Hi again,

May we just firstly say thank you for all the messages of support we are getting through the blog. They are helping us when we need a “pick me up”.

The just giving page is going well. As I write this the total is at £1,332.39 which is fantastic so a big thank you to everyone who has donated.

Well it's week six of cycle two and things aren't getting any easier I’m afraid. Zach has been picking up bugs left right and centre because he is neutropenic. This means he has no way of fighting infections or virus'. These usually manifest themselves with a temperature of 38 and above. When this happens we have to take him straight back to hospital. He has had a few more transfusions of blood and platelets and plenty of anti-biotics. Zach has pretty much stopped eating now and isn't drinking much either. Has to be topped up with intra venous fluids, this is a double edged sword though as he doesn't develop a thirst when he is getting fluid so won't drink, and because he doesn't drink they have to keep putting him back on fluids. I think the fact that he isn't feeling very well doesn't help either with the eating or drinking. Zach has had a nasal gastric tube put down so that we can feed him. It looks worse than it actually is and apart from when they put it down initially, he hasn’t been bothered by it in the slightest. A lot of the kids on the ward have them so it's quite normal here. Zach also developed a virus in his lungs over the weekend so has had to have yet more anti biotic and a nebuliser along with some oxygen to help his saturation levels as they were dropping quite a lot. This looked quite scary watching a little boy panting and groan with every out breath but the staff didn't seem too disturbed by it, which is reassuring in a way. They kept telling us this happens a lot as well. It has now transpired that Zach may have had his system overloaded with fluid. He was re admitted on Friday after about six hours off the ward with dehydration. He was given a fluid bola which is saline syringed straight into him via his Hickman line. This was done twice then he was put straight on to continuous IV fluid. This then gathered in his lungs and looked like an infection/virus on the x-ray, but his rate of recovery has been too quick for it to be a virus/infection. He is now having a week off the chemotherapy as he hasn't had a break since the treatment started, and he is exhausted so it will definitely do him some good.

The other patients or should I say their parents haven’t been helping the situation either. When Zach had gotten over his last infection he was moved out of his side room back onto the ward. That night at 0045 peppa pig could be heard on repeat coming from the next bed, when a nurse went to turn it off, the little cherub went mental so it was turned down. Mum then decides to watch a film till 4 am. Needless to say words were had with staff the next day and rules were loosely enforced but poor Zach, who was exhausted anyway, was set back by this episode and I think it made him a little bit worse. It is difficult living with people from all parts of the social spectrum. 

Well we are all looking forward to getting home and sleeping in our own beds for a few nights before the next cycle starts on Sunday. Keep reading the blog and we’ll speak to you all soon.