December 1, 2011

SD is now sleeping without pain medication, praise the Lord! We're hoping he'll stay that way all night. He is also out of isolation, so he is no longer surrounded by masks and gowns all the time. We have been so blessed by many things, especially how many people all over the country are praying for him! We really appreciate that!

He crawled a couple feet today (on his bed) but was exhaused and in quite a bit of pain afterwards. Please pray for his eating; he is continuously hungry but the medications mess with his stomach (both nausea and upset) as well as his taste buds and the type of foods he craves. So he will ask for food but then not want or be able to eat anything. It also seems like his gums are sore. This is frustrating for him (and for us).

Today he had his third blood transfusion, and got more color afterwards. His red blood cell count was down to around 7 and they wanted to get it up.

He also received his first care package today. Aunt Carmel sent him a stuffed alligator (one of his favorite animals) and a book that animates the animals when you turn the pages. At home SD was always a great reader, but at the hospital he had completely refused every book until this one came. He wouldn't let us read it to him, but he looked through it twice!

We are excited about his progress today; he is definitely improving, albeit slowly (which is what the doctors expect). God has blessed us in many ways!

Update (December 2): We forgot to mention that he also was able to get all the monitoring wires off! He had three wires on his chest (one for heartrate, two for breathing), and a light that had to be wrapped around a toe or finger (for oxygen). He was pretty used to these; they're standard for ER/ICU, and he has been in ER three other times. He never likes them, though, especially the oxygen sensor.

They also took his blood pressure cuff off and only put it on (with the oxygen sensor) as necessary. The only thing left attached to him now is an IV for fluids (and occasional antibiotics) that goes into his port. He is much more comfortable, though it's a bit different for us. It was comforting to know that the computer was always watching and would call the nurses automatically (also, it was convenient for us to glance at during the middle of the night). However, it's reassuring to know that they wouldn't take it off unless they felt he was ready.