Pradaxa (the pills)!
Dr. Thurmes told us that Lucy is going on Pradaxa twice per day for her clotting problems. He wanted something with a shorter half-life in case she starts getting the serious nosebleeds again. Pradaxa has approval for DVT therapy in cancer patients in Europe. FDA approval is pending, but Pradaxa can be legally prescribed for Lucy’s situation.
Lucy’s hemoglobin was at 7.2 and she received a one unit transfusion. Her IVs are disconnected. She had two long walks today while still tethered to the IV tree. Her longest walk came after untethering.
As of now, the only thing that would keep her in the hospital is a fever spike higher than 101.5°F tonight. Her pain management is fine. She started her oral antibiotic. That will be twice per day for a week starting tomorrow. The pills are very large uncoated capsules, so we will split them so she has an easier time swallowing them.
Lucy heard from Steve, Julie, and Suzy today so she told them about her imminent release. The nice thing is the pace here has slowed down.