Foreign Cultures

Just a quick update to let y’all know that the results of those bacterial cultures came back and Pop does have a bit of an infection around his sternum. The weird thing is that the bacterial cultures were positive for Lactobacillus. This is both slightly annoying and slightly hilarious: annoying because it means Pop needs another surgical “clean out” procedure to remove the infection; hilarious because Lactobacillus is the type of bacteria you find in yogurt and other delicious fermented foods. Normally if Dad was testing high for Lactobacillus, I would assume it was from eating more than his share of yogurt, wine and cheese on some adventure with Peggy Markel.

And while Lactobacillus is great for your digestion, it’s not supposed to be right next to your heart. So, the surgical team needs to get back in there. The clean out procedure will be similar to the first one Pop had post-transplant to remove excess fluid and will be followed up with antibiotics that target this specific bacterial family.

Pop isn’t thrilled to have his stay in the hospital extended, but as one of his nurses explained to him, “Honey, you just had a big ol’ transplant. Do not think this is the last time you will be in this hospital this year, because it’s not. This whole first year is about getting your body used to your new lungs and getting your medications right. After that, you will be off to races. But you’re not there just yet. You have to be patient this first year.”