First fever

Malcolm has a fever today. I knew as soon as I saw him this morning that he wasn't feeling well. I have been sleeping at home the last several nights. I put Malcolm to bed and he sleeps through till morning. I arrive by 6:45am and if he wakes before 6:45am, the nurses get him up and bring him in the stroller to hang out at the nurses' station with them. That's where I found him this morning.

I took him back to the room and he was content to sit in the armchair with me and watch the news (very unusual for my active boy) and by 7:15 I could tell he was feeling warmer than usual so I called a nurse to take his temp and it was 38. An official temp is at least 38.3 or 38 to 38.2 twice in an hour. She came back in a half hour to check again and it was 38.4. She quickly got her supplies for drawing blood (to be cultured) and immediately after he was hooked up to IV antibiotics. He is hooked up for a few hours this morning and will be hooked up periodically to get more drugs over the next several days.

Some Tylenol perked him up and he is happy playing now so likely not a serious bacterial infection but the cultures will confirm that. Fevers are very common when his ANC is so low so this is not unexpected but of course not really desirable either. However, we are happy that he seems to be doing well and does not appear to be really sick.On another note, below is a short piece I have been meaning to share. I found it on the blog of another mother whose child had the same type of cancer as Malcolm. You can read about Carey and her family at http://www.cbranam.blogspot.com/

A Pair of Shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes.They are ugly shoes.

Uncomfortable shoes.I hate my shoes.

Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.

Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.

Yet, I continue to wear them.

I get funny looks wearing these shoes.

I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.

They never talk about my shoes.

To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.

To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.

But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.

I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.

There are many pairs in this world.

Some women ache daily as they try and walk in them.

Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.

Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.

No woman deserves to wear these shoes.

Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.

These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.

They have made me who I am.

I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has a child with cancer.

*Author Unknown*