Hunt for the Infection

Last night was a teeny bit better than the last, though Dan continued to vomit and have bloody noses. We're hoping that the nausea and throwing up is from swallowing blood and not from the food. As Dan threw up again this morning, he is weary of trying to eat for fear of throwing up again. With a 3-4 incision in the belly, throwing up is quite painful.

McGreeky came in this morning with an agenda: find what is causing Dan's fever and illness. About time. Despite the wound being slightly infected, the surgeon is concerned infection could be elsewhere being allowed to run rampant. So, Dan will be getting blood cultures, urine samples, and an abdominal x-ray. The x-ray is also to see what is causing Dan so much pain in his left side, as the docs aren't sure what it could be. Another issue emerged when McGreeky changed the new incision packing: Dan bled, quite a bit. Due to a couple of blood thinning medications, Dan isn't able to clot very quickly...this is contributing to Dan's very frequent bloody noses. The doc is taking away one med and decreasing the dose of another med, which should help things.

Today should reveal some things. Reasons for pain, reasons for fever, reasons for vomiting. God willing, today should also find Dan able to eat more and keep it down. We really don't understand why all of this is happening, but it needs to change soon. Very soon.

Selfishly, I need the docs to get things settled this week because I am leaving for school again on Saturday. I would simply hate to have still this sick while I'm hundreds of miles away.
Unfortunately, I have to go back if I have any hope of graduating (which I do). Due to my clinical schedule, I won't be able to come back to see Dan for almost a couple of weeks. Accordingly, Dan and I are asking for prayer that Dan would be released from the hospital sometime next week. I wouldn't be able to be here for the release, but at least I would know he was doing well enough to get out.

This is truly a miserable situation that is just being prolonged. Pray that God moves now. That's what Dan needs more than labs or meds or doctors: he needs God to save him from this mess.