Finding A Balance

Well today was the antithesis of yesterday. How many doctors did I see today during my nine hours with Nick....one! And that one was actually very nice and actually answered our questions. However, he was not one of the heme-onc doctors (hematolgist/oncologist).
We saw a LOT of Nick's wonderful nurse for today, Megan ! She worked sixteen hours straight (agreed to stay over 4 extra hours).
So far all the nurse's have been great. But, of coarse I am just a little biased on that front. Here are a few of the highlights of today's events.

*We still do not have an official diagnosis yet. We are hoping to get that within the next day or two and then a plan of treatment will eventually be decided.
*Nick did well with his cytoreduction, the WBC has fallen to 277 and is expected to continue dropping over the next 5-7 days.
*A medication called Dopamine was started (it is an IV infusion), which at low doses helps the perfusion to the kidneys, in order to keep all the bad stuff flushing out of his kidneys and bladder
*Nick got his first transfusion of PRBC's (packed red blood cells) today and his hematocrit has improved from a low of 10 to 15. (Normal is 35-40) He will most likely receive quite a few more of these (as he is able to tolerate) over the next few days; with the goal being getting the Hct. up closer to a normal range.
*Nick had a fever last PM which is being attributed to lysis of the WBC's and inflammatory response to said lysis. Blood cultures are always drawn when the fever hits a certain threshold, with the concern being the ever present "infection" monster. There is no concern at the moment that infection is why he had the fever.
*Nick let the doctors know in morning rounds that today was to be a "resting day." He told them he didn't want any surprises and he needed time to process what has gone on to date.
*None of us (Nick, Kate & I) has gotten much sleep the past two days. Nick seemed tired to me today (as I was myself) and I know Kate was too. So hopefully we will all get some much needed sleep. Although, Nick is finding is hard to sleep in this new environment that will be his home for the next few weeks. Inpatient hospitalization and good sleep is an equation that NEVER adds up! Between phone calls, medical treatment and even just a few visitors, it seemed there was nary a moment for the blessed release of sleep. So we will all have to work harder on that in the future. Sleep deprivation is not a good thing!

At this time, the nurse's have told us that Nick can have visitors as long as he feels up to it and that it is good for him to have visitors to keep boredom at bay. Finding a balance is the key and I know we will all figure it out together.