5am Playdate

It's 5:15am, and The Boy has been awake for about 90 minutes. Fortunately, he's been awake and playing, with a truck, his stacking blocks, and Playdoh.



It's a nice change over the previous two nights. He's still feeling crappy, and somewhat febrile, and coughing too much. However, he's still The Boy, and that counts for a lot.


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What a Day...

Grandma and The Boy had a rough night Saturday night. He's been having significant breathing issues, with very fast, shallow breaths and congestion. Lots of coughing, just like my own breathing, pseudo-asthma issues. Mommy and I, meanwhile, went to a musician's holiday party for a while, then got the car stuck overnight in a snowdrift. (No harm. The car was freed in the afternoon.)



He's been spiking fevers, then returning to normal, then spiking again, all while these breathing issues are continuing. The tachocardia seems to be gone, but the machines say that he's averaging 90 breaths per minute, which isn't good.



Still, he got some good playmat time today. That's a good thing. And, I got six hours of uninterrupted (well, except for Younger Bro smacking me on top of my head at around 6:30 this morning) sleep. Also good. The whole situation is not good, although we've upgraded from scared to concerned.



I did get some great Younger Bro time today. He's really starting to want to be with me, which I like. He's giggling in anticipation sometimes, and he gets mad when I stop making him giggle. That boy still loves chewing on my fingers, and he attacks them like a cat pouncing on a mouse. It's funny watching him attack my fingers then take full-jaw chews on them.



The Wife and I went out for breakfast on the way to the hospital, and we took YB with us. He's so happy and fun... He really charmed everyone at the restaurant.



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It's Quarter to 3...

4:45 chest xray. Blargh.


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Annoying

I hate intensive care. It's the most intrusive, least restful place imaginable. Still, I feel a lot better that we're here.

The Boy is packed in ice bags right now, in an attempt to bring his temperature down to normal levels. It's still over 103, but it seems to be stabilizing instead of increasing. They put another IV line in his foot, as his port is running adrenaline into his Body to attempt to bring his tacicardia (way too fast pulse) in line. It's been up around 200 bpm for eight hours now.

Of course, his pulse drops into the 140's, and he's sleeping comfortably. So, what happens?They put oxygen blowers into his nose. Hello, 210's and a wakeful, pissed-off The Boy. I shouldn't complain - I mean, I got my 20 minutes of sleep.

I just don't want my son crying in pain and begging for juice that he's not allowed to drink.

Happy Hannukah. I'll bet Christmas is going to be awesome.

This one is scary.


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Emergency Room

Update on The Boy: we are currently in the emergency room waiting for a room upstairs in oncology. There is a spot of pneumonia on his right lung and we are really unhappy about that. More information will follow as we learn it.

I am interested to see what the rooms in oncology look like. I have heard great things about them. We are waiting for vancomycin as soon as they hook that up we are going to go upstairs.

The boy has a fever of around 103 degrees and is short of breath, so there's an oxygen tube blowing air at him. He is resting uncomfortably right now, drinking juice and watching Super Nanny because none of us know how to change channels on the television.

I am writing this blog on my iPhone using new software to take dictation. I am speaking the blog, which is really cool and a definite plus new gadget.

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A couple of notes...

So, when The Boy is being 2 years old and responding with "No!" to everything, I ask, "Do you want a car when you're 17?" That's really funny and cute to listen to the no response, except that he's now started asking for "Car 17!"



The other night, he got really upset when we didn't have car 17. I mean, full body, 30 minute fit fit fit. The Wife tried drawing a 17 on a car, but he wasn't buying it.



In other news, he got platelets yesterday, and I got my first experience at the hospital. It's nice! The nurses seem... well, like nurses. I wasn't impressed or distressed by them, which is a good sign.



He's got hair!!! (Just shows to go ya what happens when he doesn't get chemo for six weeks and then get a half dose of carboplatin.)



I also signed up for my reserve box at the new comic book store. They're nice. They had a Christmas tree with some presents, and The Boy went right after the presents. I told him, "They are pretend presents; the boxes are empty!" He understood that.



I've also had some great Younger Bro time since I got back. (The above picture: Kilroy was here!)


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Quick update

The concert went quite well on Monday. The principal said some very nice things about me, and the students, to a person, lined up for hugs and goodbyes. They were also quite generous with presents, something which always humbles and awes me. Thank you!

Got everything loaded by about 3:00 on Tuesday, including a trip to the Elizabeth YMCA for the women's shelter. They got our crib, window air conditioner, a stereo or two that is hopelessly obsolete but still functional, and some other things.



Loaded the car onto a tow-hitch, and I was on the road at 4. The trip was blessedly uneventful, save for some snow in the mountains. I arrived in Pburgh at around 11:30 and was able to have a nice conversation with my wife. She's smart.



The Boy was asleep and didn't wake when I got him from Grandma. he snuggled up nice and close to me, which was deeply necessary for my mental health. Around 4, he finally noticed me - "Dah-Dee! Dah-Dee!"



The rest of the day went relatively smoothly - unloaded the truck for the stuff staying at the house, unpacked a bit, played a LOT. The Boy was quite upset if I left the room he was in. I get that: last time I left, it was for 3 weeks. He's cautious.



Bedtime was a challenge. I think we might just bite the bullet and get a king size bed that will fit everybody, particularly if the spots do turn out to be new cancer. Positive feelings help healing, and it doesn't seem worth it to leave him screaming and unhappy in his room.



Plus, if it does turn out to be new cancer, then I want every minute with him that I can get.




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