Diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A Journey

George’s gallbladder continues to be an issue for him, poor thing. After viewing CT scans and ultrasounds, the doctors came to the conclusion that George is suffering from cholecystitis (redness and inflammation) of the gallbladder). It happens when bile becomes trapped and builds up in the gallbladder. In most cases this happens when solid lumps (gallstones) block the tube that drains bile from the gallbladder.

Normally, this malady can be easily remedied by removing the gallbladder. But because George has a very low count of platelets (the element of blood responsible for clotting) and a bacteria in his blood, he is not a candidate for surgery. So on Dec 29th, the IR team inserted a drain into his gallbladder, which he was told he will have to wear for 6 weeks, at least, if not permanently. They can’t take the gallbladder out because he has a bacterial infection in his blood and his platelet count is too low to do any type of surgery.

George said the night after they inserted the drain was miserable. I called him in the evening and he said he had been given 10 mg of oxycontin and it hadn’t helped with the abdominal pain he was experiencing. They then put him on IV dilaudid pain meds and that helped immensely.

When I went to visit him the next day, he looked yellow…even the whites of his eyes looked yellow. I asked the doctor about it and he said that George’s bilirubin shot up and so they need to run some more labs and take an ultrasound of his liver.

When I was at home that evening (Dec 30), I called George and the nurse practitioner was in the room. She explained that George’s drainage tube wasn’t working right, so they would have to go in and put a thicker tube into his gallbladder. They had consulted with the surgical team and they would be standing by in case they had to step in, but they hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.

So, the tube was replaced. Today, when I was looking at the drainage bag, it just looked like it was draining fresh blood. I asked if that was normal, and the nurse said no – it could possibly be tinted pink, but that was nothing but blood. Should be bile, etc.

George also had a bowel movement with blood in the stool. So between the bleeding and the low blood pressure they struggled to raise, George was sent back to the ICU. The bleeding could be from the drainage tube, but could be abdominal bleeding. They are also worried about sepsis because of the antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection George has in his blood. He is also on 6 liters of oxygen because of all the fluid they are giving him.

When I talked to George today, he sounded exhausted. He hasn’t been able to get any sleep because something is always going on and they won’t leave him alone. He hasn’t been able to eat or drink for the past 2 days because they need him ready to undergo CT scan with contrast or other imaging or surgical procedure at a moment’s notice….just in case. He sounds so weak when he speaks. Yesterday, he told me he had been dreaming of an ice cold Coke and he hasn’t drunk sodas for over 10 years. Today, he just wanted a ginger ale. He got ice chips instead. It breaks my heart. I did help him brush his teeth today, not that he’s eaten anything, but he said it felt nice to have a fresh mouth.

I turned and looked out the window, with my back to him, and I cried.