Day + 41

Last night was not a great night and today hasn't been any better. Elena continued to battle fever, nausea and stomach discomfort all night and for most of the day today. However, thankfully, the doctor and nurse practitioner who came on duty today do have a plan to try to find out what is going on with Elena.

Tomorrow, Elena will have a colonoscopy and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Both of these procedures will provide tissue samples and pictures to help determine if Elena has an infection or ulcers anywhere in her GI tract.  This will also help diagnose or rule out if Elena has GVHD.

GVHD stands for graft-versus-host disease. It is a possible complication that happens after transplant. GVHD happens when the donor cells (the graft) attack your body's cells (the host). The donor cells see the body as a threat and attack it.  Different parts of the body that can be affected by GVHD are the liver, skin, and intestinal tract (gut). Obviously with Elena's symptoms and the two tests that have been ordered, the doctors are concerned about the gut.

In addition to ordering these two tests, Elena's doctor and NP made some other decisions as well. They are running several tests on different samples looking for a variety of infections and viruses. They added a second antibiotic to the anti-fungal and antibiotic Elena is already receiving. They also have prescribed a high blood pressure medication for Elena.  Her blood pressure has been slightly elevated since Sunday.

Please pray that all tests, cultures, and bloodwork will provide clear results which will lead to a clear diagnosis and a clear plan to get Elena well.

Please keep praying for better and brighter tomorrows and for total and complete healing for Elena.

Still praying and believing!

In Him,
The Tates

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
Romans 8:26