Not a Great Day

The good news is that Joshua had a good day at school. We are at Lake Region still, and he is happily watching Magic School  Bus episodes as I try to get organized. He looks forward to visiting the barn, and I will try to choose a special treat for dinner, as we are on our own.

Rick has been calling with updates today. He and Katie are still at the hospital as I write (it is four o'clock in the afternoon), and they have had a long day. We suspected that Katie's platelets were down--she had some bruising around her port and that old familiar rash that brought us to the doctor's office for the first time seven weeks ago--and we were right. That's the bad news. This was a hungry day, too, and she wasn't sedated or allowed to have the lumbar puncture for which she was scheduled until she received some platelets. The platelet infusion went well, however, and Katie was ultimately cleared to move on through the scheduled procedures. Rick watched the lumbar puncture today--an adventure for him, but not as interesting, he reports, as the Cesarean section through which Katie entered the world. (Ewwww...) Doctors would not clear Katie until she had eaten, and she was munching on popcorn just a few minutes ago. She sounds tired, as does Rick. I would guess that the ride home will be a quiet one.

The further possible wrinkle in our plans is that Katie has a nasty infection on her left leg. We both wonder how she could have such a sore since she takes a broad spectrum antibiotic three days a week. The doctors have given her a new antibiotic, and we'll hope that it works. We'll probably be heading back to visit the hospital later this week, anyway. Katie's hemoglobin is low, and the doctors suspect that she will need another transfusion. Thanks to the blood donors among you--who knew how often Katie would need blood products?!

The good news is that my mom is traveling up to the Kingdom with Rick this afternoon. She will be staying with us for the next few days, keeping Katie company so we can both go back to work. Thank you, Mom. That retirement sure came in handy for us, even if it isn't all that relaxing for you! 

We're off to the barn, but we'll post an update later with more details. Don't worry. Our girl will be fine. We're just working on learning to ride with the bumps.