Simon Sez: Scary Stuff

Bumps and bruises all up his forehead.

So, Simon was in the hospital last week, again. Another fever. Seems he's been in the hospital way more than he's been home the last month and a half. I think I'd get depressed if I tried to really figure it out. Anyway, it's really starting to get the better of him, his dad, and me. But I feel the worst for Simon. He's beyond frustrated and bored and angry. I don't blame him one bit. He's developed a nasty habit for banging his head when he's upset. He does it in the shopping cart. He does it in the bath. He does it in the living room. And now he's really started doing it in the hospital. You know that alien from Star Trek in the 90's that had the ridges all up his forehead? That's what Simon started to look like because he'd just smack his head on the crib all day. I told everyone that came in. No one cared in the least except one nurse who said something about his platelets. He's taken to screaming when nurses come in. He freaks out if they come near him.

Sunday night was awful. He screamed bloody murder. He arched his back. He fought with everything in him and could only now and then be comforted by me. I demanded to see a doctor since I am almost never around when they stop by in the morning. Blaine and I had had enough of watching our dear boy descend deeper and deeper into his own personal hell. We got that his white counts were non-existent. But there comes a time when being in the hospital does more harm than good. We had definitely reached that point. I don't think I'd ever met the doctor before. I was almost hysterical myself. My boy was hurting himself and no one cared. No one even bothered to look at him. This doctor was no different. "His ANC (white cells) are still zero so he has no way to fight off infection... blah blah blah etc. etc. etc. and so on." I don't care! My boy can not take another day in this place. And neither could the husband or I.

I left that morning enraged. I did have a chance to check with the nurse who said his ANC was 10. But I still had no assurance he'd be able to leave. It was Halloween. We had so been looking forward to Trunk or Treat at church which we missed. And now I had to tell my husband to make sure he took Simon trick or treating at the hospital. That may well have been his only chance. It hurt more than I can say to have to leave for work and miss his whole Halloween. When I got to work our social worker called. I unloaded on her. Long story short, I'm not thrilled with a lot of the people at TCH. The good news is they let Blaine take him home if he promised we'd bring him back if he got a fever again.

I swore I was leaving work at 6:00. That didn't work out. I hurried home and picked up Blaine and Simon and we rushed to Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt's house before Simon got really grumpy. He was so adorable in his Charlie Brown tshirt. He had a ghost bag for all his candy. I can't believe how grown up he seems. I just love these pictures of him and Blaine outside at the grandparent's house.