Day 26 - Keep moving forward

     Similar to the last blog entry the past 48 hours hasn't seen the number of milestone achievements that I'd like.  In fact, it's probably safe to say we've regressed.  Evan's x-rays and ultrasound showed that structurally his legs are stable.  It also showed that despite the bowel movements he had with me a couple of nights ago he's still substantially backed up.  The stomach pains persist and his fevers have returned with much more frequency.

Passing the time.

     The CT scan also showed a clot in his chest, which the doctors believe is the source of our continued infection problems.  Evan has added twice a day stomach injections of blood thinner to his growing cocktail of drugs.  To ease his kidneys a bit more they've adjusted his anti-fungal medicine to something a little less aggressive as well.

Hopped up on morphine before his ultrasound.

     Despite some concerns Cristy and I have about the treatment and course we're on we were given assurances that although we don't see progress daily this is the best approach and that they're treating him with the highest of urgency.  I think I mentioned this in the previous blog entry, but because the narcotics have a constipation side effect we've been forced to go without.  Evan is in quite a bit of pain as his stomach continues cramping trying to move the fecal matter forward.  From talking to him this evening going #2 also hurts him, which I know contributes to his apprehension.

Receiving a stomach and chest ultrasound.

     His spirits are extremely dampened and truthfully I was a bit uneasy about the bacteria and fevers returning.  I've gotten very little sleep lately and am trying to find ways to clear my mind and continue finding creative ways to support him and keep him moving forward.  My frustration lies in so many things, most of them are outside of his control.  The whole situation is disheartening and I can't help but wonder how often this sort of thing happens to leukemia patients.

His favorite past time activity.

     I may come back online later tonight with an update or two if we get some substantial movements.  Fingers crossed this poor boy can get some relief and get back on the road to recovery.  Lately it's felt a lot like one step forward and two steps back.