Yay! School

8/19/2011: 12:19 AM

And I thought my life was crazy before cancer.

The kids started school the day before yesterday. They both love it. Yesterday, I presented a little powerpoint to Davis's class. He was supposed to help me, but he left me high and dry. The presentation covered some basic questions kids might have (What is leukemia? Why does Davis wear a mask? How did he get it? etc.), but the focus on the presentation was to inform the kids of the importance of good hygiene and not coming to school sick. The kids were so attentive. We learned hand washing techniques, wiped down tables, and wore masks to see how Davis felt in them. I just love how they embraced the extra lengths we are going to in order to make Davis safe at school. Kudos to these fantastic children for adapting so well and looking after Davis.

Later on Wednesday, Davis had to go to Sarah Bush to get his weekly CBC count. The last few visits, we have run into problems with his blood clotting. It happened again this week. He hates when this happens because it means another finger prick. On the second draw, the nurse used this new gadget that actually pulls the blood off of his finger, puts it in the tube, and circulates air in it to keep it from clotting. Pretty cool. We are requesting it from now on. 

Today was Davis's first full day of school. His chemo destroys his appetite, and he refused to eat breakfast.  Unfortunately, he still has to take his morning medication. He ended up with a rotten belly ache. On top of that, he had a horrible headache that he couldn't shake. I dropped him off at his room and made sure he was situated and then headed out. Unbeknownest to him, I busied myself at his school by helping the school nurse with some paperwork. This allowed me to check up on him, give him his space, and be close by if needed. Total win-win. With the exception of a little sleepiness, Davis had a perfect day. He loves his teachers, class mates, . . . everything.

I got a call from the doctor's office today with his counts from his CBC.  Overall, the numbers were pretty good. His white blood cells were still low at 2.2 (normal is about 5, I think). His ANC (immune system) was up to 1700 (above 1500 is considered healthy), which is very uncharacteristic.  His hemologlobin took quite a hit, and he had dropped to a but above 7, so he will receive a pint and a half of blood tomorrow morning. That completely explains the headaches that he has been experiencing the last couple of days.

awesome new gadget

With the blood transfusion pushed to 8:00 in the morning, we had to rush home to get packed for the weekend (Davis has chemo the next four days).  We received a phone call minutes after we settled in. It was one of those you've-got-to-be-kidding-me phone calls. Sadly, our credit card was compromised somewhere or somehow, and we had a couple of thousand dollars charged to our account over the last couple of days. Luckily, we are not being held responsible for the fraudulent charges, but we are without a credit card. Kyle is wonderful about calling the proper people and places to make sure this issue was resolved. It's odd though; even though it is all working out, I still feel a bit violated. I comfort myself by thinking that some deserving child out there received a really nice computer and a couple of pairs of new tennis shoes to help him/her at the start of school. 

The inconsistency of routine caused by living with cancer is really beginning to wear on Annakate. She struggles with homesickness. She wants to attend every single doctor's appointment in an effort to keep us in sight. She has no desire to be away from us. She has been coming with us for most of the appointments and procedures, but now that school has started, it is impractical. She listens to reason, and I explain to her, "Now Annakate, if you had to go to the doctor's office and then get a spinal tap, you would want Mommy and Daddy with you, wouldn't you? We will be home as soon as we possibly can." She nods politely, not making eye contact. She understands, but it doesn't make it easier. I couldn't agree with her feelings more. I hate to be away from her. 



1st day of school



Tomorrow will be a full day for Davis. He will receive a blood transfusion, be fitted for his radiation mask, have a chemo treatment, and then have a LP (lumbar puncture) to place chemo into his central nervous system. I am ready to have it behind us.

We feel that the only explanation for Davis doing so well with his treatments thus far is because of the prayer that has been offered up on our behalf.  We love and appreciate your prayers so very much. You should know that they are working.  We ask that you continue to pray against short term/long term side effects, but most importantly for the healing and the CURE, as that is our ultimate desire. We will continue to praise God through this storm. It seems that blessings are far more noticeable than they used to be.

Thank you for your continued support.

We will keep you posted.