Baby Steps

I haven't been into the hospital yet.  I've been disinfecting his room and bathroom again.  He is coming home tomorrow so I want everything to be ready.  I'm washing all the sheets/towels in Clorox.  He is almost finished with the antibiotic so I don't want him to re-infect himself.

I called the hospital and spoke to his nurse, Angie.  She said he ate some breakfast and seems to be resting comfortably.  I know he was yesterday so the pain is being controlled.  They plan to take him off the pain pump today and switch to oral pain medication.  They expect more of an up-and-down response because the only way to keep the pain medicine level is through IV.

He will get his 3rd chemo treatment today at 2pm.  Angie will be monitoring his pain levels.  His 4th and last chemo treatment for the week will be tomorrow at 10am.  After that, they plan to discharge him to come home.

Yesterday, the swelling in his face began to increase.  His speech became more difficult because the facial nerve is affected by the tumor swelling.  The swelling increased overnight so the doctors were called in to make sure he wasn't have an allergic reaction to something.  That has been ruled out.  They have told him to lay on his right side in an effort to drain some of the fluid collecting on the left side.

The swelling, in addition to affecting his speech, is also impairing his eyesight.  The swelling is causing his left eye to be pushed upward causing it to not track correctly.  This is giving Denny some major depth perception problems.  This is making him very anxious.  Losing his eyesight has always been a very, very big concern for him.

I have to work 3 back-to-back 12 hour shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Dana is still away at college getting ready for finals week.  Dan is preparing to leave at 5:30am Sunday for Oklahoma to compete in the National FFA Soils Competition.  Denny's mom is coming to stay with him during this time.  I will have peace of mind knowing he is not here alone.  Our neighbors next door are nurses so if anything emergent happens, they are just steps away. 

As soon as I finish getting everything ready for Denny's homecoming, I will be heading to the hospital.  He would enjoy visitors.  His room number is 11012.  Please do not call the room! He cannot reach the phone.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  I read the facebook comments to Superman yesterday.  He thought they were very encouraging and appreciates all his family and friends. Superman is taking baby steps to wellness. They may be small but they are headed in the right direction!