The Benefit of Steroids

01/06/2012: 8:30 PM

Davis is adjusting to being back on a full chemo regimen. The steroid that he is on, Dexamethasone, has caused a great deal of nausea. His face has filled out a bit (often referred to as moon face), but I like it because he looks less gaunt.

He has been off to a rocky start heading back to school. He went late on Wednesday, took a nap at school on Thursday, and stayed home (felt sick in the morning and had to leave for chemo at 11:00 AM) today. I am hoping that next week will be more consistent.

Davis had chemo today. It was a quick visit. He received two chemo treatments via IV (port) push. His weight has declined just a tad: 62 pounds. What surprised us the most was that his counts are awesome. We are aware that many of the chemo meds that he is on now cause count drops, so we were expecting Davis to be neutropenic (ANC below 500). What we didn't know was that the Dexamethasone that Davis has been on increases counts, so we are not seeing the count drop like we were anticipating. Davis' white blood cells are the highest they have been since I can remember at 4.7, and his ANC (immune system) is 4183 (normal is over 1500).  Yay! 

The doctors are still tracking Davis' kidney and liver function.  He seems to have recovered from his incredibly low calcium and protein reads from October and November. And a month or two ago, we were seeing some abnormal test results in his liver function, and now it seems that the CMP is reflecting some abnormal test results in his kidney function. However, "abnormal" is relative. The levels are completing normal and expected for the treatments he has received. The doctors use the CMP results to modify the chemo doses if necessary, and so far, Davis hasn't had to have doses modified for problems with kidney and/or liver function. I still pray that the medications he is receiving don't do long-term damage to his organs.

Well, it seems that the three-week break from chemo allowed for some time for Davis' hair to begin to grow back. Many of the chemo meds that Davis started last week cause hair loss, and we have already started to see the long hair that he had kept for so long start to fall out. We are not sure if the new growth will stay or how much of the longer hair will go.  Thankfully, Davis doesn't seem to mind anymore.

We are to meet with a new psychologist on Monday. Davis will be on medication for the next 2 1/2 years - and maybe longer - and he still can't swallow a pill. Brain block. We are hoping that Davis is willing to work with the psychologist to eventually overcome this pill-swallowing phobia. In the meanwhile, we will continue to use liquid medication and crush pills when liquid medication is not available.

Davis will head back to St. Louis on Friday for another round of chemo. We are praying that Davis keeps tolerating the chemo well and that his counts stay strong.

I am working on the little video with the Team Davis pictures that have been sent to me. If you haven't and still want to, there is time. You can send them to me via facebook or my email at abcoffey77@gmail.com. I think he is going to love it.

We appreciate all of the support, love, and prayers that have been sent our way. God's goodness and your encouragement seems to keep us moving forward with our heads held high and smiles on our faces. We still appreciate the positive thoughts and prayers, because there are still so many worries now and ahead.

My students know well that I am quite a fan of quotes. I spend a great deal of time looking for the perfect quote to write on my board each day. Perfect for the kids who needed to read and ponder it. I miss that. When Davis was adjusting to his new circumstances after diagnosis, I would write a quote or scripture on a post-it every day and add it to his wall by his bed. I never knew if he read them or not until he quoted one to me many weeks later. I got away from adding them to his wall, but I am going to take it up again. Sometimes the best wisdom are the words of someone else. I figured this month I would add a quote to the blog when I can. 

Here is the first one I put on his wall:

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails. Author Unknown

We will keep you posted.

I tried to throw some pictures on here, but something wasn't working properly. I will be sure to add the pics from the last couple days to the next blog entry.