And the Downward Spiral of Dropping Counts Continue

01/20/2012: 11:40 AM

What a week. Davis came home from school sick on Tuesday. He was extremely tired and had an upset stomach. We spent the day waiting to see what it was going to be. The steroids cause major acid reflux and tummy upset, and the stomach flu has been going around. The side effects of the steroids combined with not feeling well sent Davis into an irritable rage which lasted the greater part of the afternoon.  It was awful. Thankfully, the upset stomach was caused by the medication and not a virus. He never developed any other symptoms, including a fever.

science homework.

On Wednesday morning, Annakate woke up with a fever. Her belly was upset. She also had a terrible headache and some dizziness. Kyle got Davis off to school, and I tended to Annakate. A quick trip to the doctor confirmed that Annakate had a sinus infection and a stomach bug. Since it was unclear if the fever was caused by the sinus infection or the upset tummy, it was recommended that we played it on the safe side. Kyle and Davis went to stay with my in-laws for a couple of days, and Annakate and I stayed at home. It is not ideal, but we know of a few families who are fighting cancer who do this, and it seems to work for them. Annakate has been on antibiotics and has been fever-free since Wednesday, so Kyle and Davis will be back at home tonight.

I know it may seem that we go to the doctor a lot, and we do. Well, Davis goes to the doctor a lot. With Annakate, we don't feel like we have the luxury of the mind-over-matter or the let's-ride-it-out thinking anymore. Every illness that Annakate gets is a critical risk to Davis. A simple cold or flu bug can jeopardize Davis' life. I think that is one of the things I dislike the most about this experience (not that there aren't many).

my poor baby is miserable in this picture

Davis has been dragging in terms of energy. We were sure that by the way he was acting his hemoglobin had dropped and he would need a transfusion.  However, I received a call from clinic this morning, and his counts aren't too bad.  They sure aren't great, but no transfusion as of now. His hemoglobin was 9.5 (healthy is over 15, and Davis is transfused between 7 and 8), platelets were 75 (transfuse at 10). His biggest count hit was to his white blood cells and ANC. His white blood cells are 0.7 (healthy is between 5 and 10, and his count last week was 1.3), and his ANC is 105 (healthy is over 1500, and his ANC last week was 494). So now we pray and pray some more and hold our breaths. The white blood cells, where Davis' cancer is, can not be transfused. The body has to produce them on its own. The ANC is a combination of neutrophils and white blood cells. There is nothing physically one can do to raise an ANC. No food or exercise can change it. Rest or avoiding germy places doesn't bring it up either. The body has to recover these types of counts on its own. 

We aren't sure why Davis is feeling so lethargic as of late.We will keep an eye on him, of course.

Obviously, with Davis' ANC being 105, we won't be doing a whole lot this weekend.  We are looking forward to interacting as a family again.  We don't mind the slower pace, especially since it has been feeling more like winter.

We will go to Sarah Bush for another CBC on Thursday. If Davis' counts don't improve, chemo may be postponed next week. Because of his spinal tap, he is required to have platelets over 75 (which can be transfused prior to the procedure) and an ANC of 750 or higher. The chemo is making it harder and harder for Davis' body to recover from the treatments. His body is just worn down. Although it breaks our hearts to see our little boy so weak and sick, it is a comfort to know that the chemotherapy is doing what it is supposed to be doing and that the means justify the end result.

We thank you again and always for praying for Davis and for our family. While we have only been fighting cancer for a little over six months, it feels like it has been much longer. And although I appreciate all of the lessons and blessings that cancer has brought into our lives, I long for the life we had before July 8th. I laugh a little when I think back to the times I thought I was really stressed . . . papers to grade, shuttling kids to activities, Wal-Mart runs, late nights, messy house . . . Life was really simple and easy; I was the one complicating it. I know that when our lives resume to a better sense of normal, I will have a whole new perspective on priorities and stress.

I think I forgot to tag a quote to the end of the last entry, so I am going to add two today.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.  -Ambrose Redmoon

That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens or the best, which it assuredly does not. -James K. Feibleman

We will keep you posted.