01/08/12 - Intens-ification

Adam has had a tough week, but he continues to be a trooper.  His ANC count dropped to 400 - which may be the lowest I have seen - due to the new phase of chemo.  He has had two clinic appointments since my last post, plus started his second week of Decadron.  It's a brutal combination because the purpose of the drugs is to kill the blood cells - both good and bad, but it's part of the process so we're pressing on.  Adam has very little energy and would prefer to be sitting in someone's lap at all times.  He also has drastic temperature changes mostly to cold.  I would describe his personality as a little more emotional.  He doesn't usually have much of an opinion about most things right now, but when he does - it is intense.  For example, this morning he was out of underwear and it was a HUGE ordeal to wear just pants until the dryer was done.  (I feel like I should enter explanation right here for the never-ending loads of laundry we have daily between trying to get Rachel out of Pull-Ups at night and the normal day to day piles.  So, Adam's underwear was neglected.)  For the most part though, his answer to every question is, "I don't really know," whether we are asking about what he wants to wear, eat, or do which tells us he is generally just feeling crummy.  Josh hooked up our old  Nintendo, which has been a source of entertainment for 10 minute increments here and there.  He is also practicing on his new keyboard.  Adam had his first piano lesson with Mr. McClure last Monday - an awesome opportunity!  Happy to report, he is "very talented" which suggests piano lessons at only 5 years old is not a waste :)  And, of course, we are still watching Guy Fieri and the Food Network regularly.  Last night, Adam picked a croquette recipe from our Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives book.  This is another thing I had never eaten, let alone cooked, so it was interesting.  Probably the messiest choice (and, of course, Adam did not want to touch the flour/breading process with a ten-foot pole), but they (and my kitchen) turned out ok.  Josh and I are noticing that the days at home are not as long as they seemed when we were first in hibernation back in Sept-Oct. It was a difficult transition at first, and we often feel very lazy, but I am thinking it is probably a good change of pace than our normal go-with-EVERY-flow schedule.

We are scheduled to go back to the hospital on the 18th for an overnight stay.  With the next treatment he will need to have IV fluids for 24 hours.  Then, they send him home with his port still accessed so that we can administer the chemo ourselves.  Hmmm.  Not sure what I think about that yet... or what Adam will think!  We'll think about that more when we get there.  We have about 10 more days for Adam to rest from this week's treatment, so praying his body will recover without being compromised by a flu bug or virus and his spirits will stay high as well.