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I came back up to the hospital today and spent several hours with Ben while Sara first got some rest and then got some lunch. I'll be going back in a couple of hours to spell her for dinner, and then I will be headed home. At the moment I am sitting in a Starbuck's studiously avoiding the work I am supposed to be doing, and posting to my journal instead. Go figure.
I got to speak to the doctor directly this morning, which was very nice. I don't for a minute think that Sara is withholding any information from me, it's just always good to get information directly from the source instead of second hand. Ben's fever persisted last night, but by the time I arrived this morning he was cooling down. He stayed fever-free for the entire four hours I was with him. He also seemed to be pretty much pain free, even though he had not had any morphine since the night before. Of course, he also seemed pain free yesterday morning until he got out of bed and walked around a bit. In any case, when he woke up he used the bathroom including a BM for the first time in a week - a very good sign. We helped him take a shower, and then he went for a walk around the pediatric ward. He got tired fairly quickly, which was no surprise at all. Even so, he never collapsed or doubled over in pain - another very good sign. Once back in bed he drank some cold juice and then started to fold over like he was having stomach pain again. Just before I was about to have the nurse give him a dose of morphine he spontaneously sat back up and started laughing. I'm still not sure whether he was actually in pain and it passed quickly, or if he was just laying forward like that for variety. Sara is watching him closely right now to see if he starts exhibiting any more pain behaviors, and will get him the morphine right away if he needs it. Both of us are reluctant to keep him doped up any more than he needs to be, so hopefully he will continue pain-free for the day.
The doctor basically said all they are waiting for is for the fever to break and for us to tell them he does not seem to be in pain anymore. The pancreatic psuedo-cysts should resolve themselves over time, and the doctor is reluctant to do any more CT scans because of radiation. Obviously the scans will be necessary if his pain does not subside, and it is possible that the one may not be a psuedo-cyst but actually an abcess, but hopefully not. I also spoke to him at some length about Ben's dietary issues, and he seemed to be just fine with letting Ben leave the hospital without the PICC line or a feeding tube, and to give Ben's school a solid shot at working on his diet before resorting to more drastic methods. Honestly, if the fever stays away and the pain doesn't come back then Ben could be out of the hospital in a few days. Of course, that's a couple of very big if's so I don't expect him to be released quite that rapidly. Still, things seem to be progressing nicely at this point. His amylase and lipase came back this morning as absolutely normal, his electrolytes are good, his calcium level is perfect, all the blood cultures keep coming back negative, so there is really quite a bit to be hopeful about. We're just in that final push now.
I got to speak to the doctor directly this morning, which was very nice. I don't for a minute think that Sara is withholding any information from me, it's just always good to get information directly from the source instead of second hand. Ben's fever persisted last night, but by the time I arrived this morning he was cooling down. He stayed fever-free for the entire four hours I was with him. He also seemed to be pretty much pain free, even though he had not had any morphine since the night before. Of course, he also seemed pain free yesterday morning until he got out of bed and walked around a bit. In any case, when he woke up he used the bathroom including a BM for the first time in a week - a very good sign. We helped him take a shower, and then he went for a walk around the pediatric ward. He got tired fairly quickly, which was no surprise at all. Even so, he never collapsed or doubled over in pain - another very good sign. Once back in bed he drank some cold juice and then started to fold over like he was having stomach pain again. Just before I was about to have the nurse give him a dose of morphine he spontaneously sat back up and started laughing. I'm still not sure whether he was actually in pain and it passed quickly, or if he was just laying forward like that for variety. Sara is watching him closely right now to see if he starts exhibiting any more pain behaviors, and will get him the morphine right away if he needs it. Both of us are reluctant to keep him doped up any more than he needs to be, so hopefully he will continue pain-free for the day.
The doctor basically said all they are waiting for is for the fever to break and for us to tell them he does not seem to be in pain anymore. The pancreatic psuedo-cysts should resolve themselves over time, and the doctor is reluctant to do any more CT scans because of radiation. Obviously the scans will be necessary if his pain does not subside, and it is possible that the one may not be a psuedo-cyst but actually an abcess, but hopefully not. I also spoke to him at some length about Ben's dietary issues, and he seemed to be just fine with letting Ben leave the hospital without the PICC line or a feeding tube, and to give Ben's school a solid shot at working on his diet before resorting to more drastic methods. Honestly, if the fever stays away and the pain doesn't come back then Ben could be out of the hospital in a few days. Of course, that's a couple of very big if's so I don't expect him to be released quite that rapidly. Still, things seem to be progressing nicely at this point. His amylase and lipase came back this morning as absolutely normal, his electrolytes are good, his calcium level is perfect, all the blood cultures keep coming back negative, so there is really quite a bit to be hopeful about. We're just in that final push now.