It's 5:45pm on the East Coast and Jo's 2nd round of ATG is being hooked up as I type. The past 24 hours have been spent managing the various side effects of the ATG. The primary road block to getting started today was Jo's blood pressure.
Rest assured that nothing has happened here that we were not previously told to expect. As far as the NIH goes, we have not come anywhere near uncharted territory. However, through the night and this morning, Jo's blood pressure dropped to 50-something over 40-something. In most hospitals, that would warrant a trip the ICU as blood pressure that low is considered a life-threatening event and most hospitals are not equipped to handle life-threatening events on the main patient floors. The NIH, of course, is plenty well equipped, probably just about everywhere.
To get her blood pressure back up, Jo received 6 liters of fluid, platelets, red cells and antibiotics (approximately 15 lbs. of fluids) and the doctors joked that most people would have blown up like a balloon. Jo looks as beautiful and radiant as ever.
We have been told to expect an easier time with day 2 compared to day 1, especially with the horse ATG. The official forecast has been downgraded from a "little unpleasant" to "slightly uncomfortable".
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