Day 16

Frustration.

Damn cancer.  We have been sentenced to a minimum of 48 more hours of hospital time which is starting to feel like jail time.  Kennedy spiked a fever of 100.8 right before chemo and only 2-hours before our scheduled release time.  It cam from out of nowhere – neutropenic fevers suck because often they are not associated with any bacteria and sometimes are just a contaminate.  Kennedy has no immune system so any little germ can set off a fever.  Fevers also mean “pokeys”.  Pokeys mean trauma.

Gene was at the hospital with her today and had a really hard time with it.  Kennedy cried on his shoulder for about 10 minutes before she passed out from exhaustion when he told her about the pokey.  During her nap, she sweated out the fever and woke up to a normal temp.  This was very good but didn’t save her from pokey.  The nurse put some numbing cream on but it didn’t work.  It took 4 nurses to hold her down to take her blood. 

Of course we are racking our brains of how she got sick and I choose to blame the infectious disease doc and the 2 residents that accompanied him just 24 hours earlier.  They did not wear gloves or masks.  I questioned this but the doc said they wash their hands and use sanitizer and that is enough.  I figured I should trust the fearless leader of the group since infectious disease is his specialty and why would he jeapordize her health?  I winced as one of the residents was being over touchy and bending over her but figured they knew what they were doing.  That won’t happen again – ever.  Gene posted a sign saying “masks and gloves, please” on her door today.

 

Hair was a big topic today and Kennedy is convinced that the hair that is falling out is bad cancer hair (thank goodness the power of suggestion works on her).  She is excited to get rid of it and wanted to pull more out and cut more.  She wore a hat and a scarf tonight and looked adorable.  Kora went and chopped her beautiful long locks to donate to Kennedy.  Words cannot express our gratitude for that kind of gift but THANK YOU!  Kennedy was so excited when she saw Kora’s picture, she asked if she could have her “underhair” tomorrow.  I told her she’d have it in two weeks. Kennedy will give me my hair cut by the end of the weekend.  I hoping for a bob and not a pixie cut.

Gene and Kennedy spent the rest of the day playing.  Dad even let her put art paint on his face, that was until it started burning.  Not sure acrylic paints should be applied to skin.

Maddox is disappointed his sister won’t be coming home just yet but we made plans for him.  He is all set with a weekend at grandmas, a wrestling meet on Sunday followed by a sleepover at Jake’s and a movie date with Gina and Cannon on Monday.  Hopefully by the time he comes home on Monday, Kennedy will be home!

Side note:  Thank you Brian for changing Kennedy's home blog picture and making this a happy place to visit!!