Back To the Hospital

On Wednesday I called the Dr. because Luke had been throwing up and not eating well. I was concerned he would become dehydrated again. The office was really busy with sick visits, so they sent us to the ER at INOVA Fairfax. We thought we were just there to get fluids, but Luke spiked a fever and had to be put on antibiotics. After 8 hours in the ER they admitted us. It turns out Luke's white blood count is dropping. This is about the time they said it would start to drop meaning he is Neutropenic. He is at risk for infection right now, so they put him on antibiotics and did several blood tests to check for bacteria in his blood and his central line. They are also giving him shots of Neupogen to boost the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow.

The other thing we are dealing with is constipation. This last chemo he had and the one he will have on Monday cause constipation. They want to solve this problem before his next dose on Monday. Luke has been in great spirits. He has been laughing and smiling at the nurses, unless they come to check his vitals. We got a larger room this time with a crib and two beds! Ben and I don't have to share a small hospital bed this time. The nurses and staff here have been great. We will be here until Monday at least. They will give his next dose of Vincristine here at the hospital and then hopefully we can go home. Levi is missing us once again. Ben goes home during the day and stays with him and then comes back here at night. We feel very blessed to have such a great hospital near us and be seen by such a great group of oncologists. The oncologist that will be here this weekend specializes in Hepatoblastoma, so we are looking forward to talking with him.


We are so thankful for your continued prayer for Luke. Please pray for Luke's healing, strength for his body during chemo, reduced time on chemo, strength for Ben and I, comfort and understanding for Levi, wisdom for the Dr's and nurses, and relief from the side effects (constipation, vomiting, pain, etc.). We cannot even begin to put into words how much you all mean to us. We could not do this alone and we really draw strength from your prayers. We love you all and thank you.