Update on Colleen

15 Jun Update on Colleen

Just got the news that they’ve determined it will be needed to drain the fluid from the sac around the heart. They are making arrangements to do that within the next few hours. They will leave a drainage tube in for a couple of days to make sure more fluid is not building up. Once she is clear of that, she’ll be discharged and we’ll make arrangements to fly home. Likely discharge day is Friday, but we’ll have to see how all this goes.

Once they’ve done the procedure, they’ll test the fluid to try and figure out exactly where this came from and why. No guarantees on figuring that out, but they say if they can, it may help us figure out how to keep it from happening in the future. The most likely cause for Colleen is lupus progression, but it could be a virus or something else.

We are getting the sense that this is a great place to be for this condition. The nurses and doctors have all been excellent, very team-oriented, highly concerned and thorough.

Thanks for your notes, prayers, and offers of support! I’ll let you know once the procedure has been completed.