MORE IMPROVEMENT

Tom and I both had a much quieter night last night.  He was wide awake a good part of it which was frustrating for him so he watched TV, read some email and played on his iPad.  He's sleeping now though so he's making up for it!  The on-call gastro doc has been by this morning.  Tom's WBC is down to 14 but his red blood cell count is too low - it's at 23 and they like it to be around 30.  So he will be getting some blood soon.  The doc thinks Tom is a little bit swollen so he's told him to watch his fluid intake.  Here I have been so happy that Tom has had nearly 2 liters of liquid in the past 18 hours or so and now it may be too much.  I'll tell you this, getting the perfect balance is quite a challenge.  Tom ate a good breakfast this morning - I'm really happy about that too - hope they don't shoot it down!

Tom is much more alert and himself.  I think the doc wants to see some more improvement though.  His blood pressure has crept up a little in the past day which has Tom worried.  I told him it is not that high (confirmed by the doctor) and they are checking it every 4 hours so it is closely monitored.  He still has some abdominal pain but it doesn't seem to be as bad.

Apparently he received an email last night from someone inquiring about his condition.  Tom asked me if I was updating the "blog-thing"!?!?!  I was almost speechless.  This was the first time he has mentioned the blog to me.  (If you are new to this blog, writing to the free world about Tom's condition is something I thought might lead to the end of our marriage or my life!)  I'm happy that Tom has at least accepted it with some grace although I don't think he's read it.  I told him I was indeed updating the blog and asked him if he would like to read it, but he declined.  I guess I can stop cringing every time someone mentions "the blog" now.

The nurse Tom had on his first day back here is the wife of someone I work with - what a blessing.  She is his nurse again today so I know he is in good hands.  I am hoping he will be OK with letting me go home for a little while since I need to do some laundry and stuff.  I don't know if I'll be staying tonight or not.  I'd love to go home but if I can make arrangements to stay tonight, it will be easier for me to convince him to let me go home tomorrow night!  I keep telling him one day at a time - I need to remind myself of that too.

I'll probably post again later.  Thank you family and friends for praying for Tom.  We pray daily for your health and safety.