A Trip Back To The ER

     Our little Hazelnut spiked her usual between Chemo fever, so we are here at the CHLA Emergency Room waiting to be admitted.  Her hemoglobin level is at 5.2 (anything under 8 requires a transfusion), and her ANC ( a comprehensive white blood cell count) is at a 0.01 ( anything below 500 is considered neutropenic). So needless to say, he will be getting a blood transfusion. Her platelets are at 6,000 when they should be at least 20,000, so she will getting a platelet transfusion as well. These numbers can sometimes dumbfound me. Hazel has been, and continues to be, so full of energy throughout this entire process that you would never know this was going on inside her little body. Even the doctors and the nurses are always surprised by her numbers when they see her! But today, I have relied on my mommy instincts once again.

     When we were at home, her fever never reached the magic number to send us to the ER, but I know my daughter, and I know when her fever will continue to go up. And she was not quite acting herself today, so I was very proactive in getting her here. I am so thankful for these instincts, because her fever go higher and those blood counts were so low! I've continued to use these instincts even here in the ER. A nurse's assistant came in to take Hazel's temperature and got a reading of 97.1! She had been close to 101 before this, so I didn't trust this number an asked to have them do it again. He got a reading of 97.5. He took down these numbers and left the room to give them to the nurse. My instincts told me that this reading was still wrong, so I took her temperature myself and got a reading of 100.6!!! This discrepancy scares me. So I called the nurse in to tell him my reading an he took the temperature himself and got a reading of 99.6. He asked me to do it for him, to make sure what I did before was correct. I took her temperature the exact same way I did before and got the exact same reading as before: 100.6.  The nurse and his assistant both did their jobs and I don't know how this could have happened. But if I had accepted the original reading of 97.1 and Hazel's temperature went up, it could have been so dangerous for her! So I urge every parent to trust their instincts and do not be afraid to speak up! The worst that can  happen is that you're wrong. But if you don't speak up, and your instincts were right, then the worst actually can happen.

     Once we get admitted, which should be any minute, we will be here until her counts come back up (this is all becoming all too familiar, right?!). In some ways this works much better for us. Hazel's CT Scan was scheduled for 8:00 tomorrow morning. Since we will already be here, I will not have to drag a sleepy, and most likely grumpy, 2 year old to an uncomfortable waiting room filled with germs. Instead, Hazel can drink the nasty contrast solution to prep her for the scan and wait comfortably in a familiar hospital room. Also, I may even be able to get the results back from the scan and talk to the doctor about them in person! I was really not looking forward to having that conversation over the phone.

     So tomorrow is going to be a VERY big day and I ask that you pray extra hard for us. There has been a term that I have read on a lot of support group sites that I am a part of that seems to really apply to how I am feeling about tomorrow and its is: SCANXIETY. So please pray for my scanxiety, and that I will sense God's presence, strength and peace tomorrow; and that I will put all of my trust in Him. Please pray for Aaron who has to be at work during these next days. Pray for him to be able to trust that God is in control of all of this and that he will be able to concentrate!  I know God has had His hands all over this journey and tomorrow is no exception!!

             Here is Hazel in the ER