Guest Entry from Barbara

Hello Everyone,

Greg sends you his greetings, and thanks you all for your good wishes as he goes through the roughest few days of this process.

Wednesday, or Day 8, started fine, with his eating his first bit of food that actually stayed down -- toast and scrambled eggs. He rallied enough to beat me in several rounds of "Pounce", a rather vicious game that brings out the competitive side of any participants. I left around noon to return to Stow to see students that I had not seen in two weeks, thinking that he had turned a corner and would be emerging from the most uncomfortable aspects that he has detailed so well.

While driving back to Boston late that night, I learned that soon after I left, he spiked a fever, which went over 104, leaving him alternately sweating terribly, yet shaking uncontrollably with chills.

Thursday, Day 9, was the worst, and one that Greg does not remember in great detail, thankfully. The fever ranged between 100-103, depending on the medication. Obviously he had an infection, and with a white blood cell reading of less than 0.1 (normal values are 4 to 11) -- in other words, no ability at all to fight any infection -- his body succumbed. All day long, various teams of nurses and doctors were in, as they waited for lab results that would narrow the possible source of the infection so that they could administer a targeted antibiotic. They narrowed the source of the bacteria to mouth, bottom or the central line itself, which, as a foreign body, can be a site for infection, in spite of all imaginable precautions. They removed the central line and installed two separate IV's, as they need to be able to administer more than one drug at once. He received two separate infusions of platelets, as they also had dropped significantly. Oxygen helped the low hemoglobin; blood pressure dropped; an EKG was administered to rule out heart problems related to fast pulse.......the parade of doctors and nurses has just been responding to Greg's conditions as they develop.

Meanwhile, Greg has just felt absolutely terrible. In addition,the GI tract has been pretty well destroyed, so you can imagine the consequences.

Today, Friday, Day 10, has been a bit better, as the fever has been held to under 100, so Greg has not had to endure the chills and sweats, but has been very tired. The goal for the day was to get him washed and to begin to update the trials of the past two-and-a-half days, but even sitting up brought on such fatigue that it wasn't until mid-afternoon that the washing was accomplished, followed by a lengthy sleep.

During the day, various doctors, including two infectious disease experts, continued to analyze the various lab reports, Greg's reactions to medications (he has developed a raw and itchy rash across his back -- no known reason), and to confirm that he will pull through this. The wonderful team here has been very reassuring that he will be feeling better when the white blood cells and platelets begin to reproduce.

More details later. Thank you for your patience and all your good wishes.

Barbara