back and forth, back and forth

I feel like that's how things are right now. I hear from one doctor that the plasma treatments are working and helping and then the kidney doctor comes in this morning and tells me that the blood doctor doesn't think they're helping at all!
I thought they were helping - just because the plasma they pulled out of him was so brown - it had to be helping him to put in fresh plasma. And he LOOKED so much better after the treatments. But, apparently plasma forises (sp?) isn't very beneficial for patients with lupus - go figure. So, they are going to do one last treatment today and then figure something else out for new treatment starting tomorrow. I could tell the kidney doctor kind of wants to continue the plasma treatment but, the blood doctor decided against it. So ... that's where we stand on that! And too be honest - it might be nice to not have the plasma forises people in here. They try to make small talk and I'm just not in the mood for that so, things just get uncomfortable.

His kidneys ARE looking better but his blood levels aren't improving. They're not getting worse but, they aren't getting better either. That's why they're having to figure out a new game plan - get his blood levels normal! :D His thyroiditis is almost gone (yay! the stupid thing that started this all!). And his pancreatitis is getting better. I haven't heard much about his liver but, since I haven't I assume it's improving. His chest x-rays are back and forth - somedays they're good, somedays they're not good. And his CT Scan of his brain was clear! (Phew!) So ... some things are improving - some are not. It seems like when they try to fix one issue - another one presents itself! I can tell the doctor's get frustrated sometimes because Kam's lupus is SO pronounced they have a hard time treating certain things.

He is still sedated. But, this morning he was in and out of consiousness for a little bit before the sedative kicked back in (they wake him up every morning for a little while to check on his cognitive levels to make sure the sedative isn't affecting his neurological system) and he was trying to tell me something and I couldn't understand what he was signing so he got frustrated - rolled his eyes and flipped me off. *sigh* proof that my old Kam is still in there! haha.

Things are going good though. They tested his breathing capabilities this morning and he CAN breathe on his own but, they want to keep him on the respirator until atleast tomorrow just to be sure. And they'll keep him sedated until then. Good thing too, I bet it's uncomfortable to have a tube down his throat!!!

People ask how I'm doing ... I'm okay. I'm in "survival mode" right now. If it doesn't have to do with Kameron's health - it probably doesn't matter to me right now. I am exhausted all day - even after sleeping for 10 hours. I'm kinda getting sick of cafeteria food but, it's the cheapest food there is. So, I keep eating it. I MISS Kason. He is with my mom in Payson and I miss that little booger. But ... we take it a day at a time and, somehow, I survive each day!!!

Sorry if I don't answer emails/texts/phone calls. I'm a little preoccupied at the time ;)

The kidney doctor came in and spoke with me this morning. He said that Kameron's kidneys and pancreas are starting to get better. He also said that because his pancreas was not functioning well, they were giving him extra fluids. That may be the cause of him not breathing well .... To much fluid in his body and it may have been affecting his lungs. So, now that his pancreas is doing good they can lower the amount of liquid they give him and hopefully that will help his lungs improve.

They are also doing a CT scan on his brain. This morning Kameron was really confused and his Dr is worried about that. However he said that sometimes high blood pressure can cause confusion. So, hopefully that is the cause and the scan comes back clear.

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A giant leap in the wrong direction

Last night when I left the hospital Kameron was having a really difficult time getting his respiratory rates down. His heart rate was high and his blood pressure was high. The nurse that came in was struggling to get him at regular levels and to be honest, I was a little worried about her being his nurse all night. She was .... A little shakey on her nursing skills to say the least. But, right before I left another nurse had come in and helped get things stabalized. So, I left, praying that things would stay that way.

This morning Kam texted me a told me to get to the hospital ASAP. So, I hurried to get ready and headed over there.

This morning, as of 9am Kameron is on the respirator again. I know its for the best buy, it doesn't make it any easier. It is so hard seeing him like this. But, Kameron had told his doctor that he was just tired of breathing and he hadn't slept well in a couple days. So, they made the decision.

He will be on the respirator for a few days again. He just needs his rest and needs to get better.

There won't be much to report on for the next couple of days. Love you all!
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Well, things at the hospital are slowly moving along. The doctors all say that Kameron improves a little bit each day, which is good news. His pancreas is still inflamed but the enzymes are going down. This morning his doctors said his chest x-ray looks good and his kidney function is starting to stabalize. Tomorrow will be the last day of his plasma treatment and they will look at how Kameron is doing and see if he needs anymore treatments, from my point of view those treatments REALLY seem to be helping! So, we are doing good. I think we are both getting anxious to get out of the hospital. Poor Kameron has been in the same bed for a week.

My mom took Kason to her house this week, which has been nice not to worry about keeping him happy and entertained but, I miss that little guy!!

We are slowly moving down the road to recovery and first, getting out of ICU and then getting discharged .... We're gettin' there!!!

I will continue to thank you all for your prayers!! We feel them for sure!
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Update

They did a procedure on Kameron today where they hooked him up to a machine that took all his blood out (not at all at once, obviously) and it seperated the blood from the plasma. Then it disposed of Kameron's plasma and filtered in new, fresh, donated plasma. Then, when that part was all finished they put all his red blood cells back into his body. It took a total of 2 hours to do it! It was an interesting process though. And all of Kameron's old plasma was almost brown. Good, healthy plasma is a yellow-gold color. So, his was not healthy at all!! They said his blood has too many antibodies, which is one reason he is so sick. So, they will do this process 4 more times (1 time a day) and that will help him feel better. Even today, after the procedure, Kameron looked a little more alert and energized. I am hopeful this will get him well QUICK! :D

Today they also put in a central line. They will start feeding him from that so that he can get all the nutrients he needs. Today Kameron was having some stomach pains that seemed to be pretty awful. Nurse Natalie (whom I LOVE! She's awesome) said it's probably just from him drinking an ensure and not being mobile to be able to digest it. Also, a couple things were passed around about pancreatitis and his thyroiditis. So, we'll see where we go with those. His kidneys still aren't working the way they should. The good news is they aren't getting WORSE - they just aren't getting any better.

We also spoke with a new rheumatologist today, Dr. Howe. She seemed very knowledgeable and seemed to really do a thorough history on Kameron. We are hoping to get a second opinion from here re: Kameron's current lupus regimen.

That's the news for now! We definately aren't out of the clear yet but we are certainly on the road to recovery ... slowly but surely!! I am very happy with the care Kameron is getting at TMC. He has a great team of doctor's and all of the nurses have been awesome.

Again, thank you all for your prayers!! I know Kameron appreciates it and I definately do!!

As of about 10:30 this morning Kameron has been breathing on his own. He is exhausted but, doing well. The doctor said that everything is looking really good. It is so wonderful to hear his cute, raspy voice again!! I am amazed at the miracle we have witnessed!!!
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When I got to the hospital this morning, my sweet husband was awake!!!! They have taken him off the sedative! He is writing to communicate and is very alert. They are going to be taking the breathing tube out later today because he is breathing on his own. His lungs look clear with no infection and is currently just being treated for his staph infection. Its all such good news and I am overjoyed. Thank you all for your continued prayer and fasting. You are all so amazing and we send our love and appreciation to each of you. I will keep you updated.
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We had a good day today and took some baby steps towards recovery. They were able to unsedate him for a few minutes so that Kason could talk to him. Kameron would show him all his tubes and told Kason that he loves him. Then the sedated him again. The nurse said that all of his vitals are doing really good and things are starting to stabalize. They tried doing a T.E.E., which measures any vegetation or growth on his heart valves but they weren't able to do it today because of the swelling in his throat and Kam would clench down and tighten his muscles. So, they will try that procedure again tomorrow. But, it was a good day. I am overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that has been shown for us. You are all so amazing to support us, again since we just went through this same thing just over a year ago. So, thank you all for your prayers, love and support! I know that Kameron can feel your prayers. And I know that I wouldn't be standing strong without your prayers!! We are very grateful for each of you!!!

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My not so new, not so normal life ...

Fourth of July for our family, was spent in the Tucson Medical Center.

While everyone else was grilling their hamburgers and corn, splashing in pools and getting ready for the fireworks, Kason, Kameron & I were in room 780 at Tucson Medical Center. We were together as a family but, we weren't doing the "normal" 4th of July festivities.

Backing up to what got us there ....

On Wednesday, July 1st - we spent the night in the ER. Kameron had a nosebleed that started at 3:30 that afternoon. It stopped for a little while but picked back up and it hadn't stopped by 10:00 that night so, we took him to the hospital. We were taken back quickly and the ER doctor mended his nose. After getting his blood work back the doctor just told us his labs were a little abnormal and his platelets were low which is what caused the 7 hour nosebleed - no platelets to clot the blood! So, they told us to call his rheumatologist and let her know about all of this and they sent us on our way!

Friday Kameron had a rough day. He wasn't feeling well at all, he didn't have an appetite, and his right lymph node on his neck was swollen. We watched him most of the day, tried to get him to eat/drink, and just let him rest. But, Friday night - the swelling in his neck spread. By 9:30 it had spread from his right lymph node to the other side of his neck and all the way down to his collar bone. He could barely move his neck and his breathing started to become very labored. So, around 10:30 we headed back to the ER. Just a quick word of advice, if it can ever be avoided - don't ever visit the ER on a Friday night! That place was CRAZY! Because of the business - we didn't get back into the ER until 1:30am! Poor Kameron was in so much pain and was so miserable. As soon as we got back into the room they got Kam some pain meds and took his labs. As soon as the ER doctor (different doctor this night) saw his results, he knew something wasn't right and he was really worried about Kameron. Kameron's eyes looked a little yellow, his liver wasn't doing it's job right and his kidney's weren't functioning right either. Not to mention - his neck was still so swollen. So, the ER doctor immediately found Kameron a room at a Tucson Medical Center! Around 5am I headed home and slept for a couple hours and around 6am the ambulance came and loaded Kameron up and took him off to Tucson.

While I was home, I packed for my Utah trip and then I headed to the hospital. When I got there a few doctors came in a spoke with us - nobody was really sure what was going on. They knew that his bloodwork looked abnormal, they just didn't know what was causing it all. So, they scheduled several tests that would get us some answers!


That night Kason and I decided to go find some fireworks. So, we told Kameron good-bye and found some fireworks at the base of 'A' Mountain. We missed Kameron so bad, especially as I watched other families spend time together. But, I knew he needed to be in the hospital to get better. Sunday morning Kason and I flew to Utah for a family reunion up there.

Now that I look back, I almost wish that I hadn't gone to Utah. But, Kameron had told me that I needed to go and we decided together that I would attend the family reunion. But again ... I have a small amount of regret for going, especially while my husband was in the hospital. Let me tell you why ...

While I was in Utah, Kameron would text me updates every once in awhile;
"I'm getting a blood transfusion"
"I have to get a liver biopsy"

"everything is fine babe, my doctors are awesome"

Also, when I talked to him he would update me as best he could ...
He had a infection on his thyroid which turned into a staph infection which has gotten into his blood stream.
His heart has an arrythmia.

His lungs have some sort of infection (either fungal/bacterial/pneumonia) and he has fluid in his lungs.

I was missing him BAD. Everytime I would learn that something else was wrong I felt horrible for not being as his bedside but, he assured me that he was doing fine and the doctors were taking very good care of him.


Last night I found out that Kameron was VERY weak, he hardly had the energy to talk. He was losing his extra energy quickly because he was having a hard time breathing. So, once I discovered this - I was anxious to get home to be with him.


This morning they did a procedure on his lungs. (a biopsy?? maybe? I can't remember the term the doctor used). They were doing the procedure right as Kason and I were landing at the airport. We headed over to the hospital and on the way I got a phone call from Kameron's nurse and another call from his doctor. They both explained to me that the procedure had gone well but, because he was having such a difficult time breathing, they had decided to move Kameron to the ICU. They wanted to be able to watch him closer and give him the close attention that he needs. As soon as we got to the hospital Kameron was just getting situated in his ICU room.

When we woke up he seemed concerned that the procedure went wrong and wondered why he was in the ICU. He didn't remember anything (which is a GOOD thing!!) and I explained to him what had happened and why he was there. Then the doctor came in and spoke with us. He expressed his concern for Kameron's high respiratory levels. Normal respiratory levels are below 20 and Kameron's were up in the upper 30s and 40s. So, we discussed putting Kameron on a respirator but, decided that we would wait and see if Kameron could continue to breathe on his own. Kason and I went to get Kason some lunch in the cafeteria. While I was there Matt called and said that they had decided to go ahead and sedate Kameron and put him on the respirator. I rushed back to his room. I was able to tell him I loved him and then they asked me to leave so they could do the procedure. When we were finally able to go back in it was SO hard on me to see Kameron sedated and with the breathing tubes. But, I also know that he won't get better if he isn't on the life support. His body has been fighting SO hard to breathe that all of his extra energy was going into his breathing. His body had no energy to fight all the other problems that were going on. If they hadn't put him on the respirator - he wouldn't get better. By doing this - his body doesn't have to focus on breathing, it can focus on getting better and fighting the infections.


The hardest part for me is not being able to talk to him. I miss getting his sweet text messages and I will miss calling him to say goodnight. It is so hard to look at his life-less body and see tubes down his throat, breathing for him. I look at things of his and burst into tears because I miss him so much. The doctor isn't sure how long he will be on the respirator - just however long it takes for everything to stabalize.


Right before we left Art, Daniel and Matt gave him a blessing. I was reassured that Kameron will be fine. This is one of the trials we need to pass through to enjoy our exaltation.

Kameron opened his eyes for a bit during and after the blessing and I was able to tell him I loved him and he nodded his head. He waved goodbye before falling back asleep.


He is such an amazing husband. So strong and full of faith. I am blessed to have him as my best friend. I know that he will get through this and that he will get to continue his role as a husband and as a father.

This is where you all come in. I know that each of you that have been aware of our situation have been praying for Kameron - for that I am eternally grateful. But, I feel that we need a little extra faith sent our way.

I am asking each of you who reads this to fast for Kameron's recovery and health on

FRIDAY, JULY 10th

Fast, pray, meditate ... please just do what you do.
Kameron will be healed by his faith and by the faith of others.

I love each of you and I am very grateful for the love and support we have felt. I will try to update as often as possible.

Our Handsome Boy!

We had our friend, Amanda, take some pictures of Kason when she was visiting here.

Here are a few of them. I think they turned out SO stinkin' cute! (it helps will the model is so cute, though!) She was awesome and did so good with Kason. If you need some pictures taken - she's great!!

Kason's Pictures

Thanks again, Amanda!