We all possess certain characteristics and traits - good and bad - that make us who we are. Davis is very stubborn to word it mildly. (Kyle believes that this is a trait he has inherited from me, and oddly, I can't disagree.) We know that we are relying on Davis's stubbornness to fight the cancer. We weren't expecting the stubbornness to aid in his personal battle against taking medicines. I tell you, this kid hates taking medicine. It is an ordeal every time he has to take it. The nurses and doctors reassure us that he will become so used to it, he won't think much about it. I hope that is true. And if so, we could really use a fastforward button.
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| reading "fan mail": thanks for the birthday cards and well wishes! |
We are constantly teetering the fine line of food and medication. Davis's tummy hurts nearly all of the time now. We have figured out that we need to space each medication out by thirty minutes. The reason being is that if he gets sick and can't keep it down, he only has to repeat doses of the medication he took in the last thirty minutes. So at times it seems like he is taking medicine for hours. Some medicines require food and for others, it doesn't matter, so we are figuring out how to time meals with certain medications. This part alone feels like a full time job right now.
Nights are rough. Last night, Davis was unable to keep some medication down and had to repeat some medication and his shower. (He actually told me to tell everyone in the blog that he puked, but I said the word puke grosses people out. ;-) ). Needless to say, he was exhausted and grouchy. We are so thankful that he sleeps well, as he is in constant need of energy. Today, Davis will receive a red blood cell transfusion because his hemoglobin dropped to 7.0. He was super excited when he heard that. It would be like one of us drinking a couple of energy drinks; it gives him that much energy, and the buzz lasts for a couple of days. We don't have the official CBC print out, but the doctor did say that he had no blasts (cancer cells) present in his blood today, and his ANC count (immune system) was 1275. Even though that is low for a healthy child, it is really high for a child on day 6 of chemo. The doctors tell us often that Davis is doing better than most kids.
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| breakfast: more ramen noodles. he eats them for every meal. no tabasco sauce on these! |
Tomorrow is a big day. He will receive all of his chemo. He will also receive a bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap. We would appreciate prayer for these procedures and treatments, because they are not easy nor are they fun. We are still praying for remission in 24 days, is it? We will know if he is heading that direction after the bone marrow biopsy tomorrow.
Our faith continues to be the source of our strength, and it seems that God provides what we need even when we don't know we need it. Our God is an awesome and mighty God, and He proves that to us daily.
Davis is truly brave. I've had to have a spinal tap and several spinal injections and I can tell you even as a adult, it is a scary thing. I agree that stubbornness can be a very good trait. Maybe we've inherited that trait from the Ingram side of the family. Mom used to say that I was stubborn just like Great Grandmother Hattie Jane (Ingram) Cox. I always liked to call it tenacity; it sounds better. I pray that Davis will tenaciously holds onto life and God's hand. I pray that God's blessing will be upon all of you.
ReplyDeleteWe know you must feel pretty bad Davis to be eating ramen noodles every meal!! We are so sorry that you are going throught this, but you are a real trooper and God must have a very special plan. It sounds like you are going to have an extra difficult day ahead of you, and want you to know that we continue to pray for comfort, strength, and healing. We want you all to come home soon!! You are always in our thoughts and prayers.......bye for now.
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