Friday, December 28, 2007

Time has gone by fast today. Elijah went to surgery and got his port and according to the dr's everything went well with no complications. They are changing his continuous sedation medication to one that's more long term since they anticipate that he will be on the vent for 3-5 days. The switch over is making him agitated and I think it's hard for his body to get use to it, so he has been waking up a lot and kicking his legs and frowning. He wants me to know exactly how mad he is. The nurses are very good about getting him medication ASAP to get him back off to sleep. We just got word back about his 16:00 labs and his WBC is 10.4K. WOW!!!! That's actually within normal range and he hasn't gotten the chemo drugs yet today, so that's all from the two he received yesterday. We talked with the oncology nurse today and went over the first month of treatments and what to expect and side effects to watch for. We didn't get completely done and it was a two hour meeting. We will finish up on Monday. I'm going to be one paranoid mommy!! Any fever at all means a trip to the hospital, among other things. She told u that we could expect him to lose his hair during the third or fourth week. His other labs regarding his kidneys and liver that are working really hard right now to get rid of all the toxic dead cells are slowly on the rise which is expected. They said that the next 72 hours will be the most critical time to watch for things to go south, but they are very efficient and although its a scary thought, we are reassured that he is being very well taken care of. He is still going potty great and that is really important right now. That is the best indication that his kidneys are working. They have to watch though that his urine stays clear, because if it starts to get cloudy that can mean trouble. They put a tube down the other side of his nose so they can start feeding him tonight. So now he has a tube down each nostril. the swelling in his face has gone down, but he is still pretty puffy in his legs and feet which is just from giving him so much fluid. They gave him a dose of lasix (diuretic) last night and by this am the swelling was much better. He has a small incision on his neck from the surgery because they had to open him u in order to watch and make sure the central line went into the correct vein. So he has one on his neck and then one under the port where they inserted it under his skin. We received lots of reading materials from the oncology nurse today, and so everyone in the room (Dad, Tess, Levi and I) have all had our noses in books. I will try to do one last update before bed. Thanks for all the comments and continued prayers!!! We can't say thanks enough.

8 comments:

bonniejean22 said...

Just wanted to let you know we are thinking about your family and praying for you all. If you need anything let us know.
Bonnie and Chess

Natalie and Adam Wilson said...

Hi guys,
Thank you so much for creating this blog to keep us updated. We are so glad that you have been reassured by the great care Elijah is receiving and sounds like the hospital staff is also doing a nice job of helping you guys prepare for when he does come home. Elijah is blessed to have such a wonderful mommy, daddy, and sister to be there with him and help him through this!! We are just a phone call away - so don't ever hesitate if you need anything!!! love you and thinking of you!!

Anonymous said...

Elijah,
I so sorry that you are sick. Your Mommy and Daddy have been keeping everyone updated and it sounds like you have some great doctors doing their very best for you. Erin and I are keeping you in our thought and prayer daily. I told some people that I work with about you and they are doing the same. Everyone ask about you were I work and they are happy that you are doing a lot better. You just keep getting better so you can come back home.
Love,
Marye and Erin

Mark, Holly and Boys said...

Just wanted to say we love you guys. Sending a big hug and prayer your way - Holly & Mark

Jennie said...

I'm trying so hard to not call you every hour wanting updates so thank you so much for being so efficient in letting us all know the lastest on Elijah's recovery. You are in our prayers constantly right now. Please let us know if there's anything that we can do! We are here for you guys. Love you MUCHO!

Laura Bernard said...

So glad he's done well today and that the WBC has gone down. His poor little body must be so exhausted from all the work it's trying to do.

Besides trips to the ER for fevers, and losing hair, my friend always commented on how hungry her little guy was with the steroids. She fed him all day long. Since he ate all day long he was also up often in the night. . . .In case they didn't warn you about that.

willmss said...

Amanda, Levi, Alivia and Elijah,
We continue to pray for Elijah's recovery. I know this must be so hard for him to have all this "stuff" to deal with. I have been remembering my nephew Tyler's best friend "Joey" who was diagnosed with lukemia when he was just 3 also. He had quite a battle and came through. He caught a winning touch down pass last year! I am picturing Elijah as a victorious little guy who is going to beat this too. God is gracious and he is answering all these prayers as we speak!
Love to all,
Uncle Rob and Aunt Sheila

Anonymous said...

Just want you all to know that we are keeping you in our prayers. We know that you have already had answers and that the Lord will continue to bless you. You have a wonderful family and a ton of friends who are doing what can be done to help. We're confident that things will work out the way the Lord wants. We will continue to keep Elijah and all of you in our prayers! Hang in there.

Mark, Lisa, Joni, Andy, Jared and Alli Newman