Around 4:00 this morning, I heard Collin, so I got up to see if he needed anything. The nurse had come in to give him some medicine, and she told me that every time she had checked on him he was in a different position. He had been moving around the bed all by himself. When she was done, we changed his diaper, and then I moved him over, climbed in next to him, and cuddled him until we both fell back to sleep (which didn't take long!). A few hours later, the respiratory therapist came in. I told Collin that the man was here to give him his breathing treatment but that it wouldn't hurt. Collin relaxed, and cooperated with no fuss. When the respiratory therapist was leaving, he said goodbye, and I waved and said goodbye. Then Collin picked up his hand and waved too! It was the first time since his surgery that he waved, and it made my day to see more of Collin's personality coming out! Later in the morning he wasn't as willing to participate in physical therapy as he was yesterday, but he certainly had a temper and is still very strong. Then the speech therapist came in to try to see if he'd be interested in tasting anything by mouth. He fussed the whole time, but he did take a few tastes of apple juice from the spoon, and it almost seemed like he enjoyed them but didn't want us to know he enjoyed them. The speech therapist will visit him again tomorrow to see how things go.
My mom flew in from Houston last night for another three weeks. She came to the hospital this morning and said she thought Collin looked a lot better than when she left a week and a half ago. When she left the hospital after lunch, she and I stood by Collin's bed, and she told him she was going to leave but that she'd be back tomorrow. When she said goodbye and waved, he waved back at her...three times! We both stood there laughing and crying at the same time! I also saw a change in Collin's face a few times today; it was ever so slight, but it made me think he was trying to smile. As I was laying next to him this afternoon, he was holding on to my nose, and I asked him if he was being silly, and it sounded like he was trying to laugh. This evening he turned his head and waved at the nurse when she came in, and he gave the respiratory therapist a high five when he was done with his Albuterol treatment!
Collin's blood levels for the Methotrexate have dropped very quickly; this afternoon the number was already down to .13. That means the drug is clearing his system very quickly, which is good. The oncologist stopped in today, and said that kids often get a rash during the first round of chemo. It can last up to ten days. She also expects the mucositis (mouth sores) to start tomorrow, as it usually starts a week after beginning chemo. Over the last few days it seems as if Collin's pain hasn't been as well controlled as it had been. He could be having more pain as side effects from the chemo such as jaw pain, leg pain, mucositis, etc. start to occur. Since he was needing extra doses of morphine, he was started on a continuous morphine drip to keep him as comfortable as possible during the next few weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment