March 8 Update

Dad has now had several sessions of dialysis, and it has helped quite a bit. It has obviously done the job his kidneys currently can't and has rid his body of all the chemicals and drugs causing extreme confusion and general drugged-upped-ness. It has also rid his body of lots of water weight which helps him to feel a little more comfortable.

What is NOT comfortable, however, is diverticulitis - a condition of the intestines that Dad likely had before AML / chemo but is now quite painful. Dad had a contrast scan yesterday to check his belly and intestines and that's how the diverticulitis was diagnosed. He's on antibiotics to help, but has been unable to eat anything for the past two days.

We knew the risk of infection was extremely high, and Dad has suffered a few infections. First, his Groshon port had to be removed because it was infected. It was a convenient way to give him antibiotics but wasn't being used since he finished his chemo. Now he's back to the good ol' arm IVs for medication.

And, yet another complication - pneumonia. What was a dry cough over the weekend turned nasty and has been diagnosed as pneumonia. Again, like the diverticulitis, the positive news is that it can be treated with antibiotics.

I'll continue to update as his condition changes. Thanks for your continued support.