I figured I better catch up on giving an update before our clinic visit today.

On Saturday Allistaire and I went to the hospital to get her labs drawn in order to check her platelet count.  We waited around for an hour to get results back and were then able to leave.  Allistaire’s platelets had dropped down to 28 and her hematocrit to 23.5.  Surprisingly, her ANC had popped up to 1100.  Oh that tortuous ANC, slow to rise and slow to fall.  The clinic doctor felt comfortable that we could wait until today/Monday to have her levels checked again, though she admonished us to call immediately for a nose bleed or any other signs of bleeding.  Thankfully, Allistaire’s rash had so diminished that the nurse really couldn’t even see the faint remains that I attempted to point out.  Also, her diaper rash is very much on the mend.

Our bummer news is that Solveig started to get sick over the weekend and in a very last minute decision, we sent her home with my parents late Saturday evening.  I was incredibly sad about having to do this and kept wanting there to be a way to have her with us.  To have Allistaire at home without Solveig just feels too sad.  In her adorable little way, Allistaire keeps asking, “Where Sissy go?”  Sten kept having to remind me that this is just for a time in our life.  I was comforted that we had made the right choice when my mom called yesterday afternoon to say that Solveig had a 101 degree fever and was laying low.  My fear is that we may not have escaped Allistaire getting sick as she has had a bit of a runny nose the last two days.  Oh how I pray it doesn’t result in a fever.

Around noon today, we’ll head for the hospital, have labs drawn, go to Home Care Services to have her dressing changed, then onto her clinic visit with the doctor.  It is highly likely that she will need to have red blood and/or platelets transfused.  Platelets take about an hour and red blood can take 2-4 hours.  Today has the high possibility of being a very long day.  Of course all of this falls exactly at the time of day that Allistaire usually takes a nap and I just don’t know how the logistics of things will work.  As far as I understand, most kids sit in little curtained-off rooms with TVs and big comfy chairs to get their transfusions.  Somehow I don’t think a little cranky 2 year old is going to sit in a chair for 3 – 5 hours placidly getting blood products, nor do I think it likely that she’ll fall asleep in such a noisy place. Please pray that one of these two options will work.  We’re used to blood while she sleeps or blood while she’s running around the unit, me precariously following along with the IV pole.

You know what though, home, it is such a very lovely thing in our lives.  To go to sleep in my own bed with the sounds of frogs singing in the spring night through our open window and to rise in the morning to the sound of birds (and yes, traffic 😦 ) and shower in my own bathroom where my shampoo and conditioner just magically await for me rather than having to be drawn from a bag I lug around, to drink my cheap, tasty Trader Joes coffee I make for myself and eat my oatmeal with raisins and pecans, to greet Allistaire in her own happy room rather than see her through the bars of a seeming cage – I could go on and on.  So many blessings it is astounding.  Today is the 7th day at home rather than in the hospital – what a gift.