Life goes on

Thursday morning, Vern, James and I left bright and early to bring James to meet Dr. Keller and the crew at the AFLAC Cancer Center in Atlanta. We didn't factor in quite enough time for traffic around Atlanta, but that didn't seem to phase anyone.

During our visit, James' blood was drawn and everything looked great, except his potassium. Which was critically low. They determined we needed to admit James to correct this deficiency, which can cause heart arrhythmia and GI problems. The rough guess was that it would take two to three days to correct the problem and make sure it wasn't going to continue to be a problem.

What they didn't take into account was all the mid-course GI issues James was bringing with him from Minneapolis.

This morning, however, it seems we all realized what we were missing and now that James' potassium is looking great, we'll be hanging around for a while to see what we can do about his GI issues.

His belly is very distended (sometimes this can be related to low potassium) and gassy. He isn't passing gas or stool again. Last night we had some significant pain issues and now James is getting morphine again, although there is the usual concern that it could exacerbate the GI issues.

He has also had two fevers this hospital stay and is getting extra antibiotics. We are waiting to hear the results of blood cultures regarding infection and a CT scan regarding his belly. There is some concern that he could have teflitis (an infection of the bowels), though tests seem to be ruling it out. Once it is ruled out, we will move on with the GI doc and his oncologists to help regulate things and find some tolerable way to nourish his little body. In the meantime, he is back on TPN.

It has been very good to be nearer to home. Vern was able to bring the children back up Saturday. (He stayed with us Thursday night and went home Friday afternoon). We had asked about getting a room at the Ronald McDonald house, but there wasn't one available and they weren't big enough for our family. The social worker offered to find us a motel room through another organization's program, we applied and were approved. We were blessed to be provided with lodging for Saturday night and we enjoyed the weekend together as a family.

Katie is staying with me, at least for a time to help and be company.

My folks drove down from north Georgia/NC to see us all--especially James--and my Dad brought his not-very-frequently-used laptop. This is a huge blessing multiplied by the fact that the hospital has WiFi that we are able and welcomed to use. AND it works in James' room.

Please pray that we would have wisdom and find the knowledge we need to make choices regarding James' care and pain management. Pray for his doctors as well for wisdom and for eyes to see James' needs. Vern would like us to pray for wisdom for him to know 'what to do next' as there are many important things vying for his time and attention.

Please continue to pray for protection for James from infection.

With the blessing of the laptop, I hope to catch up on a few things, Lord willing and James tolerating! Thanks for checking up on us, thinking of us and praying for us. As always, we welcome your notes, thoughts and questions through the comments link below.

Love, Stephanie