Tuesday, January 15, 2008

We didn't update yesterday, but it wasn't the best of days so I will try and cover both days now. The night before last Elijah did not sleep well at all. He complained of his stomach hurting all night long and he just really needed to poop! Since he was up all night, he pretty much slept all day yesterday. He also spiked a fever yesterday and they had to draw cultures not only from his port, but also from his arm. This is always a huge struggle of course, I would be mad too. We had a big teaching session with the head oncology nurse and social worker. They are both very nice and helpful. They helped put some things into perspective, and teach us some reality outside the textbook. It was a lot of review from what we learned in Iowa City, but we are just fine with that because there was a lot to absorb. We thought that because Elijah had slept pretty much all day that we were in for another long night. To much of our surprise, at about 22:30 he finally POOPED!!! YEA!! It was almost immediate that he seemed to feel better. Right after that the "Gang" showed up. Yes the gang that all SHAVED their heads!!! It was all very comical and much needed laughter. Can I just say that as nervous as I was, my husband is a sexy looking bald man!!! I added some pictures for your entertainment. This lasted until about 01:00, and Elijah slept like a log through all of it. Once he pooped and felt better, he crashed despite all of the commotion. This would have been a great opportunity to catch up on some sleep, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything. A HUGE thanks to all of you crazy guys for supporting our squirt, even if he doesn't understand. I do have to say that he has been in a much better mood today and has been looking at the pictures and saying that you all lost your hair, that it ran away!! It seems like each day he looses a little more hair, or that it just comes out easier. Today Meredith came down so that I could take Alivia to an appointment, and being out in the real world was actually pretty nice. I went to get a prescription at wal-mart and got frustrated about how long it was taking and one of the medication they didn't have in stock, you know typical wal-mart. After the fact, it was nice to be normal for a couple of hours. While I was gone Meredith went to an ultrasound with Elijah, they got to ride in a wheelchair together. He had to have an ultrasound of his pancreas because of some elevated levels. The GI doctor said that she thinks he has some pancreatitis most likely from all of the medications he is taking. She said along with the constipation, this is also contributing to his belly pain. We didn't really get a chance to talk with the doctors after the ultrasound, but I'm sure we will hear about it tomorrow. Meredith said that he did really well during all of this, and the ultrasound tech said she was really impressed with how well he did. It makes me wonder if Elijah is tired of having me around all of the time, and it was good for him to have some change. He did get really sad as I was on my way back down, but I stopped to get Isabelle and Ava to come see him and he was better when I got back. He is still an emotional roller coaster!! We went up to the playroom for awhile and even had another bath tonight. So it's really been a pretty good day. Thanks for all of the continued prayers and support. We couldn't make it through all of this without you!! Love you all!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Hancocks...Like I said earlier, Jordan called and said he shaved his head in honor of Elijah. Later today I saw a picture and he looks mean-scary. The reason I'm writing again is because Levi, you really look great as a bald guy!!! Weird, since you have the lion's mane and all, but, nice!!
Anyhoo...happy balding!
Love you, jen and the Forrys

Anonymous said...

You guys look great. So many of you doing this for Elijah. And I love the picture of Elijah smiling. It's really great to finally see a big smile from him.

tonya said...

I am so glad to hear that you had a better night. It must be hard to be doing all that you are and not getting any sleep on top of it. I really admire your positive attitude. I love reading the blog because you always seem hopeful and it just lifts me up. Love the bald pics. Wish we were there to lend our support. I am not sure I want to know what Ryan would look like bald.

Anonymous said...

What a great looking group of bald guys...Thank you all so much for your support for Elijah. I wish I could have been a little mouse in the corner watching you all lose your hair. Bet the nurses loved it, because I am sure there was some laughing going on around midnight that night. Someday when Elijah looks at all of these pictures, he will thank all of you. It warms my heart to see him smiling again, it has been a long time coming.
Love to all...Grandma Arlyce