12.27.13: 10:15 PM
Three months have passed. My lack of updates have not been deliberate. We have just been busy. . . thankfully.
I figure I would do my best to update you through pictures. Let's start with October. . .
Despite her opposition, Annakate competed in another TaeKwonDo tournament. She did so well. She placed second in form and first in sparring. She really has a knack for sparring. We were very proud of her.
At the very end of September, Davis played in his piano recital. He never ceases to amaze us. He is really blossoming into a great pianist. I am really please that he has stuck with it so long.
Davis received another spinal. Even though he has received well over thirty at this point, I still watch him be put under every time. My heart doesn't hang out in my throat like it used to, but it hasn't become too much easier to watch either.
Davis marched with the middle school marching band on Band Night. He was a bit too short for the drum harness which caused some leg bruising. I felt so sorry for the kids. It was seriously thirty degrees max out there.
Annakate was a sock hop girl for Halloween. She was super cute.
Davis had an opportunity to go deer hunting at the beginning of November with the USSA (United Special Sportsman Alliance). It is an amazing organization designed to pair and assist students with life threatening illnesses and conditions with avid and skilled hunters. Davis had no luck last year; he actually came home with a concussion from a scope smacking him in the head. This year, his luck changed. He filled both tags in a matter of hours of being out. He shot a doe first and not long after shot a spiked buck. He loved it!
Annakate celebrated her tenth birthday in November. I can't believe that she is double-digits already.
If you know Annakate at all, you have probably noticed that she is a bit grown-up for her age. I always joke that she is sixteen trapped in a ten-year-old body. This year for her birthday, she wanted a shopping trip. The above picture is at 2:00 pm. Not so grown up after all, I guess.
In November, Davis started complaining on generic symptoms: headache, dizziness, belly ache. over a period of a couple of weeks and a few doctor's appointments, a chest x-ray and blood work was ordered. Davis had pneumonia.
After Thanksgiving, we went up to Wisconsin for my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. It was so wonderful to see my family, most of whom I have not seen for over eight years. I forget how much I miss my family until we are together.
Davis' November chemo went well. Pretty routine. He has been doing so well (weight gain, high immune system), the oncologist increased all of his chemo to 100%. The last time he was at 100%, he was hospitalized for fourteen days. That was nearly two years ago. The oncologist has been inching his meds up ever since.
We also received some pretty amazing news. Davis only has eleven months of chemo left! If I could do a back flip, I would have when I heard that. October 2014 all chemo will stop. Finally. The light at the end of this long, long tunnel.
Davis had his Christmas band concert. I loved it. It was held in the high school gym, and I couldn't help but reminiscence over the many band concerts Kyle and I had played in a gazillions years ago. Thinking back, I couldn't have imagined then that one day I would have a son playing percussion in the same spot that I once did.
About the time that all of the Christmas programs started happening, winter welcomed us. It was beautiful, and we were able to get a snow day out of it. Plus, the slush and the temps didn't stick around too long. Well, I am sure they will return, but I couldn't resist the beauty of the snow.
Annakate had a wonderful program. It was our last one at Ashmore Elementary. She did a wonderful job playing her recorder and singing with her class.
Annakate's school Christmas program was over just in time for her to focus her efforts on the church Christmas musical, "Alice in Bethlehem". Annakate was the Duchess. She was pretty excited about her solo. She did such a good job. All of the children did.
Davis was sick for most of December. He continued to suffer from non-descrip symptoms: dizziness, headache, stomach ache. The most daunting symptom was fatigue. He would sleep a full night sleep and then need to come home from school to take a nap for a couple of hours. Since Davis was not experiencing a fever, the pediatrician thought he might be suffering from some type of virus. No one knew for sure.
By the 15th of December, Davis was sleeping fifteen hours a day, and he was turning yellow. This past Friday, the 20th, Davis went back to Children's for chemo. The oncologist ran additional blood tests and ordered a liver scan. Davis was definitely jaundice. The doctors needed to determine if the jaundice was being caused by the chemo, a virus, or a combination of both. The liver scan determined no lesions or masses. We had to wait for the blood test results. The doctors cut back his port chemo to 25% and suspended all of his oral chemo.
Earlier this week, we received word that most viruses were ruled out, so chemo was the culprit for he jaundice. Davis has continued to improve in color and in energy over the last week. Strangely, he has puffed up. He is on prednisone (for five days), but in the last two years, he has never puffed up like this. We are assuming that because of his liver issues, he is processing the prednisone slower than he has in the past. We plan on talking to the doctor on Monday. Yesterday, he had another blood test done. The results revealed that his liver function are within the normal limits, but his platelets are low. So his chemo has been held for another week. We will repeat the blood test next week. Hopefully, his platelets will be up and we will resume chemo.
Kyle and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful children. We continue to believe in God for a complete healing. We know that God has His hand on Davis, protecting his liver and healing him from cancer.
May God richly bless you and your family as He has done ours for so long.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Keep you posted.
