Hurry Up and Wait

Counting down the days until Nick's counts come up is quite exhausting. We have now joined the ranks of soldiers who do a lot of this..."hurry up and wait" thing. Today Nick's WBC count was up to 120 and his ANC (absolute neutrophil count) was actually countable at "36!" These numbers are far from normal, but, this is the glimmer of count recovery we have been waiting for! Everyone may now get up and do their version of the "happy dance!" Go ahead...I'll wait.

There now, doesn't everyone feel a lot better? In order for Nick to go to IPOP (the next step in the process), his ANC must be 500. We still have to wait and see if Nick is going to be a roller coaster or a rocket. If you are a roller coaster, your counts go up and down and up and down ad nauseum. This makes everyone want to puke because we don't know from one day to the next when the ride will be over. If you are a rocket, your counts just take off and go shooting up so fast they can't write your discharge orders quick enough. We are hoping for the rocket! The doctors are very encouraged and have even mentioned that it is possible that Nick might be able to go to IPOP by mid-week if we have lift-off. Hey!!! No happy dance yet! That would be getting way to over-the-top, way too soon!

Nick and I have been dutifully sitting in his cell (I mean room), like all good prisoners (I mean patients and visitors) do! Nick has been playing Wii and games on his computer. I have been equally absorbed reading all my favorite blogs and updating my own. We are quiet...the air punctuated by the occasional swear word from Nick as he blows a game or runs his Mario Kart into a tree. Nick remains on contact isolation. So I sit here garbed in my hazardous waste disposal outfit. I look like a mad scientist and I feel like I will explode if I get any hotter or my purple-gloved hands get any sweatier.

The nurse brought Nick his "Preparing For Discharge" booklet for some light bedtime reading. Actually it is mostly stuff we already know from his prior discharge from 5C. We are getting to be pretty old hat at this stuff. Boredom is an interesting concept, but, one I will gladly except in lieu of the myriad of other bad medical stuff that could be happening instead. My biggest concerns right now are getting Nick to shower, eat and exercise. Praise the Lord and pass another heaping portion of boredom our way.

Please keep the prayers, good vibes and happy dances coming Nick's way. He is not out of the woods yet, but, thank God we found the compass.