Are you stressed?

The Boy's blood pressure started climbing up again around lunchtime today. Even though he took his medicines as he was supposed to, he still had high readings and needed a dose of rescue medicine. He will be getting 6 mL of Hydralazine instead of 5 mL when he gets it. I am speculating that they don't want to add any more ACE or ARB meds because the potassium is still a concern.

He did get the blood yesterday, and usually right after he gets blood, his BP reading is high. Obviously, because he is getting all this extra stuff pumped into his body. Thinking about it, I don't know if it stays high for a day after a transfusion, because we haven't been doing BP at home for that long that we'd know if BP was staying high for that long after a transfusion, but his numbers were fine overnight and in the morning, Grandma reports.

One of the oncologists was also in this afternoon. He is the head of the group and so very nice. He marveled at The Boy eating an apple like a grownup. Grandma said something about hoping that The Boy will get to grow up, because that's been on our minds these days. He said that he feels it, that The Boy will in fact be growing up. That's good to hear, because his feelings are colored by his professional experience. It doesn't so much mean that based on The Boy's current medical status that he is giving us a definite answer about long-term health, but I think that since he has dealt with many many many children with cancer and other related health problems, he probably has seen enough of them go through what The Boy is going through and has seen them come out on the other side.

Laundry is in progress right now. Had my mother not brought me a new pair of shorts and two shirts, I would not have had an acceptable outfit to wear today.

Today was Musical Daddy's brother's birthday. He was given a surprise party with just family present, at their father's house. And before he knew about it, he was MAD, because he thought that everyone had forgotten his birthday and that his father was just getting on his case and didn't have any time for him on his birthday and blah blah...he was grumping and ticked off and whatever else, making the excitement of being surprised by his family with an amazing steak dinner and cake and presents that much more rewarding.

Would have been lots of fun to have The Boy there. And he would have been excited about the steak for dinner. Filet mignon, to be precise. We did bring him some, but Grandma mentioned that he had thrown up a bit this afternoon, so steak wasn't a good idea.

I'm worried, a bit, about him. He doesn't throw up too frequently. Even as a chemo patient. Sometimes he gets something that goes down the wrong way when he is eating and a bit comes up. Sometimes he feels a little queasy from chemo. Usually during and after chemo he gets Zofran, which, hopefully, is doing its job. I try to wean him off of it as soon as it doesn't seem he'll need it.

Also, the blood pressure was under control for...well...a week. Not exactly a ringing endorsement but still means that there is a possibility that something else is going on.

Let's hope that it's not too much.