Feels Like Snow Days Around Here

10/20/2011:  9:54 PM

We were released from the hospital a day earlier than scheduled. Davis's ANC was 240 and on the climb. He was given the orders to eat and rest. He was homebound while his counts were building. The goal was to get his ANC over 750 and his platelets over 75 so that he could receive the chemo that he missed last week. 

The last two days have felt like snow days. We were all home together for huge chunks of time.  Davis couldn't go to school because of his counts, Annakate was dismissed at 10:50 every day because of parent-teacher conferences, and Kyle was in and out on account of the rain. I love it. The kids have built tents, played Wii, completed projects, wrestled, etc. It's been fun - and loud.

One of the highlights of the last couple of days was when Davis's friends, Wade, Gage, and Drew, popped by for a quick visit. They were running around in no time. Davis was able to get the scoop on what he has missed in the last two weeks at school.  I love how the boys just pick up where they left off and no matter how pale, thin, or sick Davis is; it doesn't seem to phase them. 

Davis is still struggling getting his days and nights straightened out. He goes to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 AM and attempts to sleep in until 9 or 10 AM. I try to wake him up at a decent time but it is near impossible. We send him to bed at a decent time, but he manages to keep busy with a notebook (writing and journaling) and a flashlight.  The English teacher loves this, but the mom wants him to sleep.  He has draped blankets from his top bunk down around his bottom futon bed. Then, he placed a card table inside of the tented area and draped more blankets over the card table.  It is inside the tent within tent that he sleeps. It is a struggle to check on him because of all of the blankets.  I tried to lay down in it for awhile- you know, to encourage him to go to sleep, but it was simply too small.  My days of sleeping under blanket-covered card tables are long over.  I headed back to my bed. I am sure it is a mom thing, but I can rarely sleep when my kids are awake, so I would get up and check on him every twenty minutes or so. Finally at 2:20 AM, he was out.

Annakate is doing quite well in school. We are so proud of her. I was a bit worried because we have pushed a lot of the school/homework/reading responsibilities back on her. We struggle sometimes to keep the school routine of studying for tests and reading that we kept in past grades. It is such a relief to see that she is a very bright girl who has managed to do well despite not receiving the one-on-one attention that we have given to her and her schooling in the past. 

Davis has been craving spicy foods as of late. The docs and nurses say that this is pretty normal. Chemo changes and kills the taste buds, and people tend to crave spicy food because of the taste. Davis has eaten a lot of Thai, Mexican, and chili the last couple of days. We don't mind at all. We are thankful he is eating.

Davis went to Sarah Bush and had a CBC (blood panel) and a CMP (checks metabolism and nutrients in his blood). His blood was a bit problematic. At first, it was runny and then it was clotty.  The lab tech finally was able to get enough after a few finger pricks. St. Louis called us a short while later with some awesome news. Davis's counts are making a quick comeback. His white blood cells were up from .8 to 2.8 (healthy kids range between 5 and 10). His hemoglobin was holding at 10.3. His platelets were up from 64 to 160 (healthy kids range between 150-450), and his ANC was 1148!  His ANC was 240 on Tuesday and was 0 one week ago (healthy kids are greater than 1500).  Even though his counts will take a hit from the chemo tomorrow, he is cleared to go to school on Monday as long as there are no sick children in his class. 

Tomorrow, Davis will receive his chemo via his port at 8:30 AM. He will then receive chemo via spinal right before lunch. He is still placed under anesthesia for the spinal taps.  Between 4 and 5 PM, he will be given the Peg shots, and he will be allowed to come home. Typically, there is  24 hour wait between the chemo injection via port and the Peg shots because the Pegs can weaken the effect of the methotrexate that is shot into the port.  However, they are very confident that the time they are giving between the doses is sufficient. I pray that they are right. I am still a bit nervous. The longer the wait, the better, I think.

We still continue the same fervent prayers that we have prayed from the get-go. We pray that Davis is spared from short term and long term side effects. We also pray for his overall health and the health of his classmates, so that he may attend school for as long as possible (and we want his classmates to stay healthy too. It isn't fun being sick.) Most importantly, we pray for his overll well-being, healing, and CURE.

I know I have often shared the fact that I draw strength and comfort from music. A few weeks ago, we sang a worship song at church that we sing every so often. It is pretty popular; it is called, "Healer" by Hillsong. Honestly, I had forgotten about this song until we sang it the other night. I'm not sure what it was about that night, the song, the heaviness of my heart, but it was like the song was written for me. It was as though it was crafted and existed for me when I was ready to need it. Over the last few weeks, that song has been swimming around in the back of my mind. When Davis was in the hospital and the doctors couldn't get the fever to break, when he would cry in my arms because the homesickness was too much for him to bear, when I was tired and the weariness began to deplete my patience and faith, I would sing, hum, whisper this song. I guess every person who has been on this road finds their escape - their way to cope. I think God provides me the music - the songs - because he knows best how to reach me. I am grateful.

I am attaching the lyrics and the link with the hopes that this might bless someone else who is struggling.

Healer

Hillsong's Healer

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
and heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

For me, the last line here says it all.

Again, we thank you all for everything. We appreciate and feel your positive thoughts, love, and prayers.

We will keep you posted.

Hospital Visitors: Grandpa and Grandma Fanello

Hospital Visitor: Uncle Randy Coffey

Hospital Visitors: Grandpa and Grandma Coffey

This was my view for nearly 15 hours every day
while Davis was in the hospital

The long-awaited smile. Getting ready to
leave the hospital.