It's E. coli

     Early this morning we learned that Ethen has an E. coli bacterial infection. He'll receive cefepime to treat the infection while he's in his immunocompromised state. Once his neutrophil counts start to rebound he'll be able to tolerate the stronger antibiotic to help combat the bacteria.
     To the inquiring mind, E. coli infections are not uncommon for people with a compromised immune system. The body has lots of E. coli in the intestinal region, which usually assist the immune system by providing extra defense against other bacteria. As I understand, E. coli can translocate from the intestinal tract to the blood stream in the same way as digested food nutrients. In a healthy person the white blood cells can combat infection; however, and needless to say, in a body where white blood cells are lessened or absent, the body can't fight off infection by itself.
     We are thankful that we were in the clinic when Ethen's body was overwhelmed by the E. coli. It was a short time between the onset of the fever and antibiotic treatment. It was also a scary sight for Christie to see Ethen trembling with chills and pain (I wasn't at this clinic visit). Feelings of fear would have certainly escalated at home. Please pray that the antibiotic wipes out the bacteria. Pray also that Ethen's white blood cell counts rebound soon. Once they rebound we can talk about going home.