All of Cindy’s labs are good.  She is slowly getting weaned off the breathing tube.  Her platelet count is at 86,000.  What more could she want?  Well, I’ll tell you.  All day long she’s been asking for water, seltzer, food and the answer to “When do I get out?”

Good thing we bought her a lot of paper.

I said DON’T MOVE!!

 Both the cardio and pulmonary doctors were pleased with her progress:

• Her  Blood Pressure and Oxidation level are good
• She has lost 2 liters of fluid
• An  x-ray showed that the right side of her heart is working better
• Her platelet count went up to 35,000
• She is “eating” through her nasal tube instead of her IV (better nutrition including protein)
• Her kidneys are working perfectly
• She is breathing better – weaning of the breathing  tube is going  well but slowly.  The  doctors will determine if she needs a trachea in   4 – 5 days.

GO CINDY!!!

http://blog.inceptsaves.com/blog/tag/platelets

Low platelet count, also know n as Thrombocytopenia, can be caused by many reasons:

• Bone Marrow can’t make enough platelets
• Cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma, can damage the bone marrow
• Aplastic Anemia, a rare blood disorder that interferes with platelet production in the bone marrow 
• Exposure to toxic chemicals can slow the production of platelets
• Certain medicines can slow the production of platelets.  One of them is diuretics.
• Alcohol can also slow the production of platelets
• Viruses, such as chickenpox, mumps, etc., can decrease platelet count temporarily.
• Genetic conditions can lower platelet count
• Infections can lower platelet count

All of the above reasons were ruled out.  One more possible reason for a low platelet count is an autoimmune disease called ITP.  ITP mistakenly attacks platelets assuming they are antibodies that fight infection and disease. 

A Hematologist came in to exam Cindy.  He thinks that the low platelet reading might not be correct.  He is going to do more testing to see if the materials used in the platelet lab work compromised the results.  If there is no problem with the platelet count, it is probably ITP and Cindy will probably get a platelet transfusion and/or steroids. 

Please take the poll on the right to give me your opinion about the quizzes.    ——–>>> 

Cindy continues to improve.  

• She no longer needs any blood pressure medication.  Her blood pressure is at a prefect level.  It had been very  low last week before going to the hospital.
• She is still using a breathing tube, but there is only one machine helping her breath.  The nitric oxide machine was removed yesterday.
• Instead of 3 poles of various medications and fluids, there is only one.
• She is being weaned off of the sedation and pain medication, so she is slowly waking up.
• Her platelets are low – not sure why.
• The Pulmonary Artery Catheter has been removed.  There is no longer a reason to monitor her heart so closely.

The cardiologist and pulmonary doctor are discussing what “cocktail”  to give Cindy for the Pulmonary Hypertension.

And if you’re wondering who has been bringing you all the news that’s fit to post, meet Debbie in the  picture below:.

Debbie hard at work blogging

One of the possible problems that concerned Cindy’s doctors was that there might be a blood clot in her lungs.  She has been taking a blood thinner just in case she had one.  Looking for a blood clot meant injecting a contrast (dye) into a vein in her arm.  The contrast cannot be used if her kidneys are compromised, so they had to wait until her kidney function improved.  Today was that day.  An expert from the line team put a new line into Cindy’s arm, she was scanned, and no blood Clot was found.  YAY!!!

http://www.vascularweb.org/vascularhealth/Pages/pulmonary-embolism.aspx

The good news about not having a blood clot is that the medications that Cindy needs does not work well with blood thinners.  Now the doctors can prescribe better medications to treat Cindy’s condition.

http://s236.photobucket.com/user/caitchaos/media/starbucks-IV.jpg.html

• The base ingredient is coffee or possibly strawberries and cream.
• It’s blended with ice and other ingredients.
• It usually has whipped cream on top.
• It is sold in stores and vending machines
• The name of the beverage comes from French and Italian
• It was developed, name, trademarked, and sold by a coffee shop chain called Coffee Connection.

This is how the heart works

1. The right atrium (upper right side of the heart) pumps de-oxygenated blood to the right ventricle.
2. The right ventricle (lower right side of the heart) pumps blood to the pulmonary arteries.
3. The blood flows to the lungs
4. The blood picks up oxygen
5. The blood flows to the left atrium (upper left side of the heart)
6. The blood is pumped to the left ventricle (lower left side of the heart)
7. The blood is pumped to the rest of the body  through the aorta

When Pulmonary Arteries Become Inflamed

Cindy’s pulmonary arteries have become inflamed.  The inflammation is due to one or more of the following:

1. A blood clot
2. Plaque in the arteries
3. The arteries have been damaged for other reasons

What Does All This Mean?

1. Her heart cannot push blood through her pulmonary arteries and into her lungs
2. Pressure increases in the arteries
3. Her heart has to work harder to pump the blood
4. Her right ventricle has become weak
5. Fluid backs up causing fluid retention
6. Her lungs aren’t  getting enough blood
7. Her left ventricle doesn’t have enough blood to push through the rest of her body (Heart failure)
8. Her kidneys start to fail because they are not getting enough blood.  Her kidneys work sufficient to flush waste but not enough for her to produce urine.

Answer in tomorrow’s post.