And…the results of the CT Scan

So I was feeling so down, not being able to go home today.

Sigh…life really sucks.

Then, the nurse came in to do the regular checks of BP, temperature and O2 sat.

Is it common for patients of pneumonia to have to change antibiotics?

She says it’s very common. That is why we need to do the CRP marker daily to monitor so that we know if the antibiotic is working. If it isn’t, we change.

Then I felt better. No conspiracy theory here. Maybe not even a superbug then. It’s a common thing in pneumonia because pneumonia can be caused by various bacteria or viruses. Some antibiotics are gram-positive, some gram-negative, some broad-spectrum, one may not cover all the bugs. This I did not learn from the nurse, I learnt from my vet. Tabs needed two different IV-antibiotics to save her life too, a long time ago.

Then, it was time to be wheeled in for the CT scan. Silently, I feared cancer. Please, don’t find cancer in my lungs. I need to live for another 20 years.

The CT scan machine is exactly what I see in movies and TV medical dramas. And the doctors will be sitting inside the room, “See there it is…cancer!”

Imagination run wild.

CT scan done. Now, waiting for the results.

Not long after, the specialist himself came with his laptop. Now, that’s fast.

He said he wanted to show me the results of the scan and what he saw.

So, he explained each image and showed me when the abnormalities came up. As it turned out, whatever the CT scan showed is EXACTLY what the X-ray had shown. So, there is nothing remarkable in it. “Nothing remarkable” is the best two words I hear whenever my vet tells me about the imaging of our cats.

No abscesses, he said. That was the only thing he had worried about – abscesses.

All good.

CT scan – done and dusted.

Then, he showed me the results of the procalcitonin. A procalcitonin (PCT) test measures whether the infection has gone into the blood or/and there is sepsis. Scary….

My procalcitonin level was low. Nothing to worry about at all. Definitely no infection in the blood and definitely no sepsis. Yes!

So, the specialist was definitely happier this round, after having ruled out blood infection and sepsis. Plus whatever hidden problem which the CT scan might have revealed.

And he said we shall proceed with the new IV-antibiotic called Tasocin which must be done as an IV-infusion four times daily. This is why I cannot go home. And oral Doxycycline (which is what Juno got).

Then I asked him about my exposure to cats and Juno’s mycoplasma and if that has anything to do with whatever I was having. He said no. Yay!

In fact, he said rescuing animals is a good thing to do. I agree!

But he did ask how many cats we have, where they live and if I am in close contact with them, whether I get scratched by them resulting in lesions, whether I bring in diseased animals especially those with skin diseases, etc. I think I ticked NO to most of his boxes so I’m in the clear, our cats are in the clear and what I do is in the clear.

Hah! Eat your heart out, you animal-haters, especially those who frown upon me letting Jayden grow up with our cats. Eat.Your.Heart.Out. Or those who say the stupidest things like cat fur can cause asthma.

He said that even though mycoplasma is considered a zoonotic microorganism, there is actually no evidence of it being transmitted across the species. Hah! Eat.Your.Heart.Out, you animal-haters! This is a lung specialist speaking. You can throw all your conspiracy theories out of the window now and don’t talk without evidence.

Then, he showed me the rapid test that he had done from my swab on the day I was admitted. It actually tested for 20 bacteria and 15 viruses and I have none of them. This means, my swab is clear of these 20 bacteria and 15 viruses. I’m not transmitting any of the 35 microorganisms.

So we shall proceed with Plan B today, to change to two new antibiotics and see if the CRP at least plateaus out. He expects it to rise a little, which is a normal trend, but if the antibiotics are the right ones this time, it should plateau out. Then, I can go home!

Now, if it doesn’t plateau out, he has Plans C and D.

Plan C is to use steroids. Maybe, just maybe, the inflammation is just a result of my body fighting real hard to get rid of the infection. After all, inflammation is the body’s immune system’s reaction to injuries and infection. If my body is working too hard, the steroids will calm it down and turn it down a notch. I’m okay with a course of low-dose steroids for this purpose. Our cats get it all the time and it works like magic.

Plan D is to check for fungi. It’s very rare but pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses and/or fungi.

So there is a Plan C and Plan D in tow, and this gives me confidence.

I felt so much better after listening to the specialist. There is hope of recovery and of going home…just have to wait it out.

Not my idea of a “holiday” but sometimes life throws you curveballs and you still have to bat!

Looks like I cannot take Juno for her vaccination tomorrow, but husband will do that. He knows exactly what to do.