Thursday, November 19, 2009
Um....oops?
The Boy has not been given Pentamadine (his antibiotic to help prevent pneumonia) since August. He usually gets it while he gets chemo but...I don't know what happened.
So he is getting it soon, and we are waiting on counts.
Meatball should be fine where he is; I just wish it weren't this way. National policy, apparently.
So he is getting it soon, and we are waiting on counts.
Meatball should be fine where he is; I just wish it weren't this way. National policy, apparently.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
thank goodness for some small favors, but not others
They didn't think it was flu when I went to the doctor today. They said that the fever would be higher and that I'd be feeling crappier, basically. They said that it's a sinus infection, as my forehead was tender to the touch. I'm getting some nasal spray (one of the ones that Musical Daddy already uses, funny enough) and some TamiFlu for "just in case."
Even so, it's just as well that Musical Daddy stayed home. If I get rest today, hopefully I'll be functioning better tomorrow.
We just learned that the hospital policy now prohibits any children who are not patients from being anywhere in the hospital other than lobbies. This includes outpatient centers. As in, bringing Meatball to The Boy's checkups, which happen at least twice a week, is no longer possible. What I'm wondering is, how many other parents of patients does that completely screw over? And what are they thinking? Do they really want the siblings to be placed elsewhere and potentially be exposed to MORE germs? I'm sure they're just trying to cover their behinds, but really--wouldn't it make a lot more sense for the baby to stay with his mother and NOT be around a bunch of other people?
Of course, when I woke up this morning feeling lousy, the first thing I thought was, that's what I get for making fun of the public reaction to "OH NOEZ! Teh Swine FLUUUUUZE!!!"
Even so, it's just as well that Musical Daddy stayed home. If I get rest today, hopefully I'll be functioning better tomorrow.
We just learned that the hospital policy now prohibits any children who are not patients from being anywhere in the hospital other than lobbies. This includes outpatient centers. As in, bringing Meatball to The Boy's checkups, which happen at least twice a week, is no longer possible. What I'm wondering is, how many other parents of patients does that completely screw over? And what are they thinking? Do they really want the siblings to be placed elsewhere and potentially be exposed to MORE germs? I'm sure they're just trying to cover their behinds, but really--wouldn't it make a lot more sense for the baby to stay with his mother and NOT be around a bunch of other people?
Of course, when I woke up this morning feeling lousy, the first thing I thought was, that's what I get for making fun of the public reaction to "OH NOEZ! Teh Swine FLUUUUUZE!!!"
oh no...
I'm sick. I had a fever of 100.8 a little while ago.
When you run on empty for as long as I have, it catches up. Hopefully that's all it is. I'm going to the doctor as soon as Musical Daddy returns from a brief visit to school.
When you run on empty for as long as I have, it catches up. Hopefully that's all it is. I'm going to the doctor as soon as Musical Daddy returns from a brief visit to school.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The right place
The Boy, when playing with the violin, understood that the chinrest goes under his chin. This is thanks to the Elmo's World violin segment, I'm sure.
So let's see...we went to a wedding on Sunday, which was lovely. The cocktail hour was out of this world with all the delicious things that they had to eat, and the meal served was equally delicious (although not as exciting only because the meal didn't involve me going back for seconds and thirds of the sushi!). It was great to see friends and actually enjoy ourselves for once.
In thinking over the friends that we have who are close to us, most of them are already married, so we don't end up attending a lot of weddings. It is odd that we've been to 2 of them in a relatively short period of time. In 2001 we attended several. I guess I also count the one in December of the previous year. Lotta people got hitched that year.
I've had an exhausting few days in which I was not in my house a lot, and there are plenty of things that need to be done. I'm still not entirely decompressed, so I will settle for sweeping the floors. Thanks to The Boy for wiping the table. He did. It was really nice of him. He grabbed a paper towel and started wiping, so I sprayed some vinegar and water on the table and he kept at it.
My father-in-law visited the hospital today. Or rather, he was in the ER today. Never a good thing...but I say "visited" because he didn't have to stay there overnight, at least as far as I've heard. He has had a cough that hasn't gotten better, and X-rays do indicate some pneumonia. But, they decided that some IV drugs and then some more drugs to take at home would serve him better than staying in the hospital (you know, there are sick people there...) and that observation was not necessary.
It is possible that they will admit The Boy on Friday for chemo. Yes, we did just get out of the hospital, and right back in we go. If that's the case, then Thanksgiving will likely be a low counts time for him. Really, when isn't it...? Plans are to go to my parents' house this year, in Pittsburgh. If The Boy has low counts, we will be very careful in our travels and limit visitors at the house.
About the count cycle: It used to be that right after chemo he'd be on a bit of a Neupogen high and maintain decent counts at least until the weekend after being discharged, at which point things would drop down. Now he's in the basement by day 3 or 4 post-chemo and maintain that well past day 10. Day 10 was when we were admitted for the whatever-the-heck he had, and he remained on Neupogen for 23 days total as a result, instead of the current trend of 12 or so. And it used to be 8 or 9. So basically, once he finally gets off Neupogen and he is on the Neupogen high again, he is fit to go out. But frequently, he isn't. So it's hard to do much because he can't really go anywhere with the exception of walks in the stroller, as long as we don't actually bring him around people.
So let's see...we went to a wedding on Sunday, which was lovely. The cocktail hour was out of this world with all the delicious things that they had to eat, and the meal served was equally delicious (although not as exciting only because the meal didn't involve me going back for seconds and thirds of the sushi!). It was great to see friends and actually enjoy ourselves for once.
In thinking over the friends that we have who are close to us, most of them are already married, so we don't end up attending a lot of weddings. It is odd that we've been to 2 of them in a relatively short period of time. In 2001 we attended several. I guess I also count the one in December of the previous year. Lotta people got hitched that year.
I've had an exhausting few days in which I was not in my house a lot, and there are plenty of things that need to be done. I'm still not entirely decompressed, so I will settle for sweeping the floors. Thanks to The Boy for wiping the table. He did. It was really nice of him. He grabbed a paper towel and started wiping, so I sprayed some vinegar and water on the table and he kept at it.
My father-in-law visited the hospital today. Or rather, he was in the ER today. Never a good thing...but I say "visited" because he didn't have to stay there overnight, at least as far as I've heard. He has had a cough that hasn't gotten better, and X-rays do indicate some pneumonia. But, they decided that some IV drugs and then some more drugs to take at home would serve him better than staying in the hospital (you know, there are sick people there...) and that observation was not necessary.
It is possible that they will admit The Boy on Friday for chemo. Yes, we did just get out of the hospital, and right back in we go. If that's the case, then Thanksgiving will likely be a low counts time for him. Really, when isn't it...? Plans are to go to my parents' house this year, in Pittsburgh. If The Boy has low counts, we will be very careful in our travels and limit visitors at the house.
About the count cycle: It used to be that right after chemo he'd be on a bit of a Neupogen high and maintain decent counts at least until the weekend after being discharged, at which point things would drop down. Now he's in the basement by day 3 or 4 post-chemo and maintain that well past day 10. Day 10 was when we were admitted for the whatever-the-heck he had, and he remained on Neupogen for 23 days total as a result, instead of the current trend of 12 or so. And it used to be 8 or 9. So basically, once he finally gets off Neupogen and he is on the Neupogen high again, he is fit to go out. But frequently, he isn't. So it's hard to do much because he can't really go anywhere with the exception of walks in the stroller, as long as we don't actually bring him around people.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Happy birthday, Grandma!!! (and did I mention that my family is wonderful?!)
While my mother's birthday isn't until tomorrow, I mentioned that we did Friday night into Saturday in Atlantic City. It was our family vacation spot, and we had a lot of great memories there. Everywhere we went, we'd point to something and tell a story.
For example, the pushcarts (not rickshaws, because those are held differently, but the same concept where a guy is conveying you on foot and you sit) reminded us of the time when one of my sisters hurt her foot or was sore or something, and my brother put her on his back, and we walked home. I forgot about the part where my mom gave him money to take her back to the house on the jitney (basically the bus, but little-tiny), and he proposed that he'd pocket the money and carry her instead. A win-win situation.
Fishing on the boats was a fun thing that we did, just my father and brother and I, although we stopped doing that the year after my brother got seasick. It was his birthday too. It wasn't because he got seasick that we stopped going; it just never worked out for us to do it again.
The three of us would also ride bikes on the boardwalk.
We saw cheesy casino shows when we went as a family back then; we got a glimpse of that in the hotel lobby this afternoon. Meatball was entranced.
We didn't spend an inordinate amount of money on our family vacations (not that you can take 6 people anywhere and not spend a bunch of money). We did fun things, generally pretty simple things, most of which we could still do during this short visit. My sister and I walked on the sand this morning after visiting Lucy the Elephant. We LOVE the beach. We got some salt water taffy and some Swedish Fish for The Boy.
My mother had a wonderful time. None of us brought any drama with us. We all had fun, and she really relaxed, which was crucial after her giving her time to us, once again, to help with The Boy in the hospital. Problem is, with The Boy and Meatball, we require two people on "duty" all the time, and Musical Daddy has to go to work. Filling in the blanks with my father-in-law and, generally, other people that we barely know, can get us through, but with my mother, and then her friend, we were really able to share the responsibilities. Particularly since my father-in-law has a nasty cold that turned into a nasty infection, and while he is getting better, he really needs his time to recover. But anyhow, Grandma and "aunt" J to the rescue once again.
This afternoon my siblings and I went to the slots. My sisters and I had never gambled in the casino before and planned to spend about $20 each, just to see what we'd get. My sister Jessica and my brother didn't do all that well. I played $20 and ended up with $15. My sister Wendy, who played $20 and ended up with about $40, kicked me $5 to say that I broke even. Very sweet. I decided to play the $5 and while I won a bit more, I ended up losing that too. Still not a bad job.
But proof that we were really taught to care for each other: my sister Carla did about as well as Wendy, coming out with more than $20 but nothing impressive, so she decided to play a little more. Wouldn't you know that on her last bet of the extra money, she won $250. She went to cash out and immediately handed me $100.
She also handed $20 each to our other sisters and my brother. No one told her to, no one asked her to, and she could have easily just kept it for herself and no one would have said boo about it. Instead, she decided that she would kick me some money to make us feel better.
To clarify, though, it's not that money itself made me happy. It's the fact that my sister gave it to me without even thinking twice.
Wendy was in charge of pictures. She does an amazing job, whenever she is at an event, to make sure that comprehensive photographs are taken and that everyone appears in enough of them.
My brother was a good sport. He has a reputation for being a stick-in-the-mud, but he always goes along with our shenanigans. Same with my father.
Today we sat down to lunch, and Meatball started to wake up and get upset. My father, without even being asked, takes him for a short walk in the stroller and returned with him cozy and sleeping, allowing us to have lunch without being concerned about Meatball's issues.
Meatball was great for the entire trip. A little short on sleep, but he was having so much fun. He loves to go go go.
The Boy would have liked a lot of it. We'd point out things that he would notice or enjoy. Musical Daddy would have also had a great time. We missed them.
I want to reiterate how grateful I am to Musical Daddy for letting me go. It sounds almost unfair, for me, my mother, and Meatball to have packed up and went on that trip. My mother needed this, though. And she needed me to be there. Not to mention, Meatball needed a bunch of people to fuss over him. Doesn't happen as often as you might think. But anyhow, lest anyone say that I am selfish and flaky for going on this trip right after The Boy had gotten out of the hospital, particularly since he was unable to go, I had complete confidence in my husband's ability to care for The Boy, and he did not disappoint. Furthermore, The Boy took good care of Musical Daddy, making sure that he took naps and got caught up on his rest.
Tomorrow, we are going to a good friend's wedding. We have two extremely capable babysitters in Grandma and her friend. Some other possible plans over the next few days...we shall see.
For example, the pushcarts (not rickshaws, because those are held differently, but the same concept where a guy is conveying you on foot and you sit) reminded us of the time when one of my sisters hurt her foot or was sore or something, and my brother put her on his back, and we walked home. I forgot about the part where my mom gave him money to take her back to the house on the jitney (basically the bus, but little-tiny), and he proposed that he'd pocket the money and carry her instead. A win-win situation.
Fishing on the boats was a fun thing that we did, just my father and brother and I, although we stopped doing that the year after my brother got seasick. It was his birthday too. It wasn't because he got seasick that we stopped going; it just never worked out for us to do it again.
The three of us would also ride bikes on the boardwalk.
We saw cheesy casino shows when we went as a family back then; we got a glimpse of that in the hotel lobby this afternoon. Meatball was entranced.
We didn't spend an inordinate amount of money on our family vacations (not that you can take 6 people anywhere and not spend a bunch of money). We did fun things, generally pretty simple things, most of which we could still do during this short visit. My sister and I walked on the sand this morning after visiting Lucy the Elephant. We LOVE the beach. We got some salt water taffy and some Swedish Fish for The Boy.
My mother had a wonderful time. None of us brought any drama with us. We all had fun, and she really relaxed, which was crucial after her giving her time to us, once again, to help with The Boy in the hospital. Problem is, with The Boy and Meatball, we require two people on "duty" all the time, and Musical Daddy has to go to work. Filling in the blanks with my father-in-law and, generally, other people that we barely know, can get us through, but with my mother, and then her friend, we were really able to share the responsibilities. Particularly since my father-in-law has a nasty cold that turned into a nasty infection, and while he is getting better, he really needs his time to recover. But anyhow, Grandma and "aunt" J to the rescue once again.
This afternoon my siblings and I went to the slots. My sisters and I had never gambled in the casino before and planned to spend about $20 each, just to see what we'd get. My sister Jessica and my brother didn't do all that well. I played $20 and ended up with $15. My sister Wendy, who played $20 and ended up with about $40, kicked me $5 to say that I broke even. Very sweet. I decided to play the $5 and while I won a bit more, I ended up losing that too. Still not a bad job.
But proof that we were really taught to care for each other: my sister Carla did about as well as Wendy, coming out with more than $20 but nothing impressive, so she decided to play a little more. Wouldn't you know that on her last bet of the extra money, she won $250. She went to cash out and immediately handed me $100.
She also handed $20 each to our other sisters and my brother. No one told her to, no one asked her to, and she could have easily just kept it for herself and no one would have said boo about it. Instead, she decided that she would kick me some money to make us feel better.
To clarify, though, it's not that money itself made me happy. It's the fact that my sister gave it to me without even thinking twice.
Wendy was in charge of pictures. She does an amazing job, whenever she is at an event, to make sure that comprehensive photographs are taken and that everyone appears in enough of them.
My brother was a good sport. He has a reputation for being a stick-in-the-mud, but he always goes along with our shenanigans. Same with my father.
Today we sat down to lunch, and Meatball started to wake up and get upset. My father, without even being asked, takes him for a short walk in the stroller and returned with him cozy and sleeping, allowing us to have lunch without being concerned about Meatball's issues.
Meatball was great for the entire trip. A little short on sleep, but he was having so much fun. He loves to go go go.
The Boy would have liked a lot of it. We'd point out things that he would notice or enjoy. Musical Daddy would have also had a great time. We missed them.
I want to reiterate how grateful I am to Musical Daddy for letting me go. It sounds almost unfair, for me, my mother, and Meatball to have packed up and went on that trip. My mother needed this, though. And she needed me to be there. Not to mention, Meatball needed a bunch of people to fuss over him. Doesn't happen as often as you might think. But anyhow, lest anyone say that I am selfish and flaky for going on this trip right after The Boy had gotten out of the hospital, particularly since he was unable to go, I had complete confidence in my husband's ability to care for The Boy, and he did not disappoint. Furthermore, The Boy took good care of Musical Daddy, making sure that he took naps and got caught up on his rest.
Tomorrow, we are going to a good friend's wedding. We have two extremely capable babysitters in Grandma and her friend. Some other possible plans over the next few days...we shall see.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Boy is HOME!! But I'm not!
This weekend it's my mom's birthday. A big one. She looks fantastic.
The plan for awhile was to spend 2 days in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, The Boy's hospitalization made for a tricky time of it. Thank goodness for Musical Daddy--he insisted that I go. And take Meatball, of course. Meatball is still portable.
Backing up a bit...it took them quite awhile to let us know that we were leaving the hospital. I went to the hospital in the morning to help organize, because regardless of departure date, we needed to get organized. I left Meatball at home with our friend who came BACK for the weekend in order to accommodate the trip for Grandma's birthday. I spent time in the late morning into the afternoon. The Boy was charming and sweet.
The nurse that we had today was one that The Boy had once or twice before, which is not much, considering how often he is in the hospital. Meatball had her when he was readmitted for jaundice, and she was the one with whom I had this conversation:
Nurse: so you're breastfeeding...are you also supplementing?
Me: No, definitely not.
Nurse: oh...then I guess you'll be here for a long time then, if you're not going to supplement.
No, thank you, it does not make me a bad person for thinking that formula made from cow's milk and chemicals is acceptable when I'm a human mother who can make human milk.
This nurse is not an innately mean person, bright or not--she's one of those people who talks down to everyone, like an old-fashioned grade school teacher.
Anyhow, it took Grandma and me forever to get out and on the road. The traffic was insane on the way from the hospital to my house, as everyone was getting out of school. While we were at home, we got word that The Boy was indeed being discharged. He was okay in the white count department and received platelets this morning. Hemoglobin was also good...for now.
It makes me feel great that The Boy is home and can take care of Musical Daddy. Make him rest, you know. Boy therapy.
So Grandma, Meatball, and I drove down. It took us about 2 and a half hours, all told. Meatball was fed before we left and slept the whole time. Travelling with a baby this age is VERY easy. All I had to bring was some clothing, diapers, stroller/carseat, and the carrier. He has finally gotten into sleeping in the car, and he did a great job today.
When we arrived, my father and two of my sisters were there, and we had some snacks. We just hung out and talked. Naturally, everyone wanted to spend time with Meatball. He's very sweet. My brother and my other sister arrived at the Italian restaurant, where we had dinner.
I missed The Boy because he'd be very excited to see the noodles. And I missed Musical Daddy because he's my husband and I love him, and I've barely seen him for a week and a half.
Casinos in AC aren't entirely non-smoking, which is odd to us because other indoor places in this state do not permit smoking. So some of the areas of the hotel/casino that we walked by were rather smoky.
Sometime tomorrow, I'm going to take $10 in quarters to the slots. If I win something, I'll set it aside and not "reinvest" it. Whatever I have left after spending the $10, I "won" and I'll be happy about it.
We'll be home tomorrow by about dinnertime. Then tomorrow afternoon, Musical Daddy and I are going to a wedding of a very good friend. Should be fun.
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