More challenges

Hi everyone:

We received a somewhat disconcerting call today from University of Chicago Hospital. While reviewing blood tests, doctors determined that Patty has a rare predisposition to generate high volumes of antibodies. This means that she would have a much higher-than-average chance of rejecting a donor heart. The doctors have suggested that Patty will likely need some pretty aggressive treatment -- most likely with chemotherapy -- to kill these antibodies and make her a more viable transplant candidate.

We don't know many specifics yet, but the most likely course of action will be to admit her to the hospital for these treatments for one full week out of every three weeks until a donor heart becomes available. There is a small chance that she may be able to receive these treatments on an outpatient basis, but this would mean she would need to go to the hospital each day for treatment. The doctors are investigating whether or not Patty could receive these treatments at Edward Hospital, which would of course be more convenient for our family.

Another unfortunate wrinkle that goes with this discovery is that she must now have a direct blood-type match with a heart donor. Originally, she may have been able to accept a heart from someone with either O or B type blood; now, she would only be considered for a heart from someone with B+ blood (approximately 9 percent of the population.) The doctors have suggested that Patty may now face a much longer wait for a donor heart.

If all of this wasn't enough, Patty also has a urinary tract infection, which she needs to get rid of before she can complete her pre-transplant eligibility tests. She has had a low-grade fever for the past few days, which doctors want her to monitor closely, because an infection in her PICC line could be dangerous.

Thanks yet again for all of your support. This is just another hurdle Patty will overcome.

Love,
Brian