Crabby - BMT +43

It's all just about waiting. 

Waiting for the cultures to differentiate which bug is percolating inside of Sammy. 

Wait for his fever to go down. (It is still hovering right at the "fever" mark -- not so high but high enough)

Waiting to go home. 

Sam is totally over the hospital. He had his taste of freedom and he is

Completely

Totally

Absolutely

Uninterested

in being in the hospital. 

It's been a fun day. 

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, Phyl? 

In all fairness, he's feeling a little under the weather, so there's that. 

But not THAT sick. So....

The hospital teacher piqued his interest with some "extreme dot to dot" puzzles and there has been some drawing and iPad games and lots of television. I think he would spend the whole day in bed if I would let him....

Medically speaking, he is receiving two broad-spectrum antibiotics to combat the bacteria that they know is in him. Pretty soon, we hope to have the specifics on what kind of bacteria so the meds can be more artfully tailored to its specifications. His blood cultures since the first one have all been negative, which is a relief -- it means that his central line is clear of infection and doesn't need replacement (which would be a surgery). Once the cultures are negative for forty-eight hours and the meds are in place, we can talk about going home, but probably with IV antibiotics. Small price to pay, right?

It's a minor hiccup. It could be so much worse. It is a good reminder, I think, that we still need to be so incredibly careful with him. This bacteria is a common one that is probably present in all of our bodies -- but Sam's weakened immune system let it get a little out of hand (opportunistic little bugger, as one friend said). So we continue to wash hands, limit exposure, and really just hold our breath that he doesn't get anything scarier...

But I would have done just fine without the reminder, thankyouverymuch.