Blood Transfusion

Today Jackson got his first blood transfusion and the nurse warned me that it might freak me out to see a bag of blood hanging from the IV pole. Surprisingly I did fine. The blood seemed to give Jackson more energy and he was very talkative when his friends Lucy and Hailey came to visit.

Today was a good day in comparison to the past several days. Jackson is still in a considerable amount of pain, but his energy level has increased like I mentioned above. The nose/suction tube seems to help a HUGE amount with stomach pain, but Jackson's biggest complaint is that he is thirsty. He can't eat or drink anything, and although the IV keeps him hydrated, he is still craving something to drink.

Jackson's hair is falling out at a rapid pace now. I would say he is 75% bald at this point. The back of his head is bald from where his head rubs against his pillow, and the top is bald where he can touch, but the sides of his head still has lots of hair. The hair loss has been far more difficult for Brian and I than we thought it would be. Jackson also is pretty sensitive about it, and will not allow us to buzz his hair, he just wants to let it fall out however it wants to.

Staying at the hospital like this has been more emotionally taxing than I thought it would be- for our entire family. None of us are "great" anymore, we are simply surviving day after day.