Day +16: Another Busy Morning

Napping in the sun, wearing the green eye shadow that the nurses thought I was wearing for St. Patrick's Day. 

3:00 AM – Wake up, Vital Checks

5:00 AM – Wake up, Blood test for possible transfusion and for daily results
7:00 AM – Wake up, Meet your nurse for the day, and meet your student nurses
7:30 AM – Can the student nurses perform a Vitals Check and listen to your lungs and stomach?
8:00 AM – Aren’t you going to eat breakfast? How much have you eaten?
9:00 AM – What did you eat? Just a chocolate shake and a strawberry Ensure?
9:15 AM – How many ounces of liquids have you consumed? Plateletes will be ready for you soon.
9:30 AM – Doctors Visit – Numbers are looking good.
9:35 AM – Housekeeping! Can we clean your room? Put on your mask so you don’t breathe the dust!
9:45 AM – Hey, the student nurses forgot some things… Also, here are your pre-meds.
10:00 AM – Your platelets are ready! Let’s get you hooked up.
10:15 AM – Alrighty, 15 minute vital checks while you are getting platelets.
10:30 AM – Vital Check
10:45 AM – Vital Check
11:00 AM – Vital Check
11:15 AM – Aren’t you going to take a shower this morning? Let’s get that started . . .
11:30 AM – Shower
11:45 AM – Can we change your bedding?

Hopefully your morning hasn’t been as busy as ours.

But there is good news: Jason’s hemoglobin did not drop over the course of 24 hours! The doctors have reminded us that it is not unusual for it to be steady and then drop again. For now, it is constant and that fact is so wonderful. Yesterday his hemoglobin was 8.6, today it is 8.6. Plus, his platelet count increased from 6 to 9! As for the white blood cells, Jason has 0.3 of those (300). Which is more than yesterday (woo hoo!) but still quite a tiny number (well, we are getting there).

Last night Jason had a small moment where his blood pressure was pretty high (149/96). We prayed and his next vital check reflected 126/54. His lungs sound great but he will be getting another xray tomorrow to make sure everything is clearing up. Continue to pray for his lungs, general health, and the success of this procedure.

We also had a quick visit this morning from Dr. Peggy. Did you read the blog post about our meeting her? Well, you should go back and find it. She performed the lung capacity tests and the arterial blood draw on Jason before he was admitted. She made us laugh on the day we wanted to cry the most. She found Jason’s room and came to visit, bringing her smile, her jokes, and a book to borrow, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. Made my day.

If the day relaxes a little then Jason and I will take a small walk, eat a late lunch, and try to nap between interruptions. Hopefully today will not be any more eventful.

Since I was up before the sun, I figured I would snap some pictures.