There was a slight change in plans concerning Karl's tests on Friday. He was supposed to have a kidney biopsy. However, Karl's morning lab results indicated he was anemic so they postponed it. Then the tests came back from the endocrine study he underwent on Thursday. It appears that Karl's pituitary gland is sending the wrong signals to his adrenal glands and he's not producing enough cortisol. It's amazing that a gland the size of a pea can cause so much trouble! Anyway, doctors are theorizing that the lack of cortisol is causing Karl's blood pressure to drop which, in turn, is affecting the function of his kidneys.
He underwent an MRI this morning so doctors could get a better look at what was happening with his pituitary gland. They found a tiny 4 mm growth. They aren't sure what it is, but they aren't worried about it. They've decided to give him prednisone with the thought that it will kickstart his whole endocrine system and prevent his kidneys from scarring. Doctors have also decided that Karl won't need a kidney biopsy for now. His creatinine levels have already come down and his blood pressure is much better.
They've also taken him off IV fluids. They want to see how his blood pressure does without them. They also want to keep him a couple more days...just so they can monitor his reaction to the steroids, etc. I guess the bottom line is that they don't want to discharge him and then have him turn around and come back in a day or two. When he leaves this time, they want him to be better!
We're grateful the medical personnel here are delving deeper into the probable causes. They have told Karl they suspect it's an acute problem rather than chronic, and that's good news, indeed!
Thank you for all the prayers!
Blessings,
Kerry
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