01/30/2010
by Michael Wells A quick update on Brady’s condition; he is continuing to spike temperatures with the latest at 4:15am hitting 102.3˚. Sherrie just phoned me to tell me about the on-call Resident who was going to start treating Brady for a fungal infection as supposedly he was instructed to do. This very potent antibiotic is given intravenously for 10 days and requires Brady to have his temperature taken every 15 minutes of every day he is receiving this drug. Now here’s the part that has me more than a little excited; NO ONE told us any of this! Thank God; a wonderful nurse on the “QT” woke Sherrie to let her know what this doctor (we’ve never even met) was about to do. Needless to say; while both of his parents are wide awake – Brady continues to sleep quite peacefully and will receive this treatment only if Dr. Drachtman ‘s attending physician approves this. I swear you have to watch everything! So, off to the hospital I go to add to my bride’s colorful introductory remarks to this resident doctor and his need to greatly improve his communications skills.A Reminder – Blood Drives for Brady are coming up real soon, sign up now! [link removed] Enter your information and the sponsor code, 1583 “Click” Sunday, February 7, 2010 “Click” on an available appointment time “Click” confirm appointment www.elks.org/lodges/lodgenews.cfm?lodgenumber=1583 South Brunswick, New Jersey: Marc Rubenstein, our friend and owner of Jersey Physical Therapy, in coordination with the Community Blood Council of New Jersey and Jersey Physical Therapy are hosting a blood drive in support of Brady on Saturday, February 20th from 10-2 at Jersey Physical Therapy, #3228 Route 27, Kendall Park, NJ, 08824. Drinks and snacks will be provided! However, be sure to eat within 4 hours of donating and bring a photo I.D. Please call Carolyn ASAP at (732) 297-0032 to make an appointment to donate. www.jerseypt.com Other ways to donate blood AND platelets:https://www.aabb.org/Content/DonateBlood/WheretoDonate/BloodBankLocatorMap.htm If you want to donate your bone marrow:https://www.marrow.org/JOIN/JoinNow/joinnow.html If you want to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Marathon in honor of Brady: [link removed] We would like to extend a very special thank you to everyone that has written in Brady’s journal. Since Brady can’t have visitors, we look forward to reading what you have to write. Please take a moment now to sign Brady’s guestbook. Hugs from Brady to you!
A fun Saturday was had my all! Sherrie and I got a chance to leave the hospital courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa. We had a lovely lunch and it was great to get away for a couple of hours. Sherrie is home tonight and I have the “watch.” It ceases to amaze me how “Murphy’s Law” manages to come into play virtually every time I find myself alone at the hospital. This evening was no exception because it seems what can go wrong; indeed has. Sherrie had no sooner left when Dr. Masterson came into Brady’s room to examine Brady regarding a nagging series of pimple-like red bumps covering a good part of his torso, arms and legs. I’ll get to that wonderful news in a moment. As the good doctor is about to leave she notices the small toy duck in Brady’s hand is covered in feces. And that was just the beginning of the coverage. There was diarrheic dung everywhere. The good doctor immediately left the room under the false premise of seeking help. There I was elbow deep in crap with Brady literally covered head to toe and almost everything in his reach receiving a good mud-pie painting before I managed to get things under control. Finally, I had Brady cleaned, his crib totally cleaned and changed when a nurse finally showed up. This was the beginning of a truly wonderful day in our “Man Cave.” As far as the red pimple-like bumps; they are septic emboli. Septic emboli are caused by the migration of a piece of infected tissue from one part of the body to another, via the bloodstream. Septic embolism can cause strokes, and usually arise from bacterial infections in the heart valves. The doctor believes it is Brady’s broviac catheter causing this problem. I told you it was a fun day. If the bumps don’t go away soon, Brady will have his broviac catheter removed and temporality replaced with a picc catheter in one of his arms. Of course the procedure will require Brady to be once again anaesthetized. So, we now have another concern to add to Brady’s list of conditions. The final part of this trifecta of a day: Brady is now receiving another antibiotic; Ambisome which is intended to treat fungal infections. This drug is really harsh and most likely is causing his acute diarrhea. If that isn’t bad enough when he receives this lovely drug he has to have his vitals taken every 15 minutes. The drug is delivered intravenously and takes about 2 hours to complete. The only good thing to say about this is; it’s given to Brady during the day. As I said; all and all it’s been a fun day! But Brady has not had a temperature all day long and his blood counts are continuing to eek up so it was truly a “Good” day. Before I call it a night; please read the updated information regarding Brady’s blood drives and try (if at all possible) to donate. It means more than I ever ever imagined. Thank you and as always keep the prayers, hugs and good thoughts coming Brady’s way. Oh, if his bodily functions continue on their current course you also might want to send me some diaper wipes… PS Brady’s temperature at 9:40pm 102.8 axillary… It just keeps getting better 🙁
The Hugs for Brady Foundation will ALWAYS be in support of other foundations who allow people to donate blood, platelets, plasma, or register to become a bone marrow donor. However, we no longer ask supporters to donate financially to ‘The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’ as their focus on childhood cancers does not coincide with our foundation’s mission.
“8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer” is a series of posts revisiting the journal kept by Sherrie and Michael Wells during the cancer diagnosis and treatment of their son, Brady Michael. Hopefully these entires will provide an understanding of the journey families face when dealing with these horrific diseases and of the important work the Hugs for Brady Foundation does.