The Ominous Hair Talk

7/13/2011:  4:47 PM



feeling sick and tired

Simply understated: awful last night and morning. The docs have been adjusting Davis's medications.  One of the chemo meds is causing Davis to have severe jaw pain.  The side effect causes nerve inflammation and irritation.  There are times that Davis can't chew or talk. He has been taking pain medication every four hours to help out until the medicine that treats that side effect starts working. The chemo is starting to upset Davis's stomach.  He rarely wants to eat, but he has to eat to keep the medicine down. It is a vicious cycle. While the doctors are letting the chemo work, they are managing the symptoms of the side effects.  Davis will be taking 8-10 different medications and chemo at home and will come once a week to the clinic to get his IV chemo.



sis. lisa, davis, pastor shine



The Hair Talk . . . Davis loves his hair. He has always fought haircuts.  He loves his hair so much that he even packed a squirt bottle, so he could wet down and style his hair every day. So naturally, we were dreading the hair talk.  Kyle had hoped to conquer the hair talk at home.  He was going to let Davis shave his head before Davis had his head shaved or have a head shaving party as our church has done in the past. Davis is a very smart young man, and we were sure that he had already figured it out. Today, the nurse was talking to Davis's roommate about hair loss. Davis asked Kyle if he (Davis) would lose his hair. Kyle assured him he would probably lose his hair.  Davis responded, "Well, I could lose a little in the back, but I want the front to stay like this. I like my bangs." I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. If only chemo patients could pick and choose where they lost their hair and how much they lost. God timed our visitors perfectly, because our ministers, Pastor Shine and Sister Lisa, walked in as did Davis's child life specialist, Lauren. (Child life specialists are people who explain terminology in kid terms.  They are educator-types who look after the psychological well-being of the child.) We reassured Davis that he would be allowed to wear hats and caps almost always, and he was ok with it. Whew!  We are amazed at how well that went. 



We skyped for the first time this morning. Grandma Marylee helped the cousins skype and Great Grandma Coffey even visited with Davis for a few minutes. We hope to skype other family members when Davis feels up to it.

uncle terry, aunt bev, and christina
stopped in for a visit

Home . . . As of now, we are at track to go home on Friday.  Davis will have a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration to check the chemo progress and a spinal tap to place more chemo in his spinal fluid.  He will also get his IV chemo treatments (the nastier ones).  If all goes well (and we are praying and believing that it will) and he does not develop a fever, we will be released.  We will still come back once a week or more for treatments and transfusions, but we will be sleeping in our own beds again. It will take some time to adjust to the "new" normal. We will be going fewer places, scanning visitors carefully, watching diets and food intake, and monitoring Davis non-stop, but these are super small inconveniences working towards a much bigger and more important goal - a healthy son.

We continue to love and appreciate the support and prayers.  The texts, FB messages, blog posts, phone calls, cards, visits have been uplifting and are valued.  We are still counting the days until remission knowing the medicine will work and God will provide.  We still need the prayers for healing and strength.  This the hardest thing we have ever faced, and we often wonder how families do this without the support of family, friends, church family, community, and without faith in God.  We are eternally grateful for what we have.

Keep you posted.