March 18

Steve has been sick for 8 days. First thought it to be the flu. He hemoglobin dropped to 7.2 which is dangerously low. They like his to be high 10 or 11. His primary physician wanted to give him blood but the nephrologist said we should hold off and try to get it back up with the epogen injections. Transfusing him will mess things up if he were to get a transplant in the near future, antibodies, etc...

His instructions are to do absolutely nothing. He has felt so bad that he can't walk across the floor without getting tired. The doctors want him to eat and sleep, eat and sleep, nothing else at all. They have done other test to see if he is loosing blood somewhere but everything has checked out ok. Sometimes when you are without the kidneys this will happen, the hemoglobin drops and makes you feel ill.

I have taken his cell phone away because he lives by this piece of technology and won't put it down. So I have asked if you are checking on him to call me not his phone so he will sleep. He didn't put up a fight about this so I know how bad he is feeling. He goes back to have labs drawn on Wednesday to see if his hemoglobin is coming up hopefully it is or they will take drastic measures. The doctor scarred me when she said I don't want him walking stairs, bending over or exerting himself at all, he is so low on blood he could have a heart attack from not enough blood to pump. So he is complying with their demands.

We need some major praying to get over this hill and onto a transplant. He is really getting down about it. It will be 2 years in April he has been on the list and 18 months doing dialysis.

Christy