very the same thing as four weeks ago, with the same "junk" in the urine, using a team member's word. Dave, the Physician's Assistant on the team said at the 6 week mark after transplant, it might also be a CMV, a virus common to post transplant patients at this stage in the process. Saturday morning I awoke had my breakfast, watched the news on CNN and MSNBC, wrote my blog column, had my mid morning snack, and my body started to feel very tired. I napped in the big, overstuffed chair in the living room, felt feverish, skipped lunch and my noon meds, not feeling able for them, and at 2 p.m. when Paul Friedrich, my weekend caregiver took my temperature it was 102.5 F. Two 500 mg. Tylenol, and an hour later, my temperature had only dropped to 102.2 F. As required, Paul called the weekend transplant coordinator, who told him to bring me to the Emergency Room. He and Jeremy did so, in just 15 minutes, with Jeremy driving skillfully fast down the freeway, with me retching all the way. My Triage Room temperature at 4:30 p.m., Saturday was 98.9 F, but continued to increase all night and into Sunday to as high as 101.9 F. My vomiting continued until past Midnight Saturday, making it difficult to watch Saturday Night Live, after Jeremy and Paul went back to the house. Dave the P.A., scaled back my anti-rejection drug dosage of Cellcept from 1,000 mg., to 500 mg., and ordered a clear liquid diet until all the blood labs and cultures results were back for analysis this morning. My shift nurse Andrea, has been told I can return to a full food diet as of dinner tonight. I have just watched a self catherization video demonstration and read the paperwork, before the nurse walks me through it. I will do the catherizing four times a day for a short period of time. Andrea brought me a 4 p.m. snack of graham crackers, peanut butter, and chocolate pudding, solid food for the first time in 55 hours !!!!! I can only anticipate what my dinner tray will be ?? I felt much better Sunday, and feel even better today. The Urology staff are being consulted and ordered a C-T Scan, which I underwent 3.5 hours ago. How long I remain in the hospital is not yet determined. Hopefully, I will be back at Trapanotto House, in a day or so. Jeremy was kind enough to bring me my laptop so I can continue to communicate with you from the hospital. As I was praying this morning it occurred to me today would have been the 65th Birthday of my beloved friend and fraternity brother, Bob Butcher, who died in August 2001. "May his soul and the souls of all the Faithful Departed, Rest in Peace".........
Love + Prayers, Fr. Troy