A sudden change of plans

[BY SUSAN]

Well, things sure can change quickly.  When I wrote on the 9th Peter was out cutting wood for next winter and today he is at Duke Hospital with pneumonia.  His strength and stamina had been flagging a bit, and when he mentioned "chills" last weekend I popped a thermometer in his mouth but, alas, his temperature was normal.  We both chalked it up to stress about the impending trip to Philadelphia and treatment, but I did keep after him with the thermometer.

On Monday he was at our family doctor's for a check-in, and no temperature then, and he felt a little better for a while.  I know I didn't check his temperature on Wednesday, but Thursday evening, when I came in, he looked so peaked that I checked it right away and when I saw 101.9 I hustled him into the car and to our clinic's after-hours doc.

They said his lungs sounded clear, and could offer no real reason to proffer antibiotics (so they didn't).  But they said they'd call Peter's physician, Dr. Art Axelbank.  He was off the premises but requested Peter come back the next day and ordered a CBC panel and chest x-ray.

And sure, enough, they found pneumonia, both on the xray and with Dr. Axelbank's stethoscope.  I was impressed with how he followed his hunch and got to the problem.  Peter got an injection and oral antibiotics, came home, slept, and woke up today with almost as much fever.  Dr. A told me to take him to the ER, and that he'd likely be admitted.

As you know, the plan was for Peter to travel by train to Philadelphia on Sunday the 19th of January, and he was to start Proton Beam Therapy for 4 weeks, with me joining him in a couple of weeks to provide care when the treatment started to take its toll.

We're in touch with the Philadelphia staff who say treatment can start once he feels like travel.  That's good, and we hope that these IV antibiotics will kick in and he'll be on the road (perhaps with me in tow) sooner rather than later.

But we don't know, of course.  We will let you know when we do.  I hope he comes home tomorrow, and comes home feeling really good.

Please no visitors for now.  Peter needs to rest, and I am absolutely fine and don't need anything except a good night's sleep.  I have help with the animals (thank you, Gayle) and plenty of food.

I'll post more when I can.  Thanks and love to all.   --Susan