Keith - Update

I apologize for the radio silence concerning Keith's illness, but at the moment, there is little to report.  Otherwise, I'm getting used to having Edward and Keith in the hospital while I manage on the home front.  It's actually a real pleasure and comfort for me to be so busy running after Colin and Evelyn.  My parents have been phenomenal in helping me get to the hospital twice a day, although with the work day traffic starting up again tomorrow, my afternoon visit won't be practical anymore.  Keith is in isolation, so only Edward and I can see him.

As it stands now, the doctors do not know what is ailing Keith.  They have run batteries of tests without conclusive results, and they are continuing their diligent efforts to identify what is making him so sick.  All the poking and prodding is extremely upsetting for Keith (and Edward), and this morning, he's going for an ultrasound of his spleen and gallbladder to see if that will confirm a few of their suspicions.  Currently, they have two front-running theories:  a virus, or an autoimmune disease.  I won't go into the specifics of each at the moment, because it's very complex and ever-changing.

As for Keith himself, he is clearly feeling worse and his dropping red and white blood cell counts support this.  He spends his day cuddled against Edward with his eyes closed - unless he is protesting the latest indignity.   Edward managed to get him to say "Hello Mummy" on the telephone last night, but otherwise he is patently disinterested in talking, eating or playing.  His IV is causing him a lot of discomfort and he is very restless.

The doctors believe that the next 24 hours will give them a much clearer picture.  If it is autoimmune, the disease they have in mind can only be clinically diagnosed, so we have to wait for the disease to continue its tell-tale track, and the virus blood work to come back before they're ready to start any form of treatment.  Given that they're currently testing him for "every virus known to man", as his doctor informed us, this can take time.  I won't lie, it's very hard to wait.  But they will not begin a therapy until they know it will do more good than harm.

And so, we wait.