Genie Alisa

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Rich recap

I'm merely trying to recap the adventure of our last two weeks. Bear with me. A few days before War of the Wings (Oct 16-18), Rich started getting fevers in the evening. This is not totally out of the ordinary in that it's a side effect of chemotherapy, immunotherapy or any sort of stress on your body. His temp would climb to about 100 around 6pm and go back down to normal by 10pm without any meds.

Friday, we drove to War in North Carolina. He was feeling ok. He and I had a disagreement Saturday morning which led to him being a little moody. He didn't eat breakfast or lunch. I figured he would rally eventually. He then decided to fight in the woods battle. While he fared okay out there, he curled up in a sunbeam in camp afterwards and wouldn't move. His whole body was cramping.

He managed to make it to great court and sit in a throne for a couple of hours. I went back to camp to pack up, jump our car battery (of course), empty our hotel room, and come back to site. Court was over at 7pm and we were on the road home by 8pm. Rich slept the entire way home having eaten only an egg roll and half a protein bar. We got home at 1:30am.

Sunday he slept all day. Monday through Thursday, he slept all day. My parents came to keep everyone alive in the house as I had a business trip. His hiccups started on Tuesday. Thursday evening, he rallied enough to go to Ian's birthday party but was exhausted. Friday he slept all day.

Saturday we had to go to Baronial Birthday so that we could step down as baron and baroness. We literally had to be on site for only two hours. I packed everything up, and got him in the car. We arrived at the site and Rich curled up in the corner. I got garb on him literally minutes before court started.

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We had our final court, he rallied for about an hour. We stepped down and Rich got his court baron award. I got kitty supporters which I adore. Rich went immediately back to the royal room to sleep on the floor. I packed up the car and drove him back home where he went back to bed.

Sunday our house guests went on their way and I told Ian I would take him to a movie. I was unwilling to leave Rich unattended so my mother came over to babysit. In the three hours we were gone, Rich had six bowel movements. He was worried and very dehydrated, so we headed to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital I explained we were there for dehydration and hiccups. They couldn't help us with anything else. They asked for an overview of Rich's issues and I tried to give the most efficient version possible. They decided to give him antibiotics for a possible abscess, though his white count was not high. It took two days to rehydrate him.

They didn't have injectable or IV Thorazine in the hospital, so we still haven't cured his hiccups. The Thorazine pills will slow them down and at least help him sleep, but they don't fix it.

The pressure on his belly, makes it so his lower fistula has started increasing output. And it makes it hard to take deep breaths. And the hiccups make it hard to sleep or breath well.

We stayed in the hospital from Sunday evening until Wednesday afternoon. Just in time to pick up our sick kid from the school on the way home from the hospital. Rich is home now and eating again. But I'm staying vigilant to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated again.

Meanwhile, Rich has started having larynx spasms. They are not life threatening but are terrifying. His epiglottis slams shut and he can't breath or speak for about 20 seconds. We have no explanation for that other than possibly the hiccups are sparking it or the acid reflux. There is no treatment other than to hold your breath and not panic. Easier said than done.

We are due to go to Nashville next Wednesday. He's behind on his treatment because he hasn't been able to walk, let alone get on a plane.

So the current status is Ian's fever is gone but he can't go to school until Friday. Rich is sleeping and I have to harass him to drink fluids, eat, and take his meds. He still has the hiccups. I have finally succumb to a cold, so I'm taking Mucinex every four hours. I'm washing everything in the house.

I keep talking to the lovely ladies in Nashville to keep them appraised of the situation. We're all still in one piece and alive here.