Things go better with Coke

Hi, Marcia here with an update.

Gary and Anne started their day with a plugged feeding tube.  They were told by one medical professional that a mixture of baking soda, meat tenderizer, and water was what was suggested in the past to unplug it.  I always thought that that was what you put on bee stings, which shows how woefully under-informed I am.   This concoction, however, is apparently no longer recommended for plugged tubing.   The next health care provider asked Anne if she’d tried Coke.   There was no mention of Pepsi or RC.

Anyway, as it turned out, it was a non-issue for now.   After seeing Gary today, Dr. Tseng wants him back on the TPN feeding.  The tube will remain plugged until such time as it is needed again. It will then first be cleaned out by a radiologist (most likely with a minor in plumbing).

After all is said and done, nearly all the news today was good.

• Gary’s white blood cell count is back to normal which means the infection is under control or gone.   He will continue on antibiotics for two more weeks, but they switched him to one in a liquid form so he won’t have to deal with swallowing pills.  This was causing him a great deal of trouble.

• Although Gary’s leak has not completely healed yet (and possibly has gotten larger due to the vomiting and gagging that he has had to put up with) the CAT scan he had today (another adventure in and of itself) revealed nothing to be concerned about and no other problem areas.

• The area around his tubes looks good.

• Dr. Tseng feels that Gary is doing fine and the things going on are “normal” – not necessarily fun, but normal.

Of course, we just want Gary to FEEL BETTER QUICKLY.  What a trooper he has been.

I know that many of you check this blog daily and worry when there is no new post.  Sometimes there is just nothing to report – things are basically the same.  However, please know that if something significant happens I will post it as soon as I possibly again.

Otherwise, I’ll try to post something every couple of days, or daily if there is even the slightest bit of news.  Knowing that you are out there reading means the world to them both.