10-2-10

Wow, what a turn of events to say the least. I thought things were going well at home and we were adjusting well until Thursdays events through a wrench in it. I took Oliver in to get a complete blood count (CBC) workup done in Elkader to check his hemaglobin and it came back critically low at 7.5 via heel stick. They then called it to the pediatrician in Dubuque who wanted him stuck again and this time venously through his arm and it was 7.3. Our pediatrician then contacted me and said we should talk to Iowa City again about it since they are the ones who started it and have all of his transfusion records. So long story short we ended up in Iowa City yesterday to meet with a pediatric hematologist (doctor specializing in blood). He did more blood work down there and stated that his bone marrow just hasn't kicked in producing red blood cells. He won't know why his bone marrow hasn't kicked in until they do a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy (take a chip of his hip bone out to test it and use a needle to draw out some marrow from inside the bone). They can't do that procedure though for another 2 weeks since his blood is not fully his own yet from all the transfusions he had early in his life. So in the meantime, I am supposed to take him in at least once a week for a CBC in Elkader. And, if at anytime I am concerned about Oliver I can take him in to be tested and then the doctor in Iowa City will let me know what I have to do or if we have to get in earlier than 2 weeks. I just pray that it comes back higher when I take him in and that his bone marrow kicks in and does the job it is supposed to do so he doesn't have to have the bone marrow procedure. I don't know yet if we'd have to stay for that or it's done just as an outpatient but I know that he will be sedated for it again with our nemesis - MORPHINE! At least they will give him versed too and there shouldn't be any taper off of it or withdrawal from the morphine this time.

So I guess we'll just hurry up and wait for answers. Yesterday wasn't quite the way I'd have liked to spend my birthday but at least we could come home last night.