Better safe than sorry

Hi everyone:

Not much to report today, really. This morning, we noticed that the skin at the site of Patty's Quinton catheter (the port used for plasmapheresis) was red, and that some clear pink liquid had filled one of the lines. We also noticed that her hands and feet were unusually cool and damp. As a precaution, and at Dr. Costanzo's request, we visited the doctor at her office within Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. As it turns out, our concerns were entirely a false alarm. We were quite relieved that this was the case, because we really didn't want to add yet another hospital to the list of medical places where Patty is a known quantity.

Dr. Costanzo asked Patty how the kids were faring. Patty expressed to the doctor her worry that she isn't being strong enough or, more simply, "there" enough for our kids. The doctor told Patty that she thought she was doing far more than anyone would ever expect of her; I'm inclined to agree. She also shared with us that the class of antibodies that is most troublesome in terms of post-transplant rejection is the one that Patty has very few of at this point -- so we can realistically afford to hope that a heart may become available in the foreseeable future.

What else? After much back-and-forth, we finally consented for PJ to go to an early evening concert in Chicago on Wednesday, and we took Kelly tonight to an information meeting about pom tryouts later this week. Connor's day was a typical Connor day -- lots of play outside and not much else, which we see as the best therapy for him most days. Me? I watched part of the Sox game, and felt many of my few vestiges of hope fading away. If they win tomorrow it may be another outlook altogether, but for now I'm really rather blue about it. I know people say it's just a game, but for some stupid reason I'm taking it all more personally this season.

That's it for now. Sleep well...

Love,
Brian