In hospital

We were admitted to hospital on Sunday night - Oscar had a fever of 38.6. He has been in a lot of pain with stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and fevers. Today they have told us that he has a culture growing in his central line. Basically, there is infection in the line. This isn't great because once it happens once it tends to recur. The delay in final treatment isn't ideal either. Still, his bloods are good so overall the treatment is working. I am angry at myself though, after being so extremely careful with the line, and I let myself be talked into allowing him to play with water on these hot days. Anyway, can't do anything about it now but help him get better.

I also ran into one of the little girls who was about three weeks ahead of us. I was excited to see her to congratulate her on completing her treatment when her mother told me she has relapsed. This is very distressing. The only alternative they have is to try an experimental treatment of a new drug from America and hope she can get through the next couple of months, if so, she will have a bone marrow transplant. I feel overwhelmed for her and her family - to be so close to finishing and to be thrown into another even more dangerous journey. For privacy reasons I won't tell you there names but I am thinking of them all the time.

We are on Variety Ward. They have one nurse for every four patients. Camperdown has one for every two. So we are being patient and going with the flow. There are many people on the ward much sicker than us. We are grateful that Oscar is doing so well.

I hope to be out of hospital before the weekend and will update you then. Keep us in your thoughts and take care.