Kenna's Aplastic Anemia Journey - 04.12.2004

Easter Monday 4-12

It was lovely to have a fairly uneventful couple of days this weekend. For Easter, the family got to enjoy our first Sunday dinner together in weeks. Kenna was running just a bit of fever to watch on Saturday and Sunday. Today was her scheduled doctor appointment at 8am , so they will do culture tests on the sample they took to see if trouble is brewing.

In the meantime, her counts were down, so transfusion was in order. The plan was to do it tomorrow. But just about the time that Adrienne noticed that there was swelling near the site of her portacath that they had accessed today and called the doctor, the hospital called to say that they had room to do her input today. So we went back over to Long Beach about noon and just got home at 8pm. Carsyn was great--just willingly went to stay with a friend until her other Grandma got back from errands to take care of her. Daddy took her to the mall for dinner when he got home from work. I go along for moral support, driving, parking, food runs, etc. since Kenna can't be left alone with her IV and makes it very vocally clear that she won't be left with just the nurses.

The transfusions of platelets and red cells went fine. The "day care" infusion rooms don't look so much like hospital rooms, having colored walls and recliner chairs rather than beds. Kenna is starting to be more accepting of the prick (the single quick needle into her chest) now that she is seeing that we really are telling the truth that there will be "no pokies" ( that painful probing around in her veins for an IV). She says to the nurse "You done? You done?" She is so sweet about giving her arm for the blood pressure cuff and very nonchalant about lifting it up for the underarm thermometer.

The swelling and bruising we had noticed didn't get any worse, so perhaps with her platelets so very low at 4,000 (normal is 350,000 to 400,000), the seat belt had just irritated it. Her fever was still up and down, but they didn't make her stay until the lab results show that she must get antibiotics. All in all a pretty good day.

Grateful for all the graces, great and small,

MJ