Another Good day!
Dr. Alan Pestronk and his Fellow Dr. Justin Malone visited Jim this morning. Dr. Malone tested several things with the hands, elbows, knee’s, legs, feet and ankles. All of which he thought was better. Jim had a chest x ray yesterday because his white blood count was high and it showed it was fine.
Dr. Pestronk visited and he wants to stay on only steroids, the problem developed over the last several weeks with all the different treatments that they do not know which of them might help. The choice of steroids IV are less invasive. It may take several weeks before they can tell if they are helping. There are so many options with no certainty that it will take a long time before they have a game plan in hand. For now he is recovering and they do not know why.
The tap that Jim has in his for the plasma pharoses they are thinking will stay in until they see how he does the next couple days.
The IV Steroids will be given once a week. The have no idea how long, but more than likely some kind of steroid treatment for the rest of his life if it works. The oral Steroid he is taking they will wean off over the next several weeks. After several IV treatments they will start to reduce the strength every 2-3 weeks.
If Jim continues the recovery rate he is having more than likely when he returns to Peoria he will go directly into rehab until he can walk and go home.
Biggest news of the day was from Dr. Pestronk that if he continues to do well with the steroid treatment and recovery continues on Monday he may get to go home either Monday or Tuesday.
Here are the two things I got out of the Dr’s visits I sat in on today. Treatment if it works with Steroids will be for life with a slim chance that he may only need to take them when he see’s a relapse starting. This sounds like the best of all the treatments he could have to go thru and use will be Steroids. PP and IVIG have many other side effects.
The other big item I thought was good is that the recovery rate that we are seeing is pretty much normal. The doctor has see some cases where one day they can not walk and the next they are walking for an example. That is why Jim is showing some big day to day jumps in recovery.
Today he was able to feed himself for the first time in a couple weeks. He sat up in a lounge chair approx 6 hours. He can raise his knee’s off the mattress about 9-12 inches by himself. This evening he is tired and rightfully so. He also could sitting in the chair lift up his knee so his foot was off the floor. Amazing the change so quickly.
All this praise goes to God! He has answered so many requests with the Doctors, Nurses, and for himself.
Jim and Jenny’s smiles say it all.
Tomorrow Jim’s family, Jenny and Sherry will be traveling home please pray for safe travel. Please pray for continued patients and strength for Jenny and Jim.
Julie and Bill please let me know you got this email. Also if no one received an update this morning from yesterday please let me know, I sent it but some did not get it.
John
