1:19 PM
Seventh Week in the Hospital.
Gabriel spent the night with his cousin Sylviana.
The night was stable, as was the morning from a clinical standpoint.
The doctor came this morning. Here’s a summary of the situation:
Today’s blood tests show a slight increase in AST and ALT (which, by the way, have never returned to normal). However, bilirubin has almost returned to normal levels. They will consult the liver specialist again to check if this could be related to the change in milk or antibiotics.
Regarding the lungs, the machine was set back to 100% oxygen around noon. The X-ray suggests that the pneumothorax might still be slightly present, although it’s not certain. As a precaution, they prefer to maintain this setting, especially since it worked well the day before. Another X-ray is scheduled for the end of the day.
Regarding his atelectasis located in the upper part of the right lung, the pulmonologist advised against doing overly strong massages and recommended using the machine to help reinflate the lung (if I understood correctly)
I suggested doing a CT scan for a clearer picture. She replied that it wasn’t a bad idea, but that CT scans expose patients to a lot of X-rays, and they only use them as a last resort.
Regarding the tracheal sampling discussed with another doctor, she wasn’t aware of it!
So I asked her to coordinate quickly with her colleague!?
Finally, the white blood cell count is quite low today, indicating a weakening of the immune system. According to her, this is not worrying at this stage, as other indicators are good. They will remain vigilant.
I also asked if Gabriel would be placed in isolation during pulse therapy, since his immune system will be very weakened then. Apparently, no specific isolation is planned. Standard precautions (masks and gloves) will be applied. Even though we know that these precautions are not always strictly followed (but there is clearly progress!).
She finally reminded me that Gabriel remains stable and is slowly improving, that he is not receiving any sedatives, that he is not crying, and is sleeping peacefully. His clinical situation is a very good sign and remains generally encouraging.
4:56 PM Update
Either I didn’t understand anything this morning (quite possible), or the doctor made a mistake. But just now, I saw the other doctor, the one who knows Gabriel’s case well, and he told me that it’s not a pneumothorax today, but a pneumatocele.
It’s not a new variety of Pokémon, but according to GPT, it’s: “an abnormal and localized dilation of the pulmonary alveoli or air structures, often surrounded by a thin wall.”
This isn’t the first time he’s had one, and it’s not abnormal after a severe infection like the one he had.
The doctor has started to decrease the oxygen: 80%, then 70%, and I had to leave the ICU. An X-ray will be taken this evening.
I also received confirmation that the tracheal sampling will indeed take place today.
