Day 676 - Back on schedule

     As  you may recall from the previous blog Evan was unable to get his spinal tap during his last visit because the anesthesiologist wasn't comfortable putting him to sleep due to congestion in his lungs.  During his latest visit on Wednesday the doctors were able to circle back for his spinal tap and he was able to receive all of his other regularly scheduled medicines.  The doctors were happy with his counts, although he's been battling a cold still so his ANC is probably a bit elevated.

Another LP in the books

     Over the last couple of months Cristy and I have noticed that Evan's taste buds are changing.  This being my oldest child I'm not sure if it's simply a phase of getting older or if the chemo is affecting his tastes.  Things that he normally loves now taste odd to him, while things he would never eat before are pleasant (like cinnamon).  Naturally this has Cristy and I scrambling and pulling our hair out as we never know what to prepare for his meals.  

     In addition to the eating challenges he's starting to vomit again with more frequency.  The NP that we saw on Wednesday suggested administering his medicine during dinner time instead of waiting until bed time like we've been doing.  Nausea has been the norm in the mornings for as long back as I can remember, but now he's vomiting right after meals.  He eats pretty ravenously (it's a sight to behold really) and I'm thinking that could play a part too.  

     The next two weekends are an exciting time for us.  This coming weekend we're participating in Cure's 5K called Lauren's Run.  It's a great event for a great charity.  We decided not to participate in the fundraising portion of this event as we already asked for donations for Make-A-Wish.  That said, they are another excellent charity that helps children battling cancer and their families.

     Next weekend some of our family and friends will be participating in the Walk for Wishes 5K at Stone Mountain.  We've hit our fundraising goal and I want to say thank you to everyone that donated!  This year Evan will have a display dedicated to him at one of the tents and Cristy won a customizable mile marker that can be seen along the race route.  Evan was not very mobile during these 5Ks last year so I'm optimistic and curious to see his level of participation.  I'm not going to force him to run/walk, but if the mood should strike him we'd certainly encourage it.

     We're quickly coming to the end of another school year.  Evan has enjoyed his time in 1st grade and the faculty at Hayes has been great, especially considering our need to miss days for appointments and sickness.  I've been pleased that his immune system has held up so well.  Other than a few feverish nights earlier this year I think we've been extremely fortunate.  I'm already starting to think of some fun things we can try to do this summer.  These next few weeks will probably be a blur and I'm thankful for the strides Evan has made over the last 12 months.

Happy 50th Anniversary to Grandma and Grandpa