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    Monday, February 21, 2011

    Final Admission of the Rock Star

    Well, what a wacky and wild week so far.  And it's only Monday (it is Monday, right?).

    Long story short, Cole started running mild fevers on Thursday night.  We took him in Friday, but the fevers cleared up.  Per protocol, they drew cultures.  Saturday morning at 6:30 AM we got the call that the cultures grew bacteria.  And not only did they grow, they grew with zest!  Back to the hospital (this time through the ER) where they drew more cultures (the second set) and admitted us up to good ol' 8B.

    Keep in mind that Cole has been completely asymptomatic this whole time.  He's the picture of 5 year old health.  With that mentality, we waltzed up to 8B.

    It was a bit like walking into Cheers, and Cole was Norm.  Nurses and clins would look at Cole (without recognizing him), look at me, remember me, then realize who this big boy was that was standing next to me must be.  Their jaws would drop open, they'd do a double take back to Cole, then yell "COLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    At one point, I had to leave the room for about 15 minutes.  I came back to find Cole, sitting on the bed with two nurses, telling them all about his plans to be a marine biologist and study at UNCW.  He's been like a rock star.  The floor staff all remember him, and they all love him.  It does a daddy's heart good to know there's a special place where his little boy is loved so dearly.

    Here's the medical low-down.  Cole's line has most likely been "colonized" by a common skin bacteria (Staph epi, for those that keep track of these things).  Colonized means that the bacteria has likely been living there for some time, but it's not causing Cole any trouble.  It's also likely the cause of the positive culture that grew back in January.  It's not really dangerous, but it's still a potential source for infection and the best way to treat it is to take his line out.

    Now, quite miraculously in my mind, this line has lasted us for two years of being accessed once to twice a week.  That's hard use for a port-a-cath line, and by all rights we should have had an infection well before now.  But, the line lasted almost exactly as long as it needed to.  I'll let you attribute that to what you will, but I know where I'll attribute that kind of providence.

    So, tomorrow, Cole's line will get pulled.  He'll have two more days of IV antibiotics (through a regular old IV) and then, sometime Thursday, we get to go home.

    And when we go home, Cole will be well and truly finished with his cancer treatment.

    1 comments:

    Eric and Lindsay said...

    Yeah!!!!! That is great news! Cole is a trooper and has been through this whole ordeal! You and Dalynn are rock stars too! Love you guys!