The Warrior Battles The Cytokine Storm, Day 3

Update on BJ…Over the past 36 hours, BJ has kept a fever between 102 and 105. Friday night into Saturday morning was rough, as his temp kept climbing, and we were anxious about how bad this was going to be, and how his body would respond. Tylenol was given every 6 hours, but did not lower his temperature. His temp stayed between 103 and 105 until about 0430 Saturday morning, when several readings were around 103. It was then that he finally slept for a few hours. He is nauseated and is still having very bad bone pain. His dose of oxycodone was increased from 5mg to 10mg for the pain. He was offered a continuous dose of morphine, with additional PCA, but he declined. He chooses to tough it out, even when his doctor tells him he doesn’t have to. He has been on oxygen since Friday night because his O2 sats were dropping into the mid 80s. He had a chest x-ray which showed some fluid in his lungs. This didn’t surprise the doctor, because at that point, BJ had received 1.5 liters of fluids. His blood pressure was being monitored every 2 hours overnight last night, and he also received a blood transfusion. His blood pressure has fluctuated between a little high and a little low…nothing that would cause alarm, but is being very closely monitored. His temperature is still between 102 and 104. He received Lasix this morning, to help remove some of the fluid. He looks very ‘puffy’…eyelids and face are noticeably swollen, and he can feel it in his hands and feet as well. He will get another unit of blood if his blood pressure drops with the removal of the extra fluid. His spirits are up, although he is VERY tired. He told me that while he feels really bad, and his bones hurt with every move, the pain he experienced in August with the fungal infection in his lungs was 100 times worse.