Need prayers for my son. He may be hospitalized Saturday.

[Cathy in IL]

I knew my 4 year old was not doing well. He doesn't have a fever or any specific complaints, but he has been so irritable and just not right. His hematologist sent him for labs today. The tech couldn't get any blood with three attempts, so they sent him up to the ER. Thankfully the nurse there knows my son well and was able to get the blood with only one more poke. His hemaglobin was low, but not too out of the norm for him. the concerning part is that his retic count is low. This indicates that his bone marrow is not producing enough red blood cells.

He had this back in May. Last week the baby I was caring for had red cheeks and red hands. I thought it was just the cold wind, but now I am wondering if she had Fifth Disease. Fifth Disease is not big deal for a typical child, but for a child with sickle cell it can be very serious. I hadn't been too concerned when I saw the baby's ccheeks because I didn't think you could catch it twice. The ER doctor said it can be caught more than once.

So now the plan is to return to the ER Saturday for more bloodwork. If it gets any lower, he will have to be admitted for blood transfusions. I really hope he doesn't have to go through all this again, but I don't feel too optimistic.

[Sharon in SC]

Cathy,
I have prayed for your son! I trust the Lord to keep your family under His thumbprint in the days to come...
Blessings,
Sharon

[MaryM]

So Sorry Cathy. May God give you the strength to handle all of this and hopefully it won't require those transfusions.

Mary

[WTMindy]

Praying for you now!

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

Cathy, I'm so sad for your baby. Prayers that if the inevitable happens, all goes well and he his home soon.

I didn't know Fifth Disease could be caught more than once either, and I've been dealing with kid germs for 18 years. I hope you aren't beating yourself up over that.

Barb

[Canada_Mom]

You and your son are in my prayers too.

[*LC]

Praying for better news this weekend.

LC

[Karenciavo]

{{Cathy}} May God give the doctors wisdom and be with you all.

[Chris in CA]

Praying here as well
(((hugs)))

[Tia in Wa]

Also praying for you both.

[Michelle T]

Prayers going up.
Michelle T

[Jean in Newcastle]

Praying for you.

[Brigitte]

Thoughts with you and your son.

[GreenKitty]

Praying here.

[Jackie in AR]

(((Cathy)))

Praying for you and your son now.

Let us know if he has to be admitted or not.

[MoniMoni]

(((Cathy))) Praying...

Moni

[TCoppock]

How scary I will pray for you and your son.

[Jean too]

Praying for your ds.

[Pster]

You and your son will be in my prayers.....

[Cathy in IL]

We are still at home, but when we are in the hospital, I cannot always post on the boards. There is a computer in his room, but there are limitations as to what I can do on it. If I cannot post here, I can post on his Care Page. If you want to see my son's journey and get the latest updates on his health, feel free to check out his Care Page. Just go to carepages.com. You will have to register, but it is free. Then you can put in his carepage name which is THELITTLEENGINETHATCOULD.

Thanks for caring thoughts and prayers. Looking at him this morning, it is really hard to believe his counts are down. Hopefully that is a good sign!

[Andie]

So now the plan is to return to the ER Saturday for more bloodwork. If it gets any lower, he will have to be admitted for blood transfusions. I really hope he doesn't have to go through all this again, but I don't feel too optimistic.

We'll be praying for him, Cathy.

[Serendipity]

Praying here, Cathy. Hugs to you and your son and family.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

My prayers and thoughts are with you and your ds. Please keep us posted when you can about how he is.

[DB in NJ]

I'm so sorry, hon. I'll be praying for you all.

[momtolgd]

Also praying here for your son, you and your family.

[Amy in Orlando]

Prayers here for all of you, Cathy.

[Unicorn]

Prayers for you and your little guy!

[4pillars]

So sorry to hear this. I have prayed for you and your son. I pray that the Prince of Peace will bring peace through this situation.

[Tammyla]

Prayers for the two of you, and the girls.