I am happy to announce that Karl is home and doing well. He got home Sunday afternoon.
He is on a very aggressive course of prednisone. Doctors are theorizing that it will kick-start the rest of his endocrine system. They've adjusted his thyroid medication and are thinking the prednisone will get his pituitary gland to interact better with his adrenal glands to produce more cortisol which will, in turn, cause his blood pressure to stabilize. Doctor believe the drop in blood pressure is what's causing his kidneys to function irregularly. In other words, they don't believe it's a chronic problem, which is very good news. Of course we don't know how much damage has been done to his kidneys but we certainly hope and pray that it's minimal.
Of course Karl asked the doctors if the particular steroid he's on is the same one Arnold Schwarzenegger used to take. I think he figured he'd bulk up like Arnold. Really, who wants to be a "girlie man?" Anyway, the doctors said it was not the same steroid. Karl then said, "Well, can you hook me up?"
One of the things Karl has to be concerned about right now is that his immune system will not be at its best. Apparently steroids do amazingly good things for the body, but a downside is that it weakens the immune system. For the next month Karl will have to be very careful about being exposed to viruses and bacteria.
For right now things are status quo for Karl. But I'm sure he can use your continued support and prayers. If his condition changes, good or bad, I'll let you know via a blog post.
Again, thanks for your concern and prayers.
Blessings,
Kerry
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