Today is Day 8 of JP's leukemia treatment. A week ago today was easily the worst day of our lives. It's still hard to believe this is really happening. I feel like I'm finally coming out of the fog and able to be aware of what's going on. It was really weird, those first few days felt like I was sitting in the room talking with the doctors but instead of actually physically sitting there I felt like I was more observing it all - like standing in the corner watching myself interact with the doctors but unable to respond because I couldn't fully understand everything. Thank goodness for Josh and his ability to retain important information and desire to learn everything he can about this cancer or I might be completely lost today.
This morning we went in for our first day of "clinic." It's basically like going to the doctor's office but it's in the oncology department of Primary Children's. They checked his vitals, drew some blood for lab work and set us up for him to receive more platelets. Once he was done receiving the platelets, they administered the chemotherapy and sent us downstairs to what they call RTU - the Rapid Treatment Unit. He wasn't allowed to eat anything this morning because they needed to do the lumbar puncture again. He was not happy about that. It's hard to be 2 years old and told you can't eat your favorite cereal for breakfast. Finally he was put under some anesthesia and had a lumbar puncture to make sure no leukemia cells were in his spinal cord again. Once he was waking up from the anesthesia he said, "Mine chocolate milk!" We had told him as soon as the doctors were done he could have something to eat and he decided that meant chocolate milk - now! He also requested some Cheetos - breakfast of champions if you ask me. I love that he loves chocolate milk just like his daddy and he loves Cheetos just like his mommy.
All you need is a dad and your iPad to be happy about your cancer treatments!
We're still waiting for the steroids to kick in. He does seem a little more quick to get upset over something, but it doesn't seem like anger yet. He has started hitting when he doesn't want to do something, but even then it's a soft tap on my shoulder and not necessarily an actual hit. He has started telling us foods he wants to eat but when we put it in front of him he still acts as picky as he always has. One thing he will almost always eat is a bowl of Fruit Loops. We've started giving it to him with Half & Half instead of whole milk because we are practicing what the dietician calls "Power Packing." Basically, if we can find a way to add extra calories to the foods he will eat, we do it. Like adding extra butter to anything and making sure he has a dessert option. We have a bipolar fridge full of fresh produce and lean meats on one side and full of processed, greasy and fat filled foods on the other side. Josh was at the grocery store the other night staring at the selection of tubs of butter when an older lady commented that it's hard to choose one, to which he replied, "Yeah, I'm trying to find the most fattening one." She looked at him strange and walked away.
Since the hospital stay JP's meals have consisted of Goldfish, Cheetos, mac & cheese, pizza, lots of chocolate milk, juice and Fruit Loops. We convinced him to have a bite of chocolate cake tonight. I never thought I'd have to convince my child to eat dessert, it's a weird problem to have! The doctors told us that if he wants pizza for every meal we should give him pizza for every meal. The other night we had put him to bed and he woke up a little later crying for Cheetos and chocolate milk. Let's just say we were up until almost midnight eating Cheetos and chocolate milk. Fine by me! We've also been sleeping until 10:00 each morning. We've all been seriously sleep deprived so it's been nice. This afternoon after we all got some lunch in our bellies, I laid Elsie down in her chair, Josh tucked JP in for a nap and we laid down hoping for a little nap before dinner. 2 hours later JP woke us up. I honestly can't think of the last time our household was quiet for almost 2 straight hours. I'm so grateful for a 2 month old baby that is going through a growth spurt and willing to sleep basically the day away. It felt so nice to have a real nap.
Thanks for checking in on us. We continue to feel overwhelmed with the love we've felt from so many people that care so much about us. We love you all.
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