ed's been doing ok until pneumonia and hospital

Just when you think it's safe to go back in the water...

Ed really has been doing quite well - eyes open every other day or so, moves his legs when you turn the sheet back or rub his leg, startles at noises. Not improving drastically, but certainly maintaining the baby steps that he has taken.

Then on Friday his temperature went up to 104 degrees and they couldn't get it down, and he started coughing up lots of stuff from his lungs, so the doctor recommended taking him to the emergency room. The E/R doctor at our favorite hospital (Presbyterian/St. Luke's) agreed that Ed had pneumonia and wanted to admit him, but there was no room at the inn until about 10 PM - sure glad it wasn't longer!

Then on Saturday morning the hospital called me because his heart rate soared and his blood pressure dropped, so they wanted permission to administer electric shock treatments if necessary. Not a good way to wake up after just a few hours of sleep! Anyway, they were able to get his heart rate down with medication and his heart rate came up to about 100/60, so they did not need to do the shock treatments. Then on Saturday afternoon his blood pressure plummeted to 62/44, so they took him off the heart medication and started working to stabilize his blood pressure. By Saturday evening he was looking much better - blood pressure back around 93/55 and pulse in the 80's.

Thankfully he stayed stable overnight, and seemed pretty comfortable when I saw him today. He's on intravenous antibiotics, and his lungs seem to be clearing up - not coughing up as much stuff.

I don't know how long he'll be in the hospital, but normally they finish the course of intravenous antibiotics before they release him, so he'll certainly be there for a few days. Since he has pneumonia, all visitors must wear the usual mask, so it's not the most comfortable to visit right now.

Back at the ranch, I no longer itch, for which I am extremely thankful! The rash hasn't really gone away, but it looks better than it did - it's progressed from an "angry red", as my dermatologist described it, to what I would describe as a "petulant pink". Definite improvement.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers! They make a world of difference to us! I read the cards he receives to Ed and he seems to like them, so many thanks for them too.

my rash and dizziness better; ed holding his own

Last Monday my dermatologist agreed that it seemed reasonable to cease using the steroidal cream on my back and chest, and recommended that I just let the rash run its course and just treat the itching with anti-histamines. She also looked at the prescription and herbal supplements I was taking and recommended stopping the omeprazole / prilosec that I was taking to reduce stomach acid just as a preventive stop to avoid another ulcer. So, that's what I did. The dizziness finally got a little better on Friday after I stopped taking the anti-histamines during the day, and my rash is getting less itchy (it usually takes a couple of weeks for any particular patch to stop itching). I have patches down my arms to below my elbows and on my legs down to my ankles, and am hoping that it doesn't spread onto my feet. So, I'm definitely doing better than I was a week ago!

Ed had a slight urinary tract infection this week, which caused his temperature to be elevated Sunday and Monday, but he has gotten his temperature back down and seems to be doing reasonably well. Had his eyes open several days this week, although not open very much today. He's started "moving" his torso on occasion, not just his arms and legs, so that's a nice change.

i have an incredible rash from a drug reaction

As long as you are sending healing prayers our way, would you mind including me too? I was taking an anti-depressant, Lexapro, which is never supposed to cause any problems whatsoever. However, I developed a severe and incredibly itchy rash on my scalp, back, and chest. So, I went off of Lexapro in 3 days instead of the recommended 6-8 weeks, and the rash seemed to stop spreading. The dermatologist gave me a steroidal ointment to be applied at bedtime, and then covered with a wet T-shirt (no wolf whistles please) for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, my rash is actually still spreading - now on my arms and legs, and the steroidal ointment is making me increasingly dizzy. So, I'm heading back to the dermatologist tomorrow, and will also request a recommendation for an allergist.

In the meantime, back at the ranch with Ed, he is certainly holding his own and showing some small improvements. He opens one or both eyes most (but not all) days, jerks his leg when I touch either his right or left leg, and seems to be more "active" - moving head to right and left. Still doesn't track with his eyes or do anything on command, so I'm still practicing being patient. About up to a "C-" I think!

ed's back to opening his eyes

So, after two days of keeping his eyes shut, Ed started peeking out of his right eye, then opened his right eye wider and started peeking out of his left eye, and how he's back to opening both eyes - yeah!

Some days it is, however, a little difficult to "wake him up" - yesterday he did not initially respond much to me, but after putting the head of his bed up a little more, and rubbing his arms, he began to be much more responsive.

He also "startles" and gets goosebumps when I rub his arms or legs, whereas a few weeks ago he really didn't show much response. Little things, but we treasure them!

By the way, we have been told by someone who recovered from a coma that sometimes it was difficult to comprehend fast enough to keep up with normal speech, so we've tried to at least occasionally speak a little slower. Nothing ventured...