Still Being Smelted

I have now received the second vaccine dose! You might think that was simple, since I had already gotten my first dose, but it has proven to be anything but and has actually added a lot to my stress this week. For various reasons the second dose of the Moderna vaccine has been very hard to come by here in Utah County, and the health department is…

I've debated if I should share a more current picture of Kendall as he is so sick. I'm sure people have noticed that I strategically have NOT included him in most of my recent photos. But this is the reality of how things are right now. Kendall is very very sick, and he looks very sick. I can only begin to guess what Kendall is going through…

And now for your viewing pleasure, plasma! I had always assumed plasma would be red like blood, but nope! Looks like a mixture of milk and that orange drink they used to sell at McDonald's when I was a kid. Bleh. Kendall has been getting platelets most days, but his numbers remain low. It's late on Day +12. I got home not too long ago from the…

The PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line is no more! After having one for 5 1/2 months, can't say that any of us will miss it. The picture doesn't quite do it justice for showing just how long it was, but you can see the bandage on Kendall's right arm that showed where the lumens came out. Then that line snaked through his vein up toward his…

I'm still not sure why Meal Train often puts the date as one day later, but I am writing this on Thursday, February 4th. Today is Day +7. Kendall is feeling very wiped out, but that is to be expected at this point. The doctor explained to us this morning that Days +7 to between Days +10 and +14 are typically the worst for how a patient…

I know there are many people anxious to hear how things have gone today with Kendall. He has thankfully taken a turn for the better. His fever has (finally!) broken, and tonight he was able to actually eat some solid food (bless you, spicy chicken sandwich and chocolate frosty from Wendy's!!). He's not out of the woods yet and still has several symptoms the doctors are monitoring…

Things aren't going great for Kendall right now. He has had a fever for the past four days, and last night his fever spiked to 106.3. He also has a rash that has been getting worse, terrible nausea (can't eat), and at one point he lost consciousness and had a fall. Kendall's doctor thinks that his body is fighting against the transplant, so today (Sunday) they gave…

Meal Train will only let me include one picture with each post, but I thought this one was pretty cool too of the chest X-ray.

The good news is Kendall doesn't appear to have any new symptoms. And he was able to keep down a smoothie earlier today. He still has a fever that hasn't broken and he really doesn't feel great, but the fever is a little lower right now. The chest X-ray didn't show anything new, so that was reassuring. And for your viewing enjoyment, here is a picture of…

The nurses sang Happy Birthday to Kendall and brought him a balloon and various donated gifts (a blanket, pillow case, book, journal, and a hat) to celebrate his "new birth" Day 0 today. I think I have mentioned this before, but the rest of his life will count up from this day (tomorrow is Day +1, and so forth). January 28th will forever be the anniversary of…