Amy update

I've spent a lot of time in the past two weeks driving back and forth to Halifax. I did have a clinic and haematology appointment but also Amy has been hospitalized for the last two weeks. Her clinic appointment was much worse than mine, her lung function crashed out after getting a cold, even with being on oral antibiotics, and the doctor said it was time for IV antibiotics.

Once admitted, the x-ray showed some pneumonia and a terrible lung infection. I got sick immediately after handing out with her for a day and was paranoid I was getting pneumonia but thankfully my cold has stayed all in the sinuses.

I went up to Halifax for my respiratory clinic last week and stayed a few extra days to do Amy's laundry, bring her coffee, and go out for a few meals. I had to return home to work for a day before zooming up again on Friday for my hematology appointment (everything is fine) where Mom, Dad,  and Isaiah joined me later that day.

Amy was able to leave the hospital with us for a few meals and a bit of shopping. On Saturday afternoon, while she told us to go away so she could nap, we went for a skate on the Halifax Oval. Something we all talk about whenever we visit Halifax but it so rarely happens. It was quite warm out but the ice held as we zoomed down one side of the oval and then struggled back against the wind.

Amy has been fine without that many visitors because the IV medication has knocked her out and she uses her precious down time to catch up on sleep. We're all hoping for a pre-Christmas discharge but as of yesterday, she's developed hives as a reaction to the medication so the doctor's may want that to calm down before discharge. Also, another week of IV medication (once it can be started again) would help make sure the infection is actually gone.

The big discussion now is "what about Toronto/being listed for transplant?" Amy had been stable for so long and the doctors were happy to keep things as they were as long as possible but now with this crash, it's all going to depend on how her lung function rebounds after the medication.

If it goes back up to where it was (around 30% predicted volumes), it didn't sound like the doctors would start the work up but if there isn't as much improvement as hoped, the doctor will start ordering the tests. That may mean the teams keeps her in hospital a few more days as it's easier to get the scans and the blood work done while in hospital. But maybe not because there are people camped out in the emergency department waiting for her bed.