How’s Chase?

Infectious Disease Attending Visit

The infectious disease attending returned for his daily visit and the mood was noticeably more positive than previous days.

Chase’s Condition: The attending observed immediately that Chase’s eye was less swollen today than yesterday. The Doctor applied pressure with his fingers all around Chase’s face, his only discomfort being the original infection site, the frontal sinus. Eye movement is decidedly where Chase is most uncomfortable, the Lateral Canthotomy and Cantholysis (the emergency incision to relive pressure) the cause.

CRP — Now at 10: The inflammatory marker that was over 100 on admission is now at 10 — essentially within normal range. The attending confirmed that anything under 8 is considered normal. Given where Chase started, a CRP of 10 is a remarkable achievement and a clear signal that the infection and inflammation are subsiding effectively.

The Transition to Oral Antibiotics: This is the anticipated question. The attending outlined his thinking:

• He prefers approximately one week of IV antibiotics counted from the date of surgery — which was Friday
• That puts the transition to oral antibiotics toward the end of this week
• This aligns with the anticipated discharge date of end of week
• He confirmed it will likely be two oral medications at home, though the exact drugs will be determined closer to discharge pending final culture results
• Chase confirmed he can swallow pills — which the attending was pleased to hear

What to Expect Going Home: The attending was honest and measured about what Chase will look like at discharge. He will not be fully recovered. The healing process follows a predictable sequence:

• Pain resolves first — achieving
• Redness resolves next
• Swelling is last — and can take a considerable amount of time to fully resolve

This is normal and expected. Discharge does not mean fully healed — it means stable enough to continue recovery at home.

No Changes to Current Medications: The antibiotic regimen continues unchanged. The attending wants to see continued eye improvement before making the formal transition to oral medications later this week.

The Bottom Line: End of week discharge is now the working target. Oral antibiotics at home rather than a PICC line is looking increasingly likely. Chase is progressing very nicely.