May 19, 2013

SD hasn't had a fever since yesterday morning!

Around noon yesterday SD suddenly wound down and wanted to get into bed, but said he did *not* want to take a nap. He was asleep within a few minutes, however, and slept for *five* hours! It seemed that once his fever broke he was able to sleep more peacefully than he has in days. His breathing was much closer to normal and his heart rate was much lower also.

Unfortunately his nap was rudely ended by the dreaded Neupogen shot. His white blood cell count had decreased to .5, so the doctor wanted him to start him on Neupogen to kick start an increase in the WBCs. To make up for the stinging wake-up call, his nurse brought him a fun tool set to take home.

SD's cough began to increase last night and has been much worse this morning. He's also developed a runny nose. Because it sounds like things are starting to break up in his lungs, the doctor ordered another chest x-ray. Pneumonia has not been completely ruled out yet, but the doctor said it could be something as simple as a common cold. With his imuno-suppressed state, symptoms can manifest in more severe ways than they normally would. Right now we're waiting for the results of today's lab work and x-rays. We do know that the cultures are still negative. He's had two breathing treatments so far today.

We were a little surprised today by the change in SD's disposition. While he had the fever he was being a goofy little fellow, but today he's been a lot more touchy. He's probably getting tired of being hooked up to all these wires and feeling the tape pulling at his skin. His chest is filled with various sticky tabs and tapes; three of the tabs are now unnecessary, but he will not let us near them. So they'll probably all come off at once, poor fellow. He's probably getting really bored too; we didn't take many things to the hospital because we didn't think we'd be here long.

There has been talk about the possibility of going home tomorrow. We haven't received the results of his lab work yet, so it mostly depends on how his white counts look (and if he can continue to stay fever-free). He quickly dropped off to sleep around noon again and has been sleeping soundly since. It's comforting to us to see him getting real rest.