We had planned to get out of the hospital on time Friday and go out for a dinner date to one of the only 2 restaurants in town that might be able to accommodate 'Lou's remaining restrictions: Watercourse or City O City.
Our dinner was hardly begun before 'Lou experienced severe pain related to the complications his long-term eczema has caused to his foreskin. We went straight back to the hospital for his bedtime soak and the Dr. on duty examined him. It wasn't quite an urgent care situation and the bath helped to soothe his discomfort, so we just did his bedtime wrap routine (just hands and feet now) and came back to the hotel.
By morning, his symptoms had completely abated so we were able to plan a fun outing to the Denver Aquarium with friends who happened to be visiting Denver at the same time as 'Lou's hospitalization.
We still hope to make it to the Zoo, (country's only mountainside one!) which is totally free for NJH patients.
Friday I was able to get all 3 of 'Lou's required soak and seals in, Saturday I did 2 but slathered him up with cream in a bathroom at a restaurant to tide him over.
Saturday night he woke up at 4 am in our hotel room, scratching and crying for over an hour.
We both had gotten stuffy noses and I was head-achy. If I could make any improvements to NJH and this program, one would be that they buy a building near the hospital and make their own allergy-friendly suites - with no carpet - to rent to patients and their families. Another would be the hospital menu.
We tried to tell the weekend food manager about green smoothes and got a cantaloupe and spinach watery, frothy mess. But I digress.
We couldn't get back to sleep this morning at 4 am, so we packed up our laundry that needed washing and headed to the hospital with 'Lou still in his bedtime feet and hand wraps. We arrived and did laundry, gave him his morning soak and slathering, ordered breakfast from the kitchen and promptly took a 3 hour nap in the clean, chemical and allergen free, bright and sunny room they have held for us.
Wanting to spend as little time in the hotel room as possible, we checked out Cherry Creek Mall near the hospital and 'Lou got to burn off some energy in the play area. I wanted to wait until the fiercest part of the 102 degree heat burned off and then maybe swim in the hotel pool.
In the meantime, I stopped by the giant Rite-Aid in the mall parking lot and asked if they had a spare box in the back I could have. I got lucky and scored a fairly large one. Now I can ship home some of the things we've gotten that won't fit into our luggage. Toys he gets as rewards at the hospital, supplies they give us like 1 lb tubs of aquaphor, nasal irrigation kits, etc...
We came home and swam and then watched our 1st Denver thunderstorm through our hotel room glass doors. Tomorrow we have an appointment with a urologist at Denver Children's Hospital and then should be having some more food challenges and/or scratch tests done.
I wish we had more time to explore some of the fun stuff here - they have tons of it. There's a huge amusement park and water park near the Aquarium, as well as a Children's Museum. The people here are easygoing and friendly, (courteous drivers here, too!) though everyone is sad and in shock about the shooting at the 'Batman' premiere right now. Everywhere we go, someone knows someone who was there and President Obama was here today to meet with the survivors.
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