The Ordeal Begins...Again

Yesterday, they finally got Steven's platelets high enough to install the PIC Lines and began the chemo round. Five days of two drugs (one is blue and will make him pee green) and then the wait for them to do their job and the slow countdown until his counts start coming back in. One upside of getting the lines in is no more 4AM gouging to find his veins.

For some reason, Steven's neck glands were swollen yesterday morning. They think the prednisone they give with the chemo will help that. And he had a really massive headache for which they finally had to give him some good drugs. No fevers, although his blood pressure shot way up. They were monitoring that closely.

Many of the nurses on the floor remember Steven from January when he did his second round of chemo there. Wonderful quiet, caring Linda was there again last evening. It was good to see her and know she would look after him through the night.

Other than that, Steven was in pretty good shape. Alert, laughing and joking. Managed to eat the hospital dinner, although breakfast was totally impossible. They finally managed to scrounge some Cheerios for him. His uncle brought him a hamburger for lunch. His brother came in the evening bearing Haagen Daz, dark chocolate Reeses cups and Mug Root Beer. I picked up Lisa and Andrew and we brought Fiji Water and Gatorade drinks to fill the fridge now that he has one in his room, along with white bread and peanut butter. The chemo changes the flavors of everything and these were the tried and true items he seems to manage best. We also brought his chess board so that he could play with friends over the long week-end.

One couldn't ask for a better attitude and more quiet determination than Steven is showing. His doctors are impressed.