Round 5

Yesterday was Round 5 of chemo. We are now halfway through the treatments of this twelve week cycle. Week 11 is a break and Week 12 we will go for an MRI and CT scans to see if chemo has done its job. Results will determine our next step--more chemo, radiation or surgery.

Monday was also exactly a month from the day Jackson was diagnosed. In some ways it feels like a lifetime since that day and in others it feels like five minutes ago. I remember feeling like the world stopped that afternoon.

Jackson did great yesterday. He had a blast playing outside Sunday night so he slept really well and woke up Monday morning rested. He had a big breakfast and then watched Thomas in the car on the way to Dallas.

I also woke up rested and I was not nervous. I was very thankful to be feeling very upbeat and positive. Of course, as soon as we got onto Central Expressway and got closer and closer to our exit, I started sighing. I swear I do not even realize I am doing it. Ryan always says "Stop your sighing!". I'm so glad he puts up with me.

We got to the clinic and waited for a bit, then it was our turn. He got weighed (down about half a pound from last week) and got his blood pressure checked (it was normal this time). Jack was very happy to get a Spiderman sticker from Nurse Ginni within five minutes!

We answered the normal questions and asked a few of our own. Jack ended up getting sick again a few times on Saturday night and we made sure to let them know about that. I was also concerned about his port--it seemed to be more red than normal and sticking out quite a bit. It was working fine, so the nurse thought it was just because he has lost a little weight. Half a pound isn't much at all, but when you only weigh 35 lbs it is!

Next--the shirt. Still the hardest part! He does.not.want. to take off his shirt. It normally takes two of us to get that done. We finally got it off and Nurse Ginni accessed his port and drew some blood. Jack was not thrilled at this point but once we were able to get his shirt back on (over his port) he was fine.

We waited on the bloodwork for a few minutes. Jack colored in his Scooby Doo coloring book, played cars with Brayden and managed to score three prizes during that time! Dr. Lenarsky brought him a book of construction paper (which he promptly opened and asked me to draw the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo) and some play-doh. Dr. Goldman let him choose from the prize drawer and Jackson chose a Shrek watch. So he was a happy (and possibly spoiled!) boy!

The bloodwork came back and his counts are 740. So we are on moderate lockdown. All of the other things they check--his platelets, his white blood cells, his hemoglobin--were at the lowest they have been since we started chemo. I asked if all of the numbers were normal. Silly me! Of course they are not normal, but they are within the expected range for our situation. Just another reminder that we have a new normal. And that doctors are really, really smart but sometimes their social skills are lacking.

While his low numbers are kind of a bummer, it does mean the chemo is working. It is breaking down the cells in his body. However, until we have the scans we will not know if the chemo is doing its job--breaking down the BAD cells. You can totally be working but not doing the job you are supposed to!

After talking about his counts and the risks we face this week, he received his actual treatment. He took it like a champ and we were ready to go! We were in and out in about an hour so overall this visit was not too bad.

Next week, we expect his counts to be at their lowest again. Typically, two weeks after his big chemo (which was last Monday) his counts bottom out, so we will be on full lockdown that week. We plan on going in for a count check that Friday to see if they have improved enough at that point for us to enjoy the holiday weekend.

Thank you for all of your prayers that yesterday would go smoothly! They worked. Maybe next week we should all pray that he will not be anxious about shucking his shirt!!


{"Daddy I wanna hold your hand"}


{Playin' and waitin'}


{Poppin' the bubbles!}


{A color for each hand}


{Momma love}


{Lovin' his new watch}


{Checkin' out the trains on the way out}


{I love the joy on his face in the reflection}


{Big brother duties call!}

The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.
Psalm 29:11