Loose Ends

Inquiring minds are desperate to know what BINGO prize I won. Well, Keith won, actually. I might have had a little too much fun competing against ill children, but since it was all in the name of my own sick child, my conscience is clear. From my observation, it was mostly parents or nurses playing for the kids who were too sick or too tired to play. I think most "kids" win something by the end of the afternoon. When it was my turn to raid the toy tower, I picked out a Tigger game. Keith, Cole and Ally seem to like it pretty well. At least, I've picked up the pieces to it 20 times daily, so I guess that means it's well-used.
I'm hoping next time Keith will be awake so he can play with me. Otherwise, I will just be another pathetic site at 3:00 on a Wednesday afternoon.
Keith has adjusted to his casts. He stopped asking to take off his "boots" after about 2 days. I assume every Friday we will go through a similar adjustment period as he gets used to the stretch. He is slowly beginning to realize that he can stand in his casts without pain.
His nausea is a lot better this cycle. He's still vomiting occasionally but we aren't having to medicate him every 2 hours like the A cycles. I'm attributing several of the upset stomachs to the appetite stimulant his oncologist started him on this week. We were hoping that would get him eating some real food but so far, the only tangible results have been changing the color of his vomit.
We also had to return to the hospital less than 24 hours after Keith was released because he vomited up his feeding tube again. But we didn't have to go to the E.R., they let us go directly to the nurses on the oncology floor, so that was really nice (and fast). Keith and Cole got to pick out prizes, which only solidified Cole's belief that the "doctor" is nothing but fun and games.
The best news of all is that Keith is actually sleeping through the night. He slept for 12 hours straight the last two nights! I don't think he's done that since he was diagnosed. Keith has been capitalizing on his extra energy and more settled stomach by asking to go to all his favorite places. In his first 4 days of freedom from the hospital, we've been to the library, a church BBQ, church, the Children's Museum and the Zoo. He is happy and playful and energetic--things we weren't expecting to see so quickly after treatment but we are grateful and we are riding this wave while it lasts.