Update 5/20/09

I had a great picture add to this post that was taken earlier today and completely explains without words how Beckham's day has gone, but I am unable to post it with this laptop (Nate has the good laptop with him at the Ronald McDonald House), so I will try to do the same without it. Beckham had a very stable, positive, angry, sluggish, and hopeful day. I'll explain...

Stable: He remained very stable, with labs indicating that the course of action the doctors have chosen to fight both his ITP and Hemolytic Anemia are indeed doing something...whether this continues is still unknown, but we're are remaining very hopeful.

Positive: Beckham's blood transfusions were stopped last night with the plan of checking his hemoglobin in 12 hours to see what his body would do with the new red blood cells (his levels were at 5 at that time). When labs were re-checked tonight, they indicated that his hemoglobin had stayed the same at 5. This was just what the doctors wanted to see, as did Nate and myself. There was actually a wave of cheers from the doctors, nurses, and us, when these results were revealed. Platelet levels were unavailable again due to the fact that they once again clumped in the process. I asked if this was concerning that they continually clump, and was told that this is expected with such low hemoglobin, but I was also told that in order for platelets to clump there has to be at least 20 to do so. At least we know his level is above 20! We'll take that!

Angry: Beckham is now once again full of "roid rage," as his high steroid doses have kicked in, causes him to once again act like an angry teenager, blaming everyone for his problems and taking it out on anyone who crosses his path. We have lovingly nicknamed him "captain angry" during these steroid periods. His steroids have also once again kicked his appetite into gear, which is very welcome because Beck has refused to eat for almost 3 days.

Sluggish: With this little increase in his hemoglobin, Beckham wants to once again move around and act like a normal 21 month old, but is unable to because of the weak state of his body. He did have much more energy than the last couple of days, but he is still quite weak and unable to walk without support. He once again spent most of the day curled up in the recliner watching movies (and making demands to anyone who walks past him).

Hopeful: After it was discovered that Beck's hemoglobin had remained stable at 5, the doctors had discussed transferring us to the floor, but soon decided against it because 5 is still quite a low number and his is still very ill. Tomorrow is the planned date for us to move to the floor if he remains stable and his levels do not drop. We are filled with hope at this news, and can't wait for the next step to be news of taking our little buy and going to our home in West Des Moines.

With all of these things aside, we still understand that Beckham is a very sick baby, with lots and lots to recover from. We also know that this will not be something that he will be cured from completely, but will most likely reoccur multiple times in his lifetime. Of course this is not an easy fact to swallow, and we have cried many tears over this fact (you should see my swollen eyes for proof...thank goodness for make-up!), but I know that Beckham wants to fight, and he wants to live. He is worth every tear, every hospital stay, and every penny that we have....and not just because he is freaking cute!

Lots of love!
-Beckham & Co.