Reincarnated As A Mother

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Day Two: Sleep is Highly Overated

Oy.
I think we made it through the worst night of our lives.  I hesitate to write that... because tonight is still looming.  Until we know which type of cancer we are dealing with and get the chemo going-- it will be quite harsh.  That's going to be the word of the day-- harsh. 
I think I got a whopping 15 minutes of sleep last night.  Between all the tests, vitals and "surprises"... we were interrupted quite a bit.  First off, Kean is getting sicker by the minute.  His blood platelet count has plummeted and he is now anemic.  His right arm is horribly swollen and he hasn't moved it since yesterday.  And now we are dealing with a pretty high fever.  102.4 so far.  The Tylenol and Codeine seem to be like spitting into the wind.  The only relief he gets is from the Morphine and that doesn't last long enough in my book.  He's now on an antibiotic as well.  All this medication has made his bowels even more sluggish so they had to put a catheter in to empty out his urine.  He had 345 cc's... which is a ton for a little guy. 
He's in having the bone marrow procedure done as I write this.  They just came out and told me that was going well but now his IV is clogging.  So they will put in a "central line".  The doc wants to hold off putting in a PIC line until tomorrow when he gets his Spinal Tap.
It is all so very overwhelming.  One positive, I think, is that Kean is so sick he probably won't remember this nightmare.  Unfortunately, I can't say the same.
A few bright spots to note:  Kean's pediatrician, Dr. Sandstrom came by this morning and just cried with me.  She is wonderful.  It meant a lot.  Also, the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon we saw on Monday, Dr. Showalter stopped in to talk.  The doctors at this hospital are first rate.  And listen to this, my neighbor happens to be close friends with the Pediatric Oncologist who used to be here at St. Luke's and used to be partners with Kean's new docs.  He now is in Georgia.  I had the kindest conversation with him this morning-- he was full of great advice and great concern.  He also had a young toddler diagnosed with Leukemia - years ago.  And his son is in college.  He gave me great hope and will be an invaluable resource if ever needed again.
Again, I can't thank y'all enough for your sweet messages. We know we have an army of supporters and an arsenal of love in our corner.  Go Team Kean!

3 comments:

Marti said...

Lonni, I think all of your friends are there with you in spirit. I can't speak for the rest of them, but I know at my house, I'm shedding tears with you. I wish I could do it in person and that tears were magical cure-alls.
xoxo

Elizabeth said...

Lonni we love you and have you on my mind every minute! Plesase know please know we will do anything for you... I just dont know what else I can do except pray and have Keen in my heart at all times.

Emily said...

Lonni,
My heart and lots of prayers are with you and your family. I still see your old house all the time and think of you. I really pray you all feel so guided and close to the Lord. Love you
Emily