D+38: When good techs go bad

WBC 1.0
ANC 640

Today was pretty uneventful. The counts aren't exactly rocketing up, but they aren't going down either. With the low-grade fever and pokey counts, it seems like there must be something behind the scenes working against Ryan. Maybe a virus or bacterial infection that hasn't quite announced itself yet. Hopefully, Ryan can keep it at bay with his emerging immune system and the antiviral/antibiotic drugs.

I won't name names, but Cheryl had it out with one of the PCTs (patient care technician) today. I'm not sure what the tech's deal is, but she can't seem to remember the rule about putting on a gown and gloves before she comes into the room to check Ryan's vitals. We complain about it, but the issue persists. As an aside, we are consistently told that the gown and gloves are to protect other patients from Ryan. The implication being that we need not be concerned about it if people break the rules. Well, guess what? If they're not following the rules in Ryan's room, what do you think the odds are that they are following them in other patients' rooms? At any rate, Cheryl got medieval on this tech in the afternoon when she noticed her coming out of the room without gown and gloves. The funny part is that they are supposed to take that stuff off before they leave the room, so it's possible that she actually followed the rules for once. No matter. I'm sure she could use the reminder.

Finally, a bit of feel good news. The girl next door just returned from a 3-week stint in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). Kids don't always come back from there, so we are quite happy for her and her family.