First chemo side-effects

​All is well - or "good enough," as John would say, here in the Crowe house! Noah is feeling a lot better than when he first came home from Chidlren's a week ago. About 5am the morning after we arrived home he began vomiting and couldn't keep any of his medicine down. Thankfully we got that under control around noon and he hasn't thrown up since! We've even stopped the Zofran and he is showing no signs of nausea anymore. His energy level is definitely not what it once was, so he takes more breaks during play time and he naps about 2 1/2 hours each day...but other than that our little guy has had no other side effects from the first round of chemo, thanks be to God. The nurse gave us a whole slew of things to be on the lookout for, from fever to bleeding from certain areas....so far so good. We returned to Children's this Wednesday for a follow up visit. We had to wait quite a while, but the wait was worth it. Noah's labs looked good, we were told. His white blood cell count is down, as expected, but platelet counts, kidney and liver all look good. I'll take him to Athens hospital on Monday to be tested again; we will more than likely do that twice a week. Noah has pretty much been on lockdown since the chemo treatments. Because his white blood cell  count is down he is at a much greater risk of serious infection, so I am asking that no one come by the house at this time, sick or not sick. I can't control much about this situation, but I can control how clean the house is and who comes in and out, so that's what I'm doing. (All the moms know what I'm talking about!) Of course John is back at work, and I still have to get out and do some shopping, but we are very careful about what we touch and we use hand sanitizer by the gallon! We also give Noah a shot every night to help keep those counts somewhat elevated...but we won't be surprised if they eventually drop to 0.
Back to the visit on Wednesday: Dr. Reddy's fellow, Dr. Hawthorne, did a short exam and explained the lab results. John asked her what she thought about Noah's recovery from surgery and his reaction to the chemo., and she said, "he is doing spectacular, and you are blessed." Praise the Lord! We credit his amazing progress to God, and to all the prayers that are being lifted up on his behalf every day. I don't know why Noah was chosen for this...but I pray that his continued healing and the answered prayers on his behalf will be a testimony to millions throughout his lifetime. I know in my heart that his little life has a big purpose, and knowing that helps me not to focus on the "problems" but on the good that has come from his situation. 

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