Care Conference #4

It seems the weekly care conferences are destined to be scare conferences for us and without the perspective we have on the value of this experience and the reality that it is wholly in the Lord's hands, I think these would just simply be overwhelming.  Every week we are provided all the information available regarding Jordan's condition, which generally includes the many reasons he may not live.  The first week the virus was going to take him, then the issue was organ failure, then his lung gas, and this week it is yeast, mold, and graft vs host disease.  It is difficult to internalize the fourth or fifth time we are told Jordan will not likely survive or to know how to respond to the forlorn expression that seems firmly planted on the faces of all the physicians involved.

Once again, however, I appreciate the doctors being honest with us.  This time around a member of the Advanced Care Team at the hospital, who has been with us for several weeks, did ask the lead immunologist what positive signs we can watch for in addition to the many negative ones shared.  The doctor's response was that "if Jordan is still clinically stable in 2 weeks, that is a good sign."  I suppose that is all we get at this stage.

At the time of the conference, the doctors were even more concerned about Jordan than the prior day because the biopsy of Jordan's stomach yesterday revealed Graft vs Host Disease.  We were hoping to avoid at least ONE disease or reaction option for Jordan but apparently he is going for a perfect strike.  The disease is early stage enough that rather than giving Jordan high doses of steroids, which may again suppress the T-cells in him, doctors plan to use a topical ointment directly into his stomach and give steroids 6-7 days from now.  They hope by then the T-cells will be even more established and able to take the beating the steroids will provide.

Jordan in the meantime doesn't believe any of this and is as awake and playful as ever.  He seems content to let the doctors do all the worry while he connects even more with his family and discovers the world around him.  I think he has the right idea.