Nick spiked a Fever

I was surprised yesterday morning when Nick woke up and was very hot. He insisted on wearing feety pj's to bed the night before, which did not help his temp. We tried to cool him down some by changing his clothes and putting him in a warm bath, which helped some. By lunchtime, I realized that we really needed to take him to clinic to find out how his counts are. His temp. was wavering around 99-100.8. Anything over 100.4 requires us to go in. Nick was great and agreed to go. (I had to bride him with a McD's meal). He did not even fight when the nurse accessed his port and we played games while waiting for his blood work to come back. The good news is that his ANC level was NOT below 500 (if it was, we were going to be admitted), so we were sent home and put on 'fever' watch. Nick woke up this morning full of energy and a smile on his face. He feels much better today and we hoping it was just 'chemo' fever. This week was his second dose of the Meth. chemo and I think his body was having a reaction to it. We are happy that we can relax (a little) and enjoy the weekend. The rest of his counts were low, but will hopefully go back up soon.
WBC: 1.5
RBC: 8.6
Plt: 102
Have a great weekend. Karen

3 To Go

After a hard day at clinic on Monday Nick now has 3 more shots to go. It was not an easy day for Nick as the steroids were raging and the back pain was causing discomfort but I think what tipped him over was the thought of the shot. Karen and I both recognize the amount of pain the shot creates. We were talking today about what it must be like to know it is coming and there is nothing he can do...and oh how he tries to get out of it. "Not today" or "I just have to tell you something" are some of his most infamous rants against getting the shot. With that being said, I have nothing but the greatest admiration for Nick. He bounced back great today when we were back there for his methotrexate. He was smiling and happy, which in turn made for a much easier morning. I will divert a minute here and tell everyone about some amazing people out there who have been a great support cast for Nick. Even Colby gets excited when Nick gets his "Angel Mail". The "Chemo Angels" are people out there who volunteer to send a letter sometimes a gift, other times a poem or a picture to cancer patients while they are undergoing there chemotherapy. Nick has had two "Angels" Laura and Trista. These two ladies really have put smiles on Nicks face as well as the rest of the family. The thought of not knowing yet still caring and never letting down and just being consistent is a show of true kindness. The organization is obviously run by people who understand the needs of cancer patients and do a seemingly small thing that turns into a monumental gesture to those who receive it. Back to another week in this phase of the treatment and closer to the next. We wish all well.
Greg