So - I missed a couple of days, here's the update: Sunday Hans got worse and worse and we had a very rough Sunday night with cycles of vomiting throughout the night. I was borderline about bringing Hans into the ER, but then I decided to wait since he didn't have an "official" fever and he had an appointment on Monday. Hans was very lethargic when we got to the appointment- just laying down and not really moving or talking. They drew his labs and found that his electrolytes were very out of whack. We still aren't sure exactly what had happened, but it was something of a "vicious cycle" of coming off morphine making him sick, not getting enough of his Methadone by mouth, not getting enough of his steroids by mouth (which regulate his electrolytes due to his Adrenal Deficiency), and the vomiting was making him dehydrated. Basically, he was a mess! It was a pretty sad to see and a little scary. The thing is, everything was perfectly rectified with fluids, IV Zofran for nausea, a quick Morphine dose and a patch of of phentanyl as an alternative to oral Methadone.
They kept us Monday night, and then, surprisingly, they kept us overnight Tuesday as well. They just wanted to montior his electrolytes and other blood counts closely when they could easily adjust what he needed in his fluids. He is doing a thousand times better. He is starting to have some lively phone calls and making interesting food requests. He is actually eating very little, but I seem to be running around quite a bit to fill his requests (chicken nuggets, pepperoni pizza, cheesy chips, fruit snacks, and popsicles). He has managed to eat a few potato chips today. He is drinking more and more milk and juices, so I take these as good signs.
Hans just recieved red blood cells and we are just waiting for his final lab results before we get our discharge papers. I never wanted to be coming back so soon, but I was happy to be here where they could give Hans the care he needed. At home, he should only have to take his steroids orally. I'm actually quite proud of how well he does with those. It's a blessing since he'll have no alternative but taking them for the rest of his life.
Hopefully I'll write the next post with good news from home!
Lara
About Me
- Hans Weberling
- Bakersfield, CA, United States
- Hans was a busy, happy, sweet and fearless three year old when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. He fought his disease like a "gladiator" for nearly 6 years. Hans was an animal lover to his core. He was 'guarded' at home by his three cats, Black, Orange and Cotton. He also had his Golden Retriever, Honey, to keep him company. Hans enjoyed swimming, biking, gardening, grilling (he had his very own grill!), horseback riding, playing video games, building Legos, and flipping between Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet. Hans loved all members of his family and he was a loyal friend. He had to go through a lot of treatment in his life. But Hans powered through it. His attitude was let's get this done! His motivation was always to get back home, to his family, pets, favorite foods and pool.
2 comments:
I'm crossing my fingers those discharge papers come quickly! Glad he so easily recovered from the rocky weekend. Love you guys - Erin
We're pleased to know Hans (and his family) are experiencing an upswing in recovery!
Most of all, we are glad Hansie is heading home!
Love and hugs,
Aunt Susy and John
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