A Vote for Discharge

One of the infectious disease doctors who treated Jeff had never before seen a case of chicken pox in an adult who’d had it as a child!  He believed Jeff’s case was very rare, even among bone marrow transplant patients.  Its rarity caused reluctance on the part of some hospital staff – doctors and nurses – to believe the diagnosis.  The infectious disease doctors and Jeff and I are convinced. 

Spots erupted in waves over four days, spread from torso to head, then arms and legs.  It was accompanied by fever and nausea.  So far he has been spared the excessive itchiness that our children experienced 20+ years ago when children still got chicken pox.  (Could that have something to do with the IV anti-viral medication?)  And, unlike our childrens’ cases, the virus settled in some of his organs, causing abdominal pain which was treated with Oxycodone.

Jeff’s last stay at St. Mary’s Medical Center a year and half ago was for DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) which was treated, in part, with heparin.  On this visit, his usual baby aspirin was replaced with an order for three heparin injections into his stomach per day.  After only two doses, he got a bloody nose.  When the nurse came at him with the third dose, he refused it.  I am so proud of him for being his own advocate. 

Before I left him on Monday night, his fever had spiked to 102.3 and continued until early Tuesday morning.  Nurse John said he would not be permitted to go home until he was fever-free for 24 hours. 

Dr. Poporad has different standards.  He told Jeff, “Go home.”

“Really?!” Jeff said.

“You can stay, if you want to.”

“No, thank you!”

Jeff asked whether he could vote and was told yes but he should stay away from babies under six months old and pregnant women. 

I picked Jeff up at the hospital and drove to the Morrisville Library, our polling place.  I’d already voted early in the morning.  We arrived at a good time - there were only about 10 or 15 people ahead of him in line.  We were on the lookout for pregnant women.  Jeff recognized our neighbor, a liver transplant patient, immediately behind him in line.  Geez!  Of course, she is immuno-suppressed, too.  Jeff told her he had chicken pox and that the doctor cleared him to vote.  As they chatted, I kept thinking it was maybe not ideal for these two to share space.

Jeff’s fever did not return.  He tells me that the organs under and behind his rib cage feel bruised or maybe sore like a pulled muscle.  The discomfort extends front to back.  I am worried about his gall bladder although I am trying to take Dr. Poporad’s view - that the virus sat on/in those organs thus causing the pain.  The ultrasound did not show gall bladder disease and was, we learned, inconclusive for stones.  The pain should lessen each day.

My honey is so glad to be home!  And I am happy and relieved and ready for some good sleep!