Lots of test

Today Cael got a CT of his head and chest. The head CT was to see if there was anything abnormal going on that might explain the vomiting. They said if there was swelling in his brain, that could cause headaches, which might cause vomiting. It came back normal. No tumors, and no excessive swelling that would explain the vomiting. There is talk of doing an MRI of his head as well to check his pituitary gland for hormonal issues.

They talked about a spinal tap to see if there are any infections in his brain. I don't know if they are still doing that after getting a normal CT back or not.

The vomiting has gotten worse. Now, instead of keeping food down for even 10 minutes, he throws up immediately after eating. He has also throw up a few times when he hadn't eaten anything at all. From all the vomiting, he now has some blood in it. So now there are concerns of some tearing in his esophagus. One doctor suggested doing an endoscopy to look at his esophagus for a fungal infection that might be impeding his eating and at his throat for tearing. They also talked about giving him a feeding tube in order to give him the fats that he should be getting from eating. They really don't want to put lipids in his TPN until he is about 2 weeks from transplant. There is just too much risk of a fungal infection. The GI doctor, however, doesn't want to do an endoscopy until they have exhausted all other medicinal options.

His calcium levels haven't changed much. Yesterday it was 1.41, this morning it was 1.39, and this evening 1.43.  So tomorrow they will give him an injection of pamidronate. That is supposed to help reduce the calcium in his blood. But so were the other medicines he got which haven't done enough.

There is a little bit of good news. The chest CT is not any worse than before. This means they can move forward with the transplant process. Once he is through all of this calcium stuff, they will be able to set a date and start his conditioning.

Adam's grandmother and grandfather are visiting right now. While I'm sorry Cael is doing so poorly while they are visiting, I sitill think they are really enjoying seeing him. They think he is just so adorable. Gene even said he might take him home with him. :)