Derby Days

No fever since last night
WBC (white blood cells) 1.6 C (for critical) normal range (6.0-17.5 x1000)
platelets = 58 L (for Low) normal range (135-430)
hemoglobin = 8.1 L

I had typed a long posting yesterday which got eaten by the hospital wi-fi. I had also added that Sylvie set an all time record yesterday for the LOWEST magnesium the doctors and nurses had ever seen: 0.2. It should be around 2.0. In outpatient, they gave her a run of magnesium that got it up to 0.9. By this morning it was up to 1.5. By this afternoon it went down to 0.6. Sylvie's calcium and sodium are also way off so the doctors are trying to balance Sylvie's electrolytes. This is most likely a side effect from the chemotherapy drugs. They were going to do an EKG today but Dr. Appel canceled it.

Granny Annie slept at the hospital last night so Michael and I could go to Temple for Friday night Shabbat services. I hadn't been in a long time and was eager to say a Mishaberach (healing prayer or prayer for the ill) for Sylvie, Pablo and all the other kids. I also wanted to thank the Rabbi, Cantor and morning minyan for their support and prayers. What I didn't want was any special attention for being the parent of sick child. The guest speaker was a minister from a nearby Lutheran church and overall, we found it very interesting and were glad to be there. My parents were thrilled we joined them and my mom was beaming with pride having Michael beside her. I half-jokingly thought she would introduce Michael to the minister as Michael the Lutheran :-). That would have been very funny.  Michael and I thought it was very cute and endearing.

Apparently Sylvie was NUTS last night. If Ann says, "Sylvie was a little uncomfortable" that means she was a terror.

Sylvie was very grouchy the entire day. Dr. Appel laughed at Sylvie's outbursts. She hasn't been like this since early March. My parents came about 10 minutes after the nurse gave Sylvie morphine so they did not experience her wrath.  Sylvie was dozing off to sleep so we all sat around reading foodie magazines until my dad and I made him a new playlist for his new iPod.  We've all recently seen "Rock of Ages" so my dad was primed and asking for none other than Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Twisted Sister!  I was pretty psyched and eager to hook him up!  Sometimes I forget that a). his college buddy was BFF with Mama Cass and b). he was in the army with Ron Delsner.  That means my dad has great taste in music.  I had to sing a few bars of Cinderella to demonstrate that unless you like them like myself, well then Tom Kiefer's voice can get annoying.  He ixnayed The Byrds, Dylan, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons and James Taylor but jonesed for Queen, Jefferson Airplane (and Starship) and Foreigner.  He proudly already has in his iTunes library nearly every record I've ever product managed with the exception of Slayer.  We bonded over Looking Glass "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" which is on nearly every playlist I make as well as Maroon 5 "This Love."  So while my mom read about decadent lobster recipes in Saveur, she looked at my dad and me slightly annoyed.  I'd be thrilled to make her a playlist anyday, heck I'd buy her a hot pink iPod and engrave it "Grandma Rocks!" although she prefers Neil Diamond to Kiss and Cheap Trick!

Sibel and Sila relieved us at 4:15 so that we could run home and turn on the automatic sprinklers which never happened because the sprinkler company never showed up. No worries though because let's not forget today is the Kentucky Derby, one of the most highly-regarded sporting events of the year in Casa Hughes!!! Mine That Bird? A $9,500 horse?! 50-1? Wow is all I can say. It made me very nostalgic for Saratoga and I really hope we can go this summer as a family only this time, we'll leave Lucky at home. Sylvie made her debut at Saratoga when she was 9 weeks old. We had a ball although it was so hot that I thought Sylvie might have a heat stroke. And I had to nurse her in the bathroom which was highly uncomfortable.

Sylvie is extremely uncomfortable. Cramps. Gas. Pain. She farted and it sounded like Teterboro Airport was right here in Room 4. Denise, one of our favorite nurses, came in to help Michael and me change Sylvie's diaper because she had a wierd and clearly uncomfortable bag taped to her in an effort to collect urine.  The cramps are probably caused by the mineral imbalance.  For those of you who a). have been pregnant and b). had leg cramps [caused by mineral imbalance], that's what Sylvie's feeling, too.  Ouch is right.  Only in her case it can affect her heart so she's hooked up to the monitors as a precaution which also means there are 7 things that go beep in the night.

Sylvie is supposed to have CT-scans on Friday and it just dawned on Michael and me that there will be some impossible expectation of Sylvie consuming a liter of apple-flavored barium prior to the exam. I'm a positive person but this is highly improbable.

We both finally signed up to run the Ridgewood Run/ Strides For Sylvie (stridesforsylvie.com). If you've registered please make sure that Catherine knows (email: kitzchy@yahoo.com) because we're trying to keep a list. I'll try to figure out tomorrow how to post the sponsor sheet and Team Sylvie flyer.

Michael and I are playing Scrabble tonight and the winner gets to pick where they sleep: the hospital or home.