Broccoli? Really? Wow!

I visited Jack at the hospital yesterday afternoon. Anneli had lamented his lack of appetite since he was admitted on Wednesday, so I was armed with his favorite dishes from the Chinese restaurant around the corner from his house: shrimp fried rice and mixed vegetables.

Jack was receiving a blood transfusion when I arrived (to help boost his red blood cell count, which was very, very low), and was sleeping curled up next to Anneli (a benefit of the Benadryl the nurse had given him prior to the transfusion).

His nap didn't last long, though, due to an attempt measure his O2 saturation with a sensor that wraps around his toe. He stirred and was very, very angry at the technician for disturbing his slumber, ripped the sensor off his toe and tossed it off the bed. The tech apologized profusely, and Jack took comfort in Anneli's arms. A quick game of bop-the-balloon helped stop the tears and even brought a little smile to his face.

When he actually woke up, he willingly let the nurse put the sensor around his finger, played with the wrap, and seemed to like the pink, ET-like glow. The technician was impressed with his easy compliance, and promised to try that location next time.

Fully awake now, Jack perked up and sniffed the air. He excitedly started to point to the bag of Chinese food. I dished up the pints and waited to see what he would do. Broccoli! Shrimp! Cabbage! Rice! Soy Sauce! Duck Sauce! Every taste made him so happy. And watching him eat made Anneli and me happy, too.

When I left a while later, Jack still had almost 2 hours to go on the blood transfusion, and then was going to receive his chemo treatment. After that, the plan was to send him H-O-M-E (which is spelled when you are in the hospital and not said aloud...no one wants to jinx it!). Although a "short" stay, it had been a very long two days at the hospital.

As I said goodbye, I told Jack that I would give Emma a big hug from him. He reached up his arms to actually give me one to give to her. So very sweet! Hopefully he got to give her a hug himself last night.

Fever-free but not "free" yet

Jack's about to get tucked in for the night at Saint Barnabas. He had a "busy-doing-nothing" day at the hospital. Lots of cuddle time with Anneli while he continued to receive IV antibiotics and nebulizer treatments. The Bailey's are keeping their fingers crossed that the doctors remain pleased with his recovery and discharge him soon. Cross your fingers, too.

Out of the mouths of babes

Greta and Emma were playing with Playdoh this evening and I overheard the following exchange:

Greta: "Poor Jack-Jack. I wish he could be here to play with Lincoln."

Emma: "I know. I know. You have to be patient with someone who has cancer."

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Jack is now receiving an IV antibiotic every eight hours as a patient at Saint Barnabas and also receiving oral antibiotics once a day for the next five days. In addition, he had a nebulizer treatment this evening to help his respiratory issues. His fever is finally gone, but so is his appetite. He is such a sick little boy. We hope his health improves dramatically over the next 48 hours. And we also look forward to him playing Playdoh with Lincoln soon, too.

Never say you're lucky...

Because when you do, that's when your luck runs out.

Jack is headed back to Saint Barnabas this afternoon because his temperature is not dropping in spite of the IV antibiotics this morning. The doctors want to admit him and get whatever infection he is fighting under control so that his chemotherapy regimen can continue. Please say a little prayer that his hospital stay will be brief. As Anneli has said, "Cancer is no fun!" Neither is being away from home.

ER luck (again!)

The Bailey Bunch had to go to the ER in the wee hours of the morning today. Jack spiked a fever of 103 in the middle of the night and was nauseous and vomiting. You can imagine Anneli and Damond's level of concern.

Fortunately, the ER labs showed that his ANC had risen to over 2,000, and a chest x-ray (due to his labored breathing and cough) showed apparently clear lungs (there was a small shadow, but nothing of major concern). After a dose of IV antibiotics, the doctors agreed to discharge him with a prescription for ten days of antibiotics because of his "healthy" white blood cell count. "No hospital admission? We'll take that!" Anneli declared.

Jack-Jack is home now quietly recuperating. Please keep him and the rest of the Bailey Bunch in your thoughts and prayers.

Weekend Update and Interim Maintenance Day 36

The Bailey's had a rough weekend, with Jack spiking a fever on Friday evening. You might recall that when you have acute lymphoblastic leukemia, any temperature over 100.5 degrees normally translates to a trip to the ER. Fortunately, Anneli spoke with on-call doctor for the Valerie Center before rushing to the emergency room, since Jack had received a heavy dose of chemo 48-hours earlier. While concerned about the fever, the doctor agreed to allow home-monitoring for 24-hours since Jack had eaten a great dinner and was running around playing with his dad and sister. Taking Jack-Jack's temperature every hour made for a quiet weekend at home, but after 24 hours the fever abated. The adage, "treat the child, not the fever" worked! Hooray! The Bailey's were fortunately spared a trip to the ER (and the inevitable admission to the hospital that would have resulted per hospital protocol.)

So Damond and Jack returned to the Valerie Center today for the Interim Maintenance Day 36 PEG shots. His pre-chemo labs showed a low ANC of 378, but the doctors ok'd a shot in each leg! After the muscle injections, Jack enjoyed a nap with Damond while waiting the mandatory 2 hours post-PEG-shot (to ensure no allergic reaction). He then bravely endured a chest x-ray because the doctors were concerned about Jack's cough. Fortunately his lungs are clear and he appears to be battling a slight cold. Hopefully by his Day 41 treatment, he'll be feeling better. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers this week!