Whew

Our hemophilia nurse called and said we were exactly right to treat the "bleed" the way we did. Since R's arm seems fine now, we wonder if it ever was a bleed! In any case, we're relieved that for now, at least, we're still doing factor every other day.

Another reason that's good news: R is really stressing out over every infusion. He gets everything set up, but when it's time to stick, he starts to panic. Sometimes he'll put the needle right up to his skin, just millimeters from it, and have to back up and start over. For Wednesday's infusion, he got a bubble (lost the vein, which means the factor goes under the skin instead of into the bloodstream). This led to a big meltdown. He gets so frustrated sometimes, and we can't blame him! We start our positive talk (how wonderful it is to have factor, how we know he can get through his), and eventually he dries his eyes and is good to go. As soon as he gets a good stick, R's mood brightens completely. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is right with the world.

All infusions aren't quite so dramatic. On some days, like today, he hits the vein in one stick, the factor goes in smoothly, and the whole process is no more stressful than brushing teeth. (But don't get me starting about how R and K feel about brushing their teeth!)