Heart of a lion, beating like a hummingbird

Interesting day... We both slept better and by noon, his temp was down, pulse down (well, to 109), and pain subsiding. Docs on rounds said bacteria not as bad as they thought and since he is responding well, they'll stay the course. White cell count up again to 25, but they said that is normal, should start to see a decline in a day or two. So off to home I go for a nap then to Kelsey's softball game - we actually had sunshine today.

I'm barely home when I get a text from Nick saying the pain in his lung is getting intense and went to get an X-ray, which didn't find anything. Also, his red cell count still low so they gave him a blood transfusion. Then, his oxygen level kept dropping off and on, as low as 79, so he is now on oxygen; his pulse jumped up to 130 a few times, hovering now around 120; and to top it off, his fever is back, although not too high.

Fairy godmothers came through today - Jennie bringing him his favorite egg mcmuffin this morning and Denise bringing his favorite clam chowder from Market Street. I made arrangements for Kelsey to stay at a friends house and I'm back up here with Nick tonight.

The good news is that his tummy doesn't hurt too much and he showered. Also, my other good news is that Kelsey had an RBI, got on base 3 times and was a brick wall as catcher. Gotta take it when you find it!

Nick is a very kind patient: he always says thank you to the nurses, aids and doctors, smiles when they come in or out, never appears to get irritated when being woken for yet another set of vitals, iv bag or shot and often inquires about their personal life. He's a terrific young man.

On that note, I'm off to say a prayer for a peaceful and healing night.
With love,
Lori