[June 28, 2012] Thursday

So thankful for another good night.

You don't realize how much you NEED sleep until you don't get it for a while.

I love the care and attention that they give here at PCMC, but during the night, that care and attention can really create an environment that is less than conducive to sleep. . .

Kenton woke up once to pee.

And I woke up once around 4 when Nurse Erica was giving eyedrops (last time since the chemo has been stopped for 48 hours now!!) and checking vitals.

She couldn't get his lines to draw blood and decided that since his blood work looked okay yesterday, she'd let him sleep and they could deal with it on day shift.

So grateful for that.

Here's what I saw this morning when I woke up. . .

Lost in peaceful slumber where life is normal.

Where hair isn't starting to fall out.

Where you don't have lines hanging from your arm.

Or a rash covering your entire body.

Or a huge sore in your mouth.

Where food smells and tastes delicious.

You can run and play and do whatever you want.

The "infusion complete" alarm beeped.

I totally hit silent a few times and let my Kenton enjoy his dreams.

Reality hits too fast and too soon in here.

By 8, Kenton was awake and hungry.

But nothing sounds good.

He ordered some watermelon (it really has no taste, mom!), an apple juice, and Enlive nutrition drink (this tastes just wrong!) and a Sprite.  We made a cocktail with the Sprite, apple juice, and Enlive that tastes a little bit like Martenelli's sparkling cider (which he's never really liked).  He did drink some of it.

Nurse Cherie gave him a dose of Benedryl and a dose of Fortaz, then unhooked his lines and began the line flush with whatever drug that is that clears the lumens so they can draw blood.  Kenton was glad to change his shirt since he wasn't hooked to John and Wayne for a while.

He's just so tired still this morning.  I don't know how much is physical exhuastion and how much is emotional.  He's resting now.  It's so frustrating that I can't just fix this!

Dr. Rawlings came in and told Kenton that they were sending him for a CT scan later today to see if they could find the source of infection that was causing the fevers he's been having so consistently.  That we should plan on about 3 to head to down to CT.

The nutritionist came in and talked to Kenton about eating more.  Gave him some suggestions for foods that are high in calories and protein.

Right after she left, we were talking about food and he said, "A maple bar sounds really good!"  I practically sprinted to the cafeteria and came back with this:

LOL.  Plenty of options.
I should be honest and say that one of the peanut butter krispy treats was for me.
But we can say they were both for Kenton since I am clearly NOT needing to be on a high calorie diet.

Kenton chose the maple bar and ate half of it right away.

The other half we wrapped up for later.

We had just started a project when Heidi showed up at the door for a visit (she knew I'd never say to just come, so she did it anyway!) and brought a plate of homemade peanut butter krispy treats.  Heck, yeah, those are 100 times better than the cafeteria ones!  And of course, to have Heidi here just made Kenton's day (and mine, too!).

She came with us down to the CT scan.

Don't we look fab in our super sparkly safety suits?!  We were trying to find extra masks and use them as "seashells" so we could be mermaids, but, well, that didn't happen.  Probably a good thing.

Kenton came through the CT like a champ.  He's getting so good at just doing what he's told.  Wonder if that will translate to at home behavior?!

We came back to the room and Sister Gittins was here to visit.  So were Charles and Cheryl.  We had a good visit with all of them.  Good to keep Kenton's mind off of the CT and what the results might be.  He finished his maple bar and ate half of a peanut butter krispy treat.  As they were leaving, Mrs. Moser came to say hi.  Kenton loved that so much! After she left, we visited with Heidi for a while until it was time to do the dressing change on Kenton's arm.

Heidi headed home, they did the dressing change, and then the doctors came back.
The CT showed another mass of staph in Kenton's arm.  This one had walled off and would require surgery to remove.  They were talking surgery today or tomorrow.

Clearly, Kenton was very upset.
Thankfully, Mr. Cornwell and Lisa were here to visit and helped cheer him up a bit.
Kenton totally scared Lisa with the candy box.  :)
Glad to know his sense of humor is still intact.  I'm not sure Lisa was glad. . .

They left and Kenton wanted me to lay by him.  We had just settled in when the surgeon came in.  He looked at Kenton's arm, talked a super tiny bit about surgery (why won't they be more open and explain things better?!  Drives me crazy!!), asked about platelet count (it's 29 so he'll need more before surgery), and said he'd see us in the morning.

I called Luke.  Kenton wanted him to come tonight instead of tomorrow night.  He's on his way right now with McKayslin.  They'll spend the night with Nate and Rach.  So grateful for their hospitality and kindness.  Nate will come help Luke give Kenton a blessing tonight.  The priesthood has been a great comfort throughout this entire ordeal.

Kenton and I had a little rest.  I crawled out of the bed and he continued to sleep.
Nurse Cherie said that the surgery was on the schedule for 9 am.  We know that means anywhere between 8 and noon. 

After Kenton woke up, we ordered him some dinner.  Going for the Ramen again.
Luke and McKayslin should be here around 8.

We could use your prayers again.  We'd love for this to be just a tiny little speed bump in the road that Kenton can fly past and forget.
 
Prayers for strength and courage for Kenton.
Prayers for platelets to be found and transfused soon. 
Prayers for doctors' steady hands and wisdom for tomorrow.
Should have known we couldn't have his 2 week anniversary pass without some sort of drama. . .
And, that, my friends, is day 14.

2 weeks.

Still trying to figure out this new reality.
Still not a fan.