December 10, 2025
Day 2:
Today felt pretty directionless as inflammatory markers climbed and tests kept coming back negative. It was frustrating to not be finding the cause of Tate feeling so crummy. Then this evening, blood cultures from yesterday grew bacteria at 31 hours! The longest they’ve ever taken for Tate. I’m relieved. A strange response as bacterial blood infections are very serious. But it’s familiar and finding the source means we can treat what we know and actually make something better. Most of the time we live on the end of just watching with no answers and few working treatments.
We don’t know the particulars yet of the exact type of bacteria, what antibiotics it responds to or whether we can clear her line or she’ll need surgery for a new one.
A brain MRI is on the table for possibly tomorrow and in the meantime, iv antibiotics will continue to flow.