Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Josiah is home!

Josiah got to come home today!  His ANC (absolute neutrophil count) was 192 this morning and the doctor decided it was close enough to 200 to be released.  :)  We are all excited for some family time at home!  Once his ANC hits 750 he will start the next phase of treatment.



Sunday, June 22, 2014

encouraging news

Josiah's ANC is up to 117 today!  (I was given a very low number this morning that was incorrect, so I hope no one gets too confused by that.)  Also, thanks to a new medicine that has kicked in, he is eating again.  Other fun news, my sister is in town for the weekend and Stella has two new teeth.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Monday update

Brief update, Josiah is feeling well, ANC of 40, hardly eating, enjoyed a visit from a friend this afternoon, content and happy in his room.  He officially finished delayed intensification today!

We had some sweet father's day family time yesterday morning and Aaron and I had a date!

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Little Man Feeling Better and Some Helpful Information

Dizzy Izzy No More
After Josiah had his spell with equilibrium problems on Friday night the care team at the hospital has monitored him pretty closely. I'm thrilled to report there has been no symptom recurrence and the doctors are no longer worried that something serious was going on.
Though he still has bouts with nausea, his energy level and infectious smile have been consistently encouraging. Today during the doctor's visit Josiah took advantage of his temporary freedom from IV tubes by running back and forth across his room at least 10 times. All the adults were exhausted.

ANC Status and Further Explanation
After the nurse told me Josiah's ANC count had dropped to 8 this morning, I (Aaron here) was pretty bummed. Things just weren't adding up for me. Last Monday his ANC was only 43 away from the magic number of 200 to be released from the hospital. Now 6 days later he's at his lowest level yet. My first thought was "Is he ever going to be able to leave here?" Rather than ask the doctor such a desperate question, I asked "what is suppressing his ANC? Is it chemo, cancer effects, effects of the now-gone flu?"

The doctors explanation was rather insightful in a number of ways
  • ANC suppression is a product of the chemo cocktails
  • The chemo primarily attacks four of the fastest cell growth areas of the body
    • Hair
    • Mouth (we do 'mouth care' 3 times a day to protect against this one)
    • Cancer cells
    • Bone Marrow (there is no protection)
  • The bone marrow is where the good cells are produced and the chemo has effectively turned off the factory
  • 80% of kids in the final stages of active chemo (where Josiah's at) are admitted to the hospital because their immune systems have become so compromised
  • The doctor said the pattern is so common that he can reasonably estimate when Josiah will be released: June 22nd is his educated guess based on the current treatment plan
  • The current treatment plan is:
    • Tomorrow 6/16 Josiah should receive his LAST active phase chemo treatment
    • Approximately 2 week after that (~June 30th) his ANC should be recovered enough to begin the less aggressive maintenance phase of treatment which starts with bi-weekly treatments

"Is he ever going to be able to leave here?" God willing it looks like he's about a week away. Sarah and I were grateful to have information and to know that the Dr. was not concerned with how things were progressing

Please pray for patient, abiding, endurance for our family. Though we're being loved by so many right now, the instability is wearisome. Pray for Mary and Stella as they deal with the instability of staying with many different people.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Little man not feeling so good

This morning Josiah's equilibrium seemed to be off and it grew worse later today.  After he threw up, they ran a CT scan that came back clear.  We'll see how he is doing tomorrow and go from there.  He had an ANC of 50 something today.  Aaron flew home early on Thursday.  We are so grateful for friends who have taken care of the girls this week.  Thank you all for praying for him.  Let's certainly pray for his little body to make neutrophils, but let's also ask and watch for God to do great things in and through this situation.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The good, the bad and the ugly

THE GOOD
Joe is really doing great.  He is eating a little better and they have taken him off fluids a few times.  He has had a great attitude and keeps bringing smiles to everyone's face.

I must say that I have been appreciating the clean and air-conditioned air here at PCH.  My allergies have been non-existent and I have been sleeping better than usual despite the nightly interruptions and chair/bed thing.

THE BAD
Have mercy.  ANC of 70 today (needs a 200 Absolute Neutrophil Count).  I don't know how families do this for months at a time.  How do we stay busy?  Crafts, books, toys, movies, drawing, puzzles, and visitors. We have even attempted puzzles picture side down, repeated a movie in a different language, and make dragon claws out of medical tape and paper.  This is great training for an Arizona summer.  :)

THE UGLY
Josiah had the choice to repeat his viral test today and possibly be cleared to roam the halls and visit the playroom.  He decided he would rather stay in his room than have that test done.  They stick swabs WAY up your nostrils and twist for 10 seconds.  



Tuesday, June 10, 2014

One day at a time

Update on Josiah-
His ANC (absolute neutrophil count) had climbed to 157, then dropped to 65 so he stayed another day. They decided to go ahead with his chemo that was due Monday so now we wait and see his blood counts tomorrow.  He is feel well, in a pretty good mood except a brief meltdown because mommy didn't draw a very good beaver.  (Childlife Workers with clipart and printer to the rescue).  All he wants to eat is sausage patties, peas, and popcorn.  All for now!

Monday, June 9, 2014

A bug has been making the rounds

Josiah was admitted into Phoenix Children's Thursday afternoon, June 5th with a fever.  Because he has a port and a compromised immune system, they want to catch any infections as soon as possible.  He has only tested positive for influenza and has been receiving antibiotics (just in case) and something to lessen his flu symptoms.  He hasn't had a fever since Friday night and his ANC (absolute neutrophil count) has been slowing climbing up.  It needs to be at least 200 for him to be dismissed.  He has been sleeping well, eating poorly, staying busy in his room, and in pretty good spirits. He received red blood cells on Saturday and platelets on Sunday.  

The rest of the family had our turns with something (possibly the flu that Joe has, but the 4 of us had our flu shots).  Mary missed a few of her last days of school due to illness, but has recovered fully and is now consuming books rapidly in her summer free time.  She also enjoyed the opportunity to go to a church day camp two days last week.  Aaron was the last before Josiah to be hit by the bug and has been traveling about every other week since the middle of April.  For those of you following the blog and concerned about the atrocious teal paint, you will be relieved to know that in the last month it has been pleasantly covered by Bison Beige and Deep Crimson.  All for now!
Mother's Day dinner with the sharks

"not just a neck pillow" by our up and coming fashionista

Aaron and I celebrated our 11th anniversary May 18th!

Teal paint finally covered

Fun with naked egg science projects  (click here for how to do it)