Sunday, November 14, 2010

The Roller Coaster Goes up for Oscar's Birthday - and then comes crashing back down again

Friday Oscar's blood results were good and we were booked in for admission on Sunday night, provided there was a bed. We were warned that the bed situation was worse and to expect a few days delay.

Saturday Oscar turns 2 and we have a wonderful day with visits from Nana and Roby (puppy), balloons, cake and a visit to the Koala Park where the boys got to feed kangaroos and pat a koala. (I will put photo's up when I get a chance)

Sunday we head out to visit my Dad - we haven't been to his house since he moved in around January and Pete has never been there so I was keen to catch up with them. Of course, we get there and get a call from the hospital at 10am asking if Oscar has a runny nose as they are sorting a bed out for him. So we race home, pack our bags, get told we have a bed and go in at 4.30pm for the final round of this treatment. Hooray!

On the way to the hospital Oscar is hysterical. He knows where we are going and this time he really is putting up a strong protest. He is screaming, saying, "Mummy, cuddle, scared, no, other way, home, Daddy, brother." and this mantra is repeated over and over until he is so hysterical he is turning purple in the face and dry retching. I'm stuck and can't pull over to help him and have to just keep trying to talk him down. Finally, I am able to pull over but I can't get him to stop dry retching. At the hospital I physically cannot get him in the pram. He is so strong and arching his back and screaming at me to go home. I have to just sit with him and cuddle him for what seems a long time and then have to carry him in, pushing our pram and luggage. We arrive and the nurse messes around with Oscar for an hour and a half, overstimulating him until he is psychotically charging up and down his cot. It takes me three hours to settle him.

Ah, I get my coach bed made up and fall asleep. An hour later, at about 10.30pm, a nurse wakes me to tell me that Oscar's blood results show his platelets have dropped dramatically and they can't go ahead with the treatment. She says I should go home and come back into clinic on Wednesday to start the whole process again. His platelets either will naturally recover or he will need a platelet transfusion. Oscar has only been asleep an hour and after how upset he was I can't bring myself to wake him so I ask if it is ok if we stay overnight and leave when he wakes. I also don't want to go out to the carpark on my own in the middle of the night as its not the nicest of places. So it is that we have a sleep over in hospital except I can't go back to sleep. So I repack all our belongings, get a cup of tea, read a number of magazines, do my meditation tape three times, finally drift off for an hour and Oscar wakes at 7am and we go home.

Poor little Oscar. He just keeps getting kicked in the teeth again and again.

On the bright side we were very lucky to get to be home to celebrate Oscar's birthday and it was a great day. Also, Auden was overjoyed we were back so soon (although we will have to do the whole separation dance again later in the week) and Oscar gets some more time for the ulcers in his mouth to heal before they hit him again with the chemo. Mum raced down from Armidale for no reason and I missed out on yet another nights sleep but at least we found out before they accidentally went ahead with the treatment.

So we keep riding the rollercoaster and find a way to stay positive amidst the sleep deprivation and chaotic disappointments. Hopefully we will be in hospital later in the week and Oscar will be treated and recover before Auden's birthday on the 27th. Finger and toes crossed. x

1 comment:

  1. Argh! Feel sick for you both! As Matilda would say in her most cranky voice..."Poo Poo, Bum Bum, I'm not your friend!!!" Cancer treatment!!! Hugs to both of you...and the all healing I can muster over the ether...XX

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