Four weeks

Alan had a rough night without a basal rate of morphine, so the docs have started him on oral methadone twice a day. That will give him more even pain control than the PCA button pushes or nursing boluses of IV morphine and will help him with withdrawal as we continue to wean him off the morphine.

Alan's hemoglobin count is low so he is getting blood today. The nurses will start moving the IV antibiotics around between the port and both lumens of the PICC line again since the cultures of the PICC line grew some colonies. There is not nearly as many as before so the vancomycin is working, just not enough yet. The level of the antibiotic in his blood is good, so they may switch up the antibiotic they use to wipe the infection out.

It's another week in the hospital so it was time for dressing changes today - PICC, port, and both nephrostomy sites. We offered him four stickers, one for each dressing change, but he was happy to have one on each hand, then appropriated Miss Sara's pink iPhone or as he called it, the "pink play".

Between the dressing changes and the Benedryl for the blood transfusion, Alan had a nice nap this afternoon with the panda Banzai that Uncle Peter brought.


Alan got two new stickers after all his dressing changes

Where's Alan? Hiding with Uncle Peter's panda

First a pink iPad, now Miss Sara's pink "play"