The volume of prayers being lifted for Tyler is astounding! Last night, we received some small glimmers of hope. Tyler’s speed of oscillation and amount of pressure were able to be reduced a little bit. His heart rate, oxygen levels and blood pressures remained stable. Yesterday morning they started him on some medications that, if given enough time to work, can make a difference. He just has to hang in there long enough for it to benefit him.
The issue that’s so frustrating to his medical team is they just don’t know what kind of bug is in his lungs, so all the antibiotics and antifungals he’s receiving may be providing no treatment at all. The only way to find out what’s infecting him is a bronchoscopy. Yesterday it was simply out of the question, but with the positive changes in vent settings, they will try to do one today. Please pray for Tyler’s safety during this procedure – it is very risky to do it while on an oscillator. The other thing that cropped up last night is Tyler’s right arm suddenly swelled to an unbelievable size and began to blister. He will get a skin biopsy today to see if this is GVHD. Some of his IV sites are also infiltrating and blistering; it’s getting harder for them to fine usable sites. Right now Tyler can’t heal from these wounds, so infection is another risk.
Despite the continued gravity of his situation, the hope we are feeling today is a 180 degree turn from the hopelessness we felt yesterday. Tyler continues to fight like a champ, and we are all buoyed by your prayers.