Last Tuesday I took Nic to the hospital for his blood draw. He has his hematology appointment in February, and because it can take a while for the tests that are sent out to Mayo Clinic I always schedule his draw a few weeks early. We go to the hospital out-patient clinic because that gives Nic's hematologist better access to the results than going to a regular clinic. Also, I think they tend to be a little bit better at getting the goods...but that is just my observation. The appointment went pretty well. Nic started whimpering as soon as he saw which room in the hospital we were heading to, but he sat still and it didn't take very long to get all the necessary samples (they take quite a few tubes because they perform many tests). The boys got their treats (teddy grahams and juice cups!), and we sat at watched the fish while they finished up.
At that point I noticed that I was feeling distinctly queasy. I'm not a fan of blood, but it didn't feel like that kind of reaction, and my stomach had felt a bit odd even before we went in...so I shuffled everyone to the car and started praying that we would make it home before I got much worse.
Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered in the way I had hoped, and I lost my lunch on the way home. I am quite thankful that there was a miraculous break in the traffic in time for me to pull over and yank the door open. I feel deeply sorry for the residents of that particular street, but I've only had my van for six months so I just can't throw up in it yet. Streets are easier to clean than cars. I spent the rest of the week in bed. I actually think it was food poisoning. I had the flu shot this year, and no one else in the family got sick, and it felt like food poisoning. I think it didn't clear up as quickly as it should have because I did not keep anything at all down for 48 hours, and since I am still nursing Kenny I am pretty sure I was ridiculously dehydrated and then sick from that. I lost six pounds in two days, so you know something was really wrong. Also, I looked like Hugh Jackman (minus the facial hair) in those nasty opening scenes of Les Miserables...all sunken and withered looking. Ugh. Looking in the mirror was horrifying. Now I know how I will look when I am eighty (but with white hair because I will not be dying my hair at that age).
Jeff did an amazing job with the kids while I was sick. He stayed home on Wednesday and Thursday and they had the best time hanging out with him, and he took good care of me as well. The children might not have eaten any fruits or vegetables during this period, but they did not develop scurvy so it's fine. Friday I took over, but I was barely functional so they got to watch so much TV. Tommy thought he had died and gone to heaven, he was so happy to watch TWO movies in one day. I so happy to be up and about again. Now I just have to dig out from under one week's worth of mess and the suitcase that still hasn't been unpacked (it was my goal for that Tuesday evening). Since it is horribly cold outside I guess it's a good thing that I have plenty to keep me busy indoors...
And, in a bit of great news, Nic's hemoglobin count was 11! That's low, but it's darn close to NORMAL. It's fantastic considering his sickle cell. It's also the highest we've ever seen it. What it means is that his body is doing pretty well right now, and that he should be feeling good. There are obviously more complicated tests that are happening, and we don't expect the results from those until we actually see the hematologist in February. We are certainly thankful for this blessing!
And, if you were wondering about the results from Mom's CT scan, she sees the oncologist this Thursday and he will read them to her then. I will be able to report to you after that. Her recovery from the scan went well, she felt much better than she did after her last scan, so thank you for praying specifically for this issue.
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