Guest guest Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Hey all, Well, several days ago I attempted to send a lengthy email to this list with Jodie's complete hospitalization history, as far as everything that has gone on in the last 8 and a half weeks of her being in the hospital. Well, that email got 'eaten' by my mailing system, and they have yet to respond to me or help me retrieve that email. So, for now, I'll just forget about that. Anyway, I wanted to let you know what's going on with Jodie right now and ask if anyone has been through anything similar and/or has any advice as to future medical treatment for Jodie or just in general. Well, Jodie is still in the ICU. She is down to four drains. Two are draining fluid (CT identified just over a week ago) from behind her kidneys. One is draining her gall bladder, as it was unable to be removed during her necrosectomy surgery, or her follow-up abdomen closing surgery, as her bowel was too swollen and her gall bladder was too squished against her bowel. She has one remaining drain on the left side of her abdomen. She had her first operation June 30th and her follow-up surgery on July 9th. Her incision is slowly healing. She gets out of bed and sits in a reclining chair once a day, for the past week and a half to two weeks, for about two to four hours each time. She was due to go in for another necrosectomy this past monday, but it was cancelled due to her declining wbc count and a fever free 3 days. As of the past 48 hours, her wbc count is slowly climbing and her fever has returned. She is scheduled for a CT scan today to check on the fluid behind her kidneys, to see if she needs larger drainage tubes to help the fluid properly drain. Jodie has been receiving the antibiotic Avelox/moxifloxacin every day, since before her first infection was confirmed. It seemed to help earlier this week, but now, not so sure. Regardless, as her surgeon told me yesterday, she can't stay on antibiotics forever, as whatever bacteria is causing her infection will eventually become resistant to the antibiotics she is receiving. I'm not sure what the dosage of moxifloxacin she is receiving, but I know they hang at least 2 or 3 IV bags a day, each which have maybe 300 to 500 ml of solution in them. I don't know what the concentration is, but I can check that out more specifically. So, my question(s) follow: Is this the 'best' antibiotic for Jodie? I have been trying to find this out myself. I have read that the best antibiotic for prevention and treatment of severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis is impinem-cilastatin. I have seen it several times. I also found one study showing that moxifloxican is absorbed even more readily by pancreatic tissue of persons with pancreatitis than of the normal pancreatic tissue of a person without pancreatitis. Any suggestions/advice? Also, if Jodie does seem to become resistant to the antibiotic, couldn't they switch her to a different kind of antibiotic. I know there are different kinds and they all affect different organisms. Heck, the doctor could even switch to the impinem-cilastatin! Do you think I should ask/suggest that antibiotic to her surgeon, who is the chief doctor in charge of her care?! Oh, more info, the surgeon told me that if the larger drainage tubes do not get rid of the fluid/infection, he will need to do another necrosectomy on Jodie, but this time, going after the dead tissue from the back, since the fluid is collecting behind her kidneys. Hopefully, that will not be necessary. She is now three weeks post-op from her last surgery, and I'd hate for her to have additional pain and healing-time from another operation. Especially, when she'd constantly have her new incision site(s) pressed up against the bed she has been in for the past 8 weeks! Also, does anyone have any thoughts/encouragement/ " guesses " concerning the likelihood of Jodie dying from this attack of pancreatitis. I have looked for days on the internet and read a lot about severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis (SANP). What I have read is that persons with sterile necrosis have a 10% mortality rate, while those with infected necrosis have a mortality rate of 15-20% (or even 30%). I don't know what to think. I'd like to think that Jodie's age will keep her from succumbing to this illness. I have also read that the two main causes of death are from Multisystem organ failure, in the first few days, which she has obviously gotten through. However, the leading cause of deaths from severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis is from complications from infection. I've read again and again that 80% of all deaths from acute pancreatitis are from infection. This is very scary and not as nice as the 10 to 30% mortality rate of SANP w/infection. Does anyone have any experience with SANP w/ (or w/o) infection?! Does anyone know anything about this? And, if what I've read is indeed true, does anyone have any idea what Jodie's chances are?! I know that even her doctor can't really predict that, but I just wondered if anyone on this list might be able to tell me something to give me hope, so I can truthfully give Jodie hope. I have only told her the 10 to 30 % statistic, not the 80% one. If anyone has any questions about Jodie for further information, just let me know. Jodie has a very loving and supportive family (myself, our son, her parents and aunt), friends, and many strangers from the different mailing list that I'm on. Jodie was a completely healthy, vibrant, intelligent woman prior to this attack of pancreatitis. She turned 29 in March. I can't imagine that her life will be ending soon due to this illness. We have spent 11 years together and I want to spend many, many more years with her. She is way too young to die. Please pray that Jodie will successfully beat this infection and continue to recover and press on to lead a long, happy life. peace, melissa -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Hi , Sorry to hear that Jodie has been having continuing problems, but remember that t does seem like she is getting better, just not as fast as one would like. My prayers are with you had her Best wishes, Poncho - GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 , one thing, this board is set up to not accept attachments of any kind. When I first joined the group, they accepted attachment and a rather large one was sent that started overloading some people's systems, especially those people who were getting a daily digest instead of individual emails or web access only. Your best bet in the future is to send a copy to either Tull or Karyn stating that you want the attachment put in the files section of the board. Then any member can go on the board via web and download the file when they have a chance. Just an fyi to you and any others who would like to send attachments through the board. Kimber -- Kimber Vallejo, CA hominid2@... Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed physician or health care professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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