An OK Day

We're having an ok day...Noah is a little stressed out and letting us know, but he is reacting well to the chemo. He is working on his last dose of etopophos right now, followed by another dose of Zofran (no vomiting please!). The last drug he will need here is a switch from Bactrum, which Dr. Reddy believes caused his rash, to Pentamidine, another prophylactic antibiotic, which he will only have once a month during his treatments. We're praying there is no reaction to this one. After some regular fluids overnight we should be free to go in the am after dr.'s rounds. Because of his drop in ANC after the last treatment, we are prepared to be back here in about a week to week and a half for treatment for neutropenia.
This stay, as John mentioned last night, has been better than last month. Being here is like a wake-up call for me; we run into familiar faces that have been here since our first visit, we hear kids screaming in pain down the hall, see the scared faces of parents heading to the PICU, and realize that "it could be worse" or "at least we're not dealing with this".....helps us keep our perspective. And that seems horrible and makes me feel guilty when I think about it - us comparing our situation to others and counting our blessings, because that means someone else is dealing with a heavy load. I just pray God gives them strength and power to get through it.
Dr. Cook just came by and we will definitely be heading out sometime before lunch tomorrow, as long as Noah does well through the night! Good news, cause I am ready to get out of here. :)

I've been keeping up with a little guy named Joel Green from CO. He just had surgery to remove a tumor on his brain stem and is doing well as far as I can tell. His parents are still awaiting lab results and are rallying people to pray for his healing...please add him to your list as well. You can read about his story and see his sweet pictures at the website:

http://www.joelevangreen.com

God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good. He will draw near to us when we seek Him, and prepare us for what lies ahead! We are still trusting in His promise for healing and taking it one day at a time. :) Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, and God bless!