Fever

I am so sad to tell you that we are back in the hospital. Fever. It's one of the rules: anything over 100.4, we come to the hospital, even if it's 3 o'clock in the morning on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

Coming into the ER was a different experience, now that we are post-transplant. Mostly, it was more pleasant. I am more confident about what Samson needs, and I feel calmer. I used to come in so helpless, as Samson suffered yet another unexplained bout of pneumonia. This I was prepared for, and I knew what to do. Also, Samson does not need to be poked to get an IV, which is an enormous load off. Sometimes before, when he would come in sick and a little dehydrated, it would take many pokes over many hours to get a line in. It was always painful and tearful for both of us. One bummer -- we now belong on the hem/onc floor, which can get full, and today we had to wait in the ER for 8 hours while they cleared a room for us here.

So here we are. I had hoped we might be released tomorrow but then Samson got hotter tonight and was having trouble keeping food and medications down, so I'm sure we'll be here at least through Saturday night.

When a transplant patient, especially in this first 100 days, gets a fever, the doctors look for a blood infection (by drawing blood from the central line) and with Samson they look for signs of pneumonia, with an xray. Otherwise they wait and see what happens, usually for 24 to 48 hours after the last fever. We are 101.2 right now, so our clock hasn't started.

I am feeling more frustrated than worried. I think it will turn out to be one of those baby fevers with no real cause. My brother and nephew are here visiting from Memphis, which means I missed a really adorable cousin reunion at my house. And -- furthermore -- I spent last Memorial Day weekend in this very hospital, wrapping up one of Samson's early rounds of pneumonia. So I'm sure you can see that I deserve to be home again and soon. This is the pitch I made to the attending physician, Dr. Lamkin, who will decide whether he needs to observe us for 24 hours or more like 48 when the fever is done. We'll see how that works out.

Samson is just fine with our hospital visit; he seems to like the peace and quiet, and he smiled a little at his nurse friends. He does seem extra tired, a little more out of it than normal.



Being at home was overwhelming for Samson. The noise, the visual stimulation, the general craziness. It was a little anxious for me too. Being away from home for six weeks turned out to be a lot like leaving any job for six weeks. Some things piled up. And that was just background to figuring out the new routines of the new Samson, with his toolbox full of meds. But I felt that by Thursday we were starting to settle in. He had a good clinic appointment on Monday and again on Thursday - 1500 ANC with no GCSF help, plus platelets and red blood cells were up. All made by Samson's fancy new bone marrow.

One treat this week was that Aaron's sister was here helping. It was as close as I could have come to doubling myself for the week (only the good parts), which is just what I needed. And thank you for all your welcome home thoughts. Now, please help me wish this fever away.