Thursday January 12 th continued

Dietmar posted on the blog!!!!! Maybe you all won't get sick of me, being the only one commenting :). I just got off the phone with Karma and heard the update from today. Karma was feeling a little bettertoday because Detlef was feeling better today. Amazing how that happens with mothers. I remember Michelle Obama stating that "a mother is only as happy as her saddest child". I completely agree with that statement.

Karma said that Detlef went for a walk with her today, and his spirits were up. They removed his central line today, and placed just a normal IV for now. They cultured a staph infection from the central line, and he is on antibiotics for that. We all have staph bacteria on our skin, and whenever we have a cut in the skin, we risk getting a staph infection. Add to that, a central line that was placed, and a decrease in Detlef's immune system, and we had a recipe for infection. Karma was told that it was the type of staph infection that is easy to kill. What that means to me is that it is not MRSA, which stands for methicillin resistent staph aureus, which is a nasty form of staph, that is very difficult to kill. We are very grateful that it was NOT a MRSA infection.

The person who placed his IV did a great job, and didn't cause much discomfort for Detlef. Maybe his veins aren't like Karma's after all. We can all hope. . . .

As Dietmar posted, Detlef was given a diuretic (water pill), and this allowed him to get rid of a great deal of fluid that had accumulated from the massive amounts of fluids they were giving him with the chemo. They were trying to protect his kidneys by giving lots of fluids to "flush" things out. Before I left, Detlef's face was looking a little puffy, he had some difficulty breathing, and he had gained about 10 pounds in about 5 days. Even the amount of food that Detlef was putting away at the time, did not explain a 10 lb weight gain. He was definitely retaining water. So, just getting some of that excess fluid off would be enough to help him feel better.

Karma said that Detlef's appetite is still down, but Dietmar and Jennifer brought in some Pellegrino and some Mozarella sticks that seemed to hit the spot. Detlef also ate part of a tuna fish sandwich. Detlef and Karma also got to take a much needed nap today. . . . .Karma in the chair and Detlef in the bed. Both felt a little more rested afterward.

Karma said that she learned something good today. . . .Detlef felt somewhat down the last couple of days, but rebounded today. She is realizing that there will be some good and bad days, but that they will come and go. As simple as it sounds, it means a great deal when you are looking at a long term illness. Just because someone is having a bad day, the ability to bounce back is always there.

Karma also told me that Detlef's work has been really thoughtful, and she appreciates their looking out for him. She also has appreciated all of the love and support that her work and Juergen's work have given them. We are all learning a lot about how the kindness and love of others can lift and help us during very trying times. Thanks so much to everyone!

Lisa