12/20/2010

Another quiet day

N

Posted Dec 20, 2010 12:24am

Today started out gloomy and rainy outside, and the mood didn't get a whole lot better inside. It was a day primarily spent inside watching cartoons and little football.

We got a break in the weather where the sun came out and the kids quickly put on their shoes and ran outside. Joe jumped on his wet bike seat and Kasie found the muddiest part of the yard to jump in.

Since we've taken 5 or so trips to Sacramento in the last 2 weeks, I used the break in the weather to sort of organize the car again. There were water bottles under the seats, coats left behind, and the extra soda cartons that I just haven't found the time to bring in.

I think Walt and I have now come to terms with the strong possibility that he will be going back on dialysis. When I see him as sick as he is now, I wish is was already set up. Earlier today, he looked like he was so tired, he was puffy in the face, his ankles are still swollen and he's fighting the muscle cramps. He gets cramps in his legs pretty bad, enough for them to wake him out of a deep sleep. He got a little nap in this afternoon.. in his favorite spot - right in front of the wood stove.

Our oldest son is on stand by, and ready to come home if we get the word that dialysis needs to start. It will be nice to have another adult in the house. When we have to leave at a moment's notice, it's good to have someone here to watch after the kids and know that they are in their own beds. Our house is small, but we make the best of it. We bought the house when we only had 1 child, not expecting to have any more.

So, tomorrow is what I would consider the telling day. Walt has stat labs in the morning, and he'll go around 9am. He has to do labs at 12 hours after his last dose of Prograf.. they monitor that level as well, so it's a coordinated effort to make sure he's not registering too low, too high - the 12 hour mark is very important. We should hear something about his creatinine around 1pm, probably sooner but for sure by then. There is that glimmer of hope that his kidney is working, but I am prepared to hear whatever news we get. I say that now, tomorrow may be a totally different story. Walt is staying strong and I think he's come to terms with the prospect of beginning treatment, but this time it will be much different. When he is hospitalized, he always has a private room because his immune system is suppressed. He can't be mixed in with people who are contagious, and the dialysis center is crawling with microbes.

Anyway, we'll post the results as soon as we hear anything.

Here's looking to a positive week.

~Susan