Averages

There have been many lessons learned through this journey called cancer. And I'm sure there are many more just waiting for us in the weeks ahead. One lesson we have learned this week: don't get emotional about each individual test result - focus on the average of the day. And the week. And the month.

In the course of one hour today, Drew had low blood pressure, labored breathing, a nice walk, kidney failure, good intake of food, platelet infusion, and he was told to reduce fluids due to help swelling, look for white count news soon, your potassium and magnesium are great, and we are still culturing both infection biopsies.

So you sit there and think: is this a good day or a bad day? Then you remember there will be another set of data points in a few more hours that may be the opposite of what these are. We have learned this process seems to constantly flirt with scary complications as we wait for stem cells to grow and take over. We cannot do anything to make the stem cells grow - but what we can do is relax and focus on getting Drew through the hours and days. And we remember he is the super-active 23 year old who is exhausted, in pain, and missing a year of his life (who hardly ever complains, keeps us laughing, and stays motivated to do whatever it takes).

So the yaks and sherpas help Drew sit up in the bed to improve his breathing, remind him to use the oxygen, walk, try all the tricks to help with the kidneys, smuggle food in to help him eat, elevate the feet between walks to help reduce additional swelling, and then try to figure out what you made him ingest yesterday that helped with the potassium and magnesium levels so they don't drop tomorrow. We chart his food and report his nausea and fill his ice packs and stick his charts and cards on the walls. We are out of walls.

On the average, Day 14 was not that bad - we have checked it off the calendar and look forward to what tomorrow will present.