September 27, 2007

We have to start giving David shots again tonight. Unfortunately, one of his blood counts had gone down far and fast from Monday, so the doctor told us that we have to start the shots again. I hate doing this from the standpoint of making the poor guy feel badly again. Hopefully we will be able to stop them again on Monday.

Last night was not a good night for the little guy. I don't know what was going on, but he wouldn't stay asleep for long periods of time. I think maybe the little bit of a cold that he has made it harder for him to be restful. Hopefully he will sleep better tonight since the cold seems to have subsided over the day today.

Monday, I will take him in for his bloodwork, and then go right across the hallway to see his normal pediatrician. This will be fine, since we love her. She is the one that caught David's condition in the first place, so she's somewhat of a hero.

Despite everything, David has continued to grow well and be fairly happy. He is rolling over now - a trick that makes him a little frustrated. He can only roll from his back to his tummy, but not the other way around, so it makes him a little mad. Last night, he was up on all fours for a few seconds. Isaac was crawling by David's age, so I hope that's not coming too soon. David is busting out of many of his smaller items of clothing, so I have had to retire them and pull out the bigger stuff - more proof that he is growing. I think the pediatrician will be impressed on Monday!

-Kim

September 25, 2007

David's counts were good enough yesterday for us to stop giving him his shots for this go around. I am particularly glad about that since I think much of his discomfort comes from them. He seems to be much happier already this morning, and he ate very very well.

The weekend was fun. We got to eat lunch on Sunday with my Mom and Grandmother. My mom let me borrow her carpet cleaner. My carpets look sooooooo much better. It was a long overdue cleaning!

Last night, we enjoyed some Teriyaki Chicken sent to us by someone at Rob's work. It was so nice not to have to cook since David had been somewhat more fussy this weekend.

We are all fighting colds right now....again. David is the only one that seems to not catch them very much. We are thankful for that.

-Kim

September 20, 2007

I took David in for his first blood count for this round of chemo. They came back good - very similar to the first counts after the first round. It was very soon after the first bloodwork that he started to feel pretty bad last time, so I am preparing for a few rough days.

David's normal lab tech, Kathy, was not there today. David loves Kathy, and never cries when she draws his blood (through a heel stick). He just laughs and coos at her, and she coos back. We all really love her. Today was a little rough, since the tech that was there was not as gentle. But we made it through.

So far, I think that we are managing the discomfort a little better with this round. I don't know that the pain from the shots has really begun yet since we've only given 2 shots, but some of the other symptoms seem to be more managable. David has also been sleeping really well since Monday. He has slept all the way through the night 2 nights, and then the other nights he has only gotten up once. I think being rested is helping him to deal with all the other stuff.

As you can see, we have a whole lot to be thankful for!

-Kim

September 18, 2007

"I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High"

This will likely be a long post since there is so much to tell.

It was an early morning. We had to be at DUMC at 6am for David's exam. This was the most exciting part of the day since we got great news. David's tumor has shrunk to about 25% of its original size! Everyone seemed to marvel at this since he has only had one treatment of chemo. But we know that prayer is more potent than any chemo drug.

Here is the picture that the Doctor gave to us. The top section is the tumor from a month ago, and the bottom is the tumor currently.

The remaining tumor is located right over the section of the retina that you see best with, so the doctor didn't give us much hope for good sight in this eye, but David is probably seeing better than he did before, so that is still great news. If the tumor shrinks more, he could still regain some sight in that eye.

We went straight from the exam to have his next treatment. Due to new recommendations of how to administer one of the drugs that he is getting, the actual administration of the drugs now takes 4 hours instead of 1 hour. We didn't leave the hospital until 6pm last night, so the day was very very long.

While the lab was processing David's blood count, we met a woman, Kylee, and her son, Milo.
Milo was diagnosed in June with a very rare brain tumor. The doctors say that the cure rate for this kind of tumor is only 10%. Kylee has had to move to Durham to be near Duke. She is unable to work since caring for Milo is a full time job. She has no family, and knows no one. She really can't get out of the house to meet people since Milo is so sick. She has no car, and Milo's dad has left them since he can't handle the stress of the illness. Kylee's mom comes in on the weekend, but then has to go back home to her job. Milo has come down with pneumonia. Rob and I sat with her and tried our best to show her love. It made us both understand our blessing even in this tough time. We aren't alone, David is not as sick, and we have hope - even in death. We are hoping to be able to keep in contact with Kylee.

My mom was able to stay with the kids and drive them to and from school. It was really nice to not have to think about whether or not they were being taken good care of during the day. Hannah and Isaac had a wonderful time.

The next chemo treatment is scheduled for October 15. We won't have an exam before that treatment. The next exam will be before the chemo treatment in November.

Thank you to all who have been praying. It is clear to us that it has been effective. Thank you also to everyone who has been generous to our family with time, money, meals, babysitting, and etc. I have no doubt that because of your generosity, my mind was free enough from worry yesterday to be able to conect with Kylee and her son. God has used you all in such a mighty way. Thank you for parnering with us and helping to bear our burden.

-Kim

September 14, 2007

This morning, Isaac and I drove David over to DUMC for a pre-op appointment. Two hours of driving for 15 minutes of questions that they could have asked me over the phone is a little irritating, but that's the way it is.

Monday will begin long before dawn. The nurse said that she thinks we are supposed to be the first appointment of the day, so our arrival time will be 6am. I have to call later this afternoon to make sure about the time. The eye doctor will do the EUA (exam under anesthesia), and if all looks favorable, we will slither through the tunnels over to the Day Hospital for his next chemo treatment. All-in-all, they should have us occupied for about 10 hours. There is a possibility that they will make us stay overnight in the hospital since David is still a little guy, but I hope not. It is so much more comfortable at home.

I have to admit that I am a little nervous. We are hoping that the news from the EUA will tell us that the first round of chemo gave the tumor a hard hit, but there is always the chance that nothing happened at all, and then we will have to readjust. But I am doing my best to let tomorrow worry about itself. We will spend the weekend celebrating Rob's birthday and enjoying the cooler weather and the much needed rain.

Thanks for reading!
-Kim

September 11, 2007

We finally have a date for the next Exam Under Anesthesia (EUA). It will be Monday, September 17. I have been told that it will be the first exam of the day, and then we should be going over to get the next round of chemo as long as the exam's news is favorable.

David's counts yesterday were good. They said that it seems that he has recovered and that we don' t have to take him to get blood drawn until after the next round of chemo. So, he will avoid getting stuck one time before it all starts over again.

The little guy has been sleeping very well the last two nights. It's like we are getting back into a good routine again. Too bad it won't last very long, but we will take what we can get. I know that a few nights of good sleep will be good for me before we start down the next slippery slope.

We have all been fighting colds - David included. I think Rob is finally over his, and I though Hannah's was done until she woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe through her nose again. I think I am on the mend, but would really like for all of us to be better before Monday. So that is a prayer request.

I think that this next round of chemo could take David a little lower than it did last time. I am trying to prepare myself for this, but really don't know how to do that. I am trying to get the house in tip top shape again so that I don't have to worry about that if I have to comfort him all day instead of doing work. I don't have much left to do to get to that point.

Well, that is the news. Thank you to everyone who has brought us meals, or given us gas cards. They are so appreciated!

-Kim

September 5, 2007

We had a nice long weekend! Monday, we got to celbrate Isaac's birthday with my parents, Grandma Goodall (G'ma G.), and Melissa and Elijah. It was a very fun, although hot, day. We went to the local "zoo", fed the ducks at a pond, blew a plethora of bubbles in the front yard, and just hung out. It was nice.

David's counts were every which way again yesterday. His hemoglobin is looking good, but his platelets were down, and so was his ANC (Absolute Nutraphil Count). It is obvious that the chemo is still working on him. I am just hoping that I don't have to start his shots back up again until the next round since I think they bother him. We have heard and read that these shots can make patients' bones ache.

The little guy has been somewhat more fussy again yesterday and today. I think that it is possible that he is coming down with the cold that the rest of us have had. Hopefully it won't hit him hard, but I am coming to realize that it will be nearly impossible for us not to spread things to him. We are washing hands all the time and keeping out of his face, but I think he is still bound for it. I am praying that we will all stay well this upcoming cold season so that David will stay well too.

I will leave you today with a few pictures that you may enjoy. More updates to come!

-Kim

Hannah and G'ma G. Just too cute not to show you



Isaac with a loaf of bread - on the way to feed the ducks



Hot and sticky cousins



CAKE!!!



David and Daddy.



Isaac on his way to preschool

September 1, 2007

The past two days, David has been fairly normal again. I have been able to take him off all the meds that he was on to manage the discomforts of the chemo's side effects. Now, the only thing he has to take are his antibiotics. It has been really nice to see him smiling and hear him laughing again. Even though I know that the next round of chemo will probably take him a little lower than this one did, it is nice to have this little reprieve.

He has also been sleeping better at night. Only waking up 2 times each night to eat. He is somewhat thinner than he was before, and I know that it will be good for him to build up a little before we hit him with the next punch.

At night, I can still see the whiteness in his eye when he looks at the light. Sometimes it is hard not to worry that the chemo isn't doing it's job. I know I have to leave that in God's hands.

We still don't have the dates of his next exam and treatment. Hopefully we will get that early next week.

Have a great labor day weekend!

-Kim