What a bad birthday...

Yeah, it was Noah's 11th birthday this weekend and he basically spent it at the hospital here in Smithers.
He was discharged on Tuesday afternoon and we spent the night at Shaughnessy Village, a Bed and Breakfast close to the hospital, a place where many people stay when they have medical appointments. That night I had a really hard time getting him to eat or drink anything because his throat was really sore, which I thought was due to his cold, but in actual fact was due to the many sores that were breaking out in his mouth and throat. (Albert and Karen, you hit it right on with your last comment) Things kinda just spiralled downward from there. He sprouted 4 or 5 sores just inside his bottom lip, and some under his tongue and all down his throat. He was absolutely miserable. He wouldn't eat or drink anything and then, even when he did eat or drink, he couldn't keep it down! We found out later that it was because he was so dehydrated. I was so worried about him; he looked so awful. He slept a lot, and coughed a lot and blew his nose a lot, and he had and extremely pale face with dark circles around his eyes and big scabs on his lips. If we even mentioned eating or drinking, he would burst into tears. It was heart-wrenching. I felt so bad for him, especially on Saturday. He threw up in the morning and I hugged him and he started to cry against my chest. I said, "This really sucks." and he said, "And it's my birthday!!!" : (
We decided after supper that he couldn't go on like this. He hadn't peed all day and he hadn't eaten or had anything to drink basically for two days. We called Children's and they told us to take him to emerg so we did that - after he opened his birthday presents, of course. (His favorite gift? A huge Star Wars Lego set from Aunty Karen and Uncle Greg.) They gave him fluids and did some bloodwork and realized that not only was he dehydrated, he was anemic! His hemoglobin was WAY too low, so he needed a transfusion. Problem was, they didn't have any blood; they had to order it from Vancouver, and it had to come in the next morning on the 10:00 flight! How crazy is that? What happens if there is a big accident or something and they have no blood? I have to say I found that kind of odd, to say the least.
Nevertheless, Noah got his transfusion yesterday afternoon and he has really perked up. He actually smiled and made a joke last night! We celebrated his birthday with a pizza dinner and an ice cream cake that someone anonymously bought for him at Dairy Queen! It was a very cool surprise. That also brought a smile to his face. So, if that was you, thank you very much, it was much appreciated and he even ate a piece!
He woke up this morning refreshed and much happier, though he is still quite pale and speaking very quietly. His sores are starting to go away so he ate a little bit and drank a cup of tea. (Yay!) He spent the morning building lego, and plans to go with Tom to the archery grounds to use his new compound bow and arrows that Tom gave him. We are thanking the Lord for hospitals and blood transfusions this week. Although I am feeling quite bad for Karen and Greg, who are visiting from Toronto, because we have done much of anything, aside from shopping! Hopefully we can do a short hike or go golfing or something yet before they go home...
Noah is supposed to go for blood work on Wednesday and he has an appointment for Friday morning in Vancouver. However, I called his nurse this morning to discuss this weekend with her and she said that if he any sores or is feeling unwell at all, they will delay the next round of treatment until he is feeling better. Also, they won't be so quick to send him home when he is done next time. He will still be discharged after 4 days, but he will have to stick around Vancouver in case it happens again. Apparently, it could be worse next time. Yikes. I hope I never see him looking that bad ever again.
I think we also need to be more vigilant with handwashing and if any of us have colds etc., to be very careful around him. For some reason, whenever we come home, Tom is sick, and Noah picks it up. Hopefully we can avoid any preventable illnesses in the future. I think if he hadn't had this cold, things wouldn't have been as bad as they were. Still bad, just not AS bad.... maybe.

On the bright side, we have been having a bit of fun, too. We have been having a nice time with Karen and Greg, I have been spending some time helping Emily set up her new Facebook account which was fun (yes, we have relented and let our baby girl join us in the 21st century, lol), and we have been playing a lot of games together, which hasn't happened for a very long time! At this very moment, Alyson and Miranda have been allowed to enter the sacred dwelling place of the teenager and they are listening to music. I love it!

Hopefully I will have something a bit more positive to report soon!