In ICU for unstable blood pressure

[GAdrummer]

What would cause a sudden change from "healthy" at a dinner party to nearly unresponsive in 12 hours? 102 F fever + congestion + racking cough + 88/45 blood pressure + 100 pulse. The biggest surprise was the slurred speech after 5 hours in the ER. A spot of pneumonia in the right lung? An adrenal crisis due to an infection, but where is the infection? They have ruled out respiratory infection. Urinary tract? He has been leaking a bit, staining his underpants lately. How long will it take to adjust the medications to get the blood pressure to stabilize at the proper level? Is this a bump in the road or the end of the road? The man that walked to shake out his medications first thing in the morning is now snoring away, unable to sustain a conversation. Keytruda side effect strikes again.

[Tall_Allen]

Will a cortisone injection help?

[GAdrummer in reply to Tall_Allen]

That was why he was rushed to the ER, to get the injection because my adult daughter had just moved home after 8 years with almost all of her stuff last week which was piled everywhere so that his emergency kit could not be found. It took hours to find a blood pressure kit [we have 3 of them!] and forehead thermometer.

He is in no pain now, just floating in and out.

[dico]

So sorry that the two of you are going through this. My husband is also a Keytruda super responder so would very much appreciate your updates on his condition. Thinking of you.

[GAdrummer in reply to dico]

He's back home now and frisky after rehydration and high powered meds. After all the sample taking, scans and tests, the cause of the infection could not be identified. The primary diagnosis was sepsis (Hc) according to the After Visit Summary. The hospital kept him in the ER for 10 hours before room could be found in ICU. Normally he would have spent one day there and be transferred to the regular wards, but there was no room in the wards. So once the blood test results returned negative, he was released the second day in ICU.

[GAdrummer in reply to GAdrummer]

Possible cause of infection that triggered the adrenal crisis: hours before he had eaten "medium rare" filet mignon at favorite restaurant. Having finished three years of chemo before the two years of Keytruda, his immune system is not exactly back to normal. Because of my allergy to mammalian meats, He hasn't eaten any beef this year. I think the congestion was possibly an allergic reaction to the beef.

[Blue-Mockingbird]

Very scary! Hope they find the cause soon, keeping you in my thoughts

[j-o-h-n]

I know this is the other side of the coin..............So my experience is, thanks to Keytruda those little bastards were put on hold (hopefully forever). Lung cancer from a metastasis of the treated melanoma on my neck... Wasn't Pca but still ca................

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 10/10/2023 6:08 PM DST