DAY PLUS 39 - AUGUST 25, 2008

A doctor finally came to see Mr. T yesterday at 4...........over 24 hrs after I asked for a doctor. He didn't seem too concerned because Mr. T had no fever or runny nose.
This morning when our primary doctor came back from vacation...I let him know my concerns. A cold can easily lead to pneumonia and ICU and much worse. This happened at Cheo when he got HAP (hospital acquired pneumonia).
Our doctor said I had every reason to be concerned and right away ordered a nasal swab test...and had him cough into a specimen jar and we are waiting on results from the lab. The doctor is also calling Cheo to find out if they have a bed for Mr. T. They don't want me to go straight home as I still live 1 1/2 hrs from the hospital....and Mr. T is still very high risk for infections. Better safe than sorry.
This afternoon they informed me...that Mr. T was one of the patients here who ate Maple Leaf products the very first week we came here...so he will also be carefully monitored for LISTERIA....which can lead to fevers, severe headaches and nausea.


Apparently many consumers got very sick and a number of them died from ingesting products made at the Maple Leaf plant here in North York, Toronto.


Patients contract listeriosis after consuming foods contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.
Public health officials have warned that food contaminated with listeria may not look or smell like it has spoiled.
Listeriosis can cause flu-like symptoms, such as a stiff neck, headache, nausea and fever.
Healthy individuals may remain symptom-free. However, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk.

THE good news...is Mr. T's counts continue to rise. His WBC (white blood cells) are 8.9 from 7.9 and his Neutropolys are 5.89 from 2.78.
Today he had chicken noodle soup for breakfast, and the same for lunch and he's drinking a lot more. Because of his cold...he is not permitted to walk the halls, but at least he's watching television now and playing games. I should know by Wednesday if we are staying or going. Chances are we'll be leaving at the end of the week if there aren't anymore complications.