Day +23: All the small things

White Blood Cell Count: No one told us

Hemoglobin: 8.9
Platelets: 956 K
Neutrophils: 440 K

It has been over three weeks since Jason received his bone marrow transplant from his brother, Aaron. It has been over four weeks since Jason and I were admitted to this hospital and we are exhausted. Things are like a roller coaster, and doctors say that this ride is normal.

Today a bunch of problems arose. Jason’s kidney function has been a little high so he needs to be drinking a lot of fluids, and he needs to be walking a lot. On top of that, he is retaining water so he needs to be getting rid of fluids instead of chugging them. Now, how does one abstain from water while drinking more water? If anyone out there knows the answer to that riddle just let me know.

He also has a small amount of a virus in his system that can present itself in weakened immune systems. However, it can only present itself in people who have had chicken pox or shingles. Jason has had both chicken pox and shingles so the presence of this virus is no surprise. Now his antibiotics and other drugs need to be changed in order to fight the virus. If I could remember the name of the virus I would tell you but it is another one of those acronyms that starts with a C.

Today we didn’t sleep at all. We walked almost one mile today (the hospital has a maze of hallways that, when walked in order, add up to one mile after so many laps) and Jason has been drinking as many fluids as he can. Plus, he is exercising his lungs with a breathing apparatus that requires him to breathe in and hold the breaths.

Expanding his Lungs.

Two of our favorite nurses made a bad day a little better when they brought Jason the cutest gift. If you look at the image below you will see a large, stuffed cartoon version of a platelet that is over 1,000,000 times the size of a real platelet. Jason absolutely loved it. It is hilarious. One of the nurses was present to get her picture taken with Jason. Her name is Lauren and she is probably the coolest chick on the planet. When Jason’s platelet count started going up she actually searched the hospital for a football so that she could spike it across our hospital room in celebration. Well, now Jason’s platelet count is way too high at 956,000. Yikes. Blood thinners and aspirin are constantly being administered.

The giant platelet. Awesome gift.

Lauren!

Please pray for Jason’s oxygen level, kidneys, platelets, and fluid retention. And thank you so much to those of you who have blessed us with your prayers and financial gifts. You all are wonderful.

Watching the sunrise with me this morning.