Prayers and Miracles From Freepers - In Dire Straits

JP ^ | 12-6-03 | JP

[JustPiper]

Exhaling...I thought I would just add this to Logan's room but my request since has become twofold. My brother-in-law Tom who went to San Diego for his son's Marine graduation (Anthony graduated with honors) has landed in a SD hospital immediately after graduation. It does not seem life-threatening and I pray it will all turn out ok.

Now to yet another brother-in-law who is more like a brother to me. He is married to my closest sister. They live in OC. He has been caring for her Dad (long story) and has been sick for quite some time.

Peter is such a wonderful man. Dad is the third elderly parent they have taken in to die in their home. He is Dad's caregiver all day long. Peter is my sister's soulmate.

Pete's lung doctor called today with Lab results and wanted him in for a blood transfusion and kidney tests. It's looking more like Wegener's disease, but that can only be confirmed with a lung biopsy. He is having a kidney ultrasound today.

My sister is beside herself. He is the reason she moved to OC. All her family mostly is here. And she left me behind -g- She is my soul sister.

Please friends, pray for these two guys and Dear God have your Angels whispering in Peter's ear he will stay with us!

[JustPiper]

I just read this, My daughter has Bechet's, you are so up on your immune disorders I am amazed for unfortunately too many doctor's know little, are you a specialist? Do you know if the CDC ever classified EBV or found it's source?

[JustPiper]

update ;)

[in the Arena]

I'll hold your family in my thoughts and prayers...

[LadyDoc]

I'm just a lowly GP, but in the rural country we see patients who in cities see specialists...so our lupus and rheumatoid patients see us for colds and other problems...I don't know a thing about Bechet's syndrome since it's been 25 years since I saw a patient with it, alas.

As for EBV: new stuff coming out all the time about it... it's the same virus that causes Mononucleosis, and we see high titers of it with Chronic fatigue syndrome, although they are arguing if it causes CFS or only some cases of it...
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000740.htm

It's probably spread the old fashioned way, i.e. though coughing and saliva, since we see epidemics of it going thru daycare...Mononucleosis is called "the kissing disease" but that is actually a medical joke: the first epidemic was reported in a school a couple weeks after the prom and it usually occurs in teenagers.In other words, it is spread the same way as colds, and is NOT a sexually transmitted disease...

EBV in kids is a mild disease, probably never diagnosed by doctors since they aren't sick enough to draw blood...but when older people get it, it sometimes causes hepatitis or severe fatigue for months afterward...

[TexasCowboy]

JP, it sounds like the Lord has allowed us to see a glimmer of His miracle in progress!
I will continue to pray that He guides the hands and minds of these doctors and surgeons.

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for Peter's complete healing.
Please give him your strength and comfort, dear Lord.
We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

[TexasCowboy]

"I'm just a lowly GP,"

There's no such animal on this planet, LadyDoc.
I thank God for doctors like you who are more interested in healing people than healing their bank accounts.

Thank you, dear Lord, for the caregivers.

[Teacup]

Praying for you and your family. God Bless you and hang in there. God answers prayers.

[JustPiper]

Thank you!

An update on Tom. He will be in the hospital for a week at least. His tests are not showing why he cannot eat and keeps vomitting. They are inserting a tube and I'm not familiar with this procedure to measure I don't know what, my MIL does not asks questions -g-

Still no results yet on Pete's kidney biopsy . I always think of Pete in connection with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for he is a very proud Greek , and when she said t he word biopsy, I always see and hear it. Pete's a pretty fascinating man who speaks five languages and was trained as a Chef in France. He raised his sister and supported them (his Mom also) when the father abandoned them when
Pete was 11 years old.Just wanted to share some stuff about our Peter -g-

[tiki]

Continued prayers.

[JustPiper]

I received this email from My Ei:

Pete was discharged late Friday, even though his kidney fuction hasn't really improved.

The biopsy came back yesterday, with some pointers matching the possibility of Wegener's Disease. Because it's such an odd condition, and other causes could have similar matches, the kidney and pulmonary guys opted to go forward with treatment as if it were Wegeners. Some labs that are specific to Wegener's had previously leaned in the same direction...so, we're all hoping that it is Wegener's or at least another condition that will respond to the drug thereapy.

LADY DOC:
He started on Chemothereapy, which will go for 3 months, once every 3 weeks

She's not telling me everything. I know she will when she's ready. I just want to fly out there to help. I can tell she's bitter right now, from other parts of her email not included. We have a connection and I knew something was wrong when she didn't email or call by Wednesday. Lady, is this kidney cancer?

He's also on the steroid Prednisone, with the dosage to be adjusted as the lab numbers change again, if it's Wegener's and if there's a good response to the regimen.
Is this is successful, his labwork related to his kidneys will show kidney function improvement...that's how they tell if it is Wegener's for sure.

He's also taking Pepcid for his stomach, Iron for Anemia, Flomax to push bladder function, and Cipro to wipe out the suspected Prostate infection.

We see both Specialists next week, and in a few weeks, the Urologist.

When the gynecologist shows up, we'll have come full circle!

Thank your doctor friend again for her info. He got 3 Procrit shots and the Kidney Doc's office will try to get approval from the insurance company for me to inject him at home. At $1,000 a pop, please ask for prayers that Blue Cross will do it!

Ei

[TexasCowboy]

Hummm...sure sounds like a lot of the same medications Faith takes for her MS!

I will continue to pray for Pete and Tom, JP.
God bless you for your compassion.

[JustPiper]

Does Faith have chemo therapy for her MS? My niece has MS and she said sometimes it is used for it?

[LadyDoc]

doesn't sound like kidney cancer. Kidney cancer is a slow growing cancer that you cure by taking out the kidney.

but for Wegener's (and also Lupus) of the kidney, you use chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy drugs are poisons that destroy cells that grow quickly. This includes some cancers. but chemotherapy also destroys the blood forming cells, and the cells that produce antibodies.

This is why chemotherapy patients are at risk for infections, and why cancer patients end up needing blood transfusions etc.

Bone marrow and spleen cells produce red cells, white cells of different sorts to destroy infection, and also antibodies to destroy bacteria/viruses by surrounding these abnormal cells and punching holes in them (I always think of the antibodies attacking Raquel welch in the film Incredible voyage as an example of how they work).

But the "collogen diseases" such as Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Wegener's are caused by the body making antibodies or sending immune cells to destroy normal tissue, usually the joints, kidneys, and lung...So about twenty years ago they started using drugs like Methotrexate to destroy these abnormal immune cells of the bone marrow.

So that is why they are using chemotherapy for wegener's. If the kidney and lungs aren't completely destroyed, the chemo will stop these antibodies etc. from destroying the kidney and lung, and there is a chance of recovery if the destruction is not complete.

So the answer is no, it's not cancer, but it's very serious...but potentially treatable...

[TexasCowboy]

"Does Faith have chemo therapy for her MS?"

Yes. She's had many chemo treatments.
All of these diseases in which the body is essentially attacking itself have similiar treatment regimens.
Faith is presently on a high concentration dose once a month in a series of three instead of the normal lighter dose twice weekly as she has had in the past.
This method appears to be the best for her, but it's not necessarily the best for any other MS patient.
All MS patients have different symptoms and different reactions to different drugs, although there is some commonality among all.
It is a very perplexing disease.

[tiki]

Still praying.

[Texas Termite]

Praying prayers for all that you seek.

Logan, Beth & Nana

[JustPiper]

Lady thanks for the info as always. Ei said it was for Wegener's.I know Pete's in for a go, he already as Ei being his servant at home ;)When she's not at work that is.

The update on Tom was thought to be good. He was going to be released Friday as Pete was, but they discovered a bloodclot in his leg. I assume they now have him on Heparin. Needless to say he was not discharged.

[tiki]

More prayers on the way.

[JustPiper]

I love your handle I nicknamed my son TeeKee -g- Well, I did get some sweet news, birth and death always go hand and hand. My daughter is expecting her fourth child just in time for her Nani's birthday -smiles-. She will need prayers because she also was advised with her last child not to have anymore. She's had 2 C-Section's already and a laparoscopy to remove abundant scar tissue. Her lining was so thick on her last C-Section that it took two hours for them to bring her son out.She is scared and I tried to reassure her God is giving her a gift, which she knows. But I am scared also.