Glory, Glory!

We got chemo yesterday! We were also able to be home by midnight last night.

Dr. Srinivas gave Dad the tumor markers and they are still on a steady fall =) his AFP is now at 464 from 491 the previous week. That means... if I do the math correctly, The chemo Josh received on Dec 31 had a total effect on his AFP levels of -378 with it consistently dropping over 20 days! Praise the Lord!

Maybe this last batch of Gemzar (chemo) will obliterate what is left of Joshua's live/active cancer!

Josh still really needs prayer for his eating habits... or better yet, his self discipline regarding his eating habits. We need to get him in shape to see the BMT Team! Also, Josh has been having pains in his side- the doctors say that it is his liver that is causing him pain. It's a sharp pain that comes and goes but when it comes it makes it hard for him to breathe...

Well, if any of you reading this have good ideas for stimulating appetite or weight gain- please share!

<3chels

What a night!

Well, this is Josh's first trip to Stanford without Dad here; and so far, so good! Josh and I brought some friends with us: Dan (The Man), Carrisa, and Emil. Having them with us has been so great and we are both very thankful they were all able to come with us. Josh and Dan pretty much slept the whole way up here (we left at 5:30 PM) and Carrisa, Emil, and I got to enjoy the rain, hail, and thunder. At times, the weather was scary- but also incredible and amazing! I think Emil was nervous that I was more in tune to the lightning than I was the road- but, hey! we made it, right?! hee hee hee...

We went and got Josh's labs earlier today- everything looks OK! Hemoglobin, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, and Platelets all look good! We hope to get chemo tomorrow morning after a brief meeting with Dr Srinivas.

One really unexpected thing happened when we walked into the apartment tonight...
While we were gone for the last week something caused our kitchen sink to overflow with water, foliage, and dirt. There was about a 1 inch pool of water on all the counters with MOLD growing on it!! Water and dirt all over the floor!! Also, it must have seeped under the carpet because the carpet was nice and wet, too! (Josh says, "Dirrrty!")

Needless to say, housekeeping isn't available at 9PM on weeknights. So, Emil and I got to clean up best we could for 2.5 hours with 2 rags, 409, ammonia, and a sponge. Surprisingly, we had a good time. Like I said, we were sooo grateful to have Emil come with us.

Attached are some pictures I took with my phone... Josh really enjoyed having some people to play X Box =) I really enjoyed having someone help me cleann!! THANK YOU SO MUCH EMIL!!

Do you need some good news this morning?!

BECAUSE I'VE GOT SOME!!

Josh's tumor markers are down to 491!!!! (that's a drop of 361 without any additional chemo!)

needless to say, out prayers are being answered in accordance with our desires =)

keep praying and praising!!

much <3chels

2010 Visit #2

We came to Palo Alto with hopes of receiving some more chemo and some Zometa-a medication used to help strengthen Josh's bones. However, Josh's platelets are still too low to receive chemo and his hemoglobin is also low, so we receive more blood. So we will just be getting 2 units of blood this trip. Josh feels fine, some minor aches and pains (broken arm... Minor? HA! He thinks so!) We are going to try to get out of Palo Alto tonight, but it depends on whether or not we can get these 2 units into Josh before the ITA closes (Infusion Treatment Area).

Please be praying for Josh's attitude throughout this whole process. He seems to always have a negative outlook on Stanford- I know, I know, how could he not associate this awful disease with this place? In the big picture though, Josh is conquering this disease with the help of Stanford and their resources. Please pray that Joshua's thinking is transformed and that he is more positive and optimistic in his thoughts and attitude. He is always fearful of one day showing up at the hospital and his 4 week hospital stay/BMT will begin.. this would not happen, but he fears it.

We haven't gotten his tumor marker count back yet- but i'll be sure to let you guys know as soon as we get them. I'm praying that it is ZERO. OMG how awesome would that be?!?!

We didn't get to see the lovely Dr Srinivas today =( but the doctor we did see was very good about emphasizing to Josh how crucial it is for Josh to be gaining weight. Josh has lost 90 lbs and he eats like a bird. Please be praying that Josh will get an appetite and put into action his knowledge of how critical it is for him to be downing ensures. They want him eating high caloric and high protein foods; but the problem is that he has no appetite and can't stand ensures. Ugh.

I've attached a few photos so you all can see what I mean by it being crucial that Josh starts gaining weight. It would definitely be better if Josh started eating rather than using another medication to heighten his appetite.

I hope this gives you all a better idea of where we are and what you can be praying for- if you have any questions/comments don't hesitate to post them at the end. I do read them =)

<3chels

New Year's Eve-1/7/2010

Josh has started the New Year off with wonderful news and has held fast to that positive information.

New Year's Eve he went out just like any other kid and celebrated with his buddies. He just loves to feel normal. Thats all he wants. When I ask him what he wants to do after all this, he says he wants to work, and one day have a family that goes to church on Sunday's- have family BBQ's- and never take one moment of life with good health for granted. Throughout all this, Josh has also thought of things he can do to help others that will go through what he went through. His major complaint when he stays in the hospital is, "What the heck is wrong with the people that make these beds and chairs!? Don't they know all I want to be in *comfortable* when I am here?!" So, he may channel that frustration and knowledge into building affordable/comfortable furniture just for hospitals!

I was in LA for New Year's Eve and stayed there until the 5th. While I was there, Josh was hanging out with a couple of his friends constantly! Dr. Srinivas has told Josh that she wants him to do as much normal stuff as he possibly can--how he loves to hear this. So while Josh stayed 4 days and 3 nights at his buddies house he must've picked up some kind of cold. When I got home on the 5th, he was in bed complaining of trouble breathing and coughing. He has a little cold right now that Dr Srinivas is not concerned about-as long as he doesn't have a fever. (His white counts are normal.) I think this cold is just a little tougher for him since his body is so weak, Josh has lost 100 lbs. in the past year!

On the 7th we were scheduled to get some more chemotherapy, but the labs we did on the 6th revealed that Josh's platelets are too low to receive chemotherapy. (Josh was shouting praise the Lord at this because he hates having to travel away from home- but he understands he has to do what he has to do!) Joshua's platelets are no real reason for concern- chemotherapy not only kills cancer, but it kills the good stuff too. So, Josh's platelets haven't fully recovered yet so we can't quite blast them again.

So we are at home coping with this slight cold- the next time we are scheduled to go to Stanford is next week. Still no news on the BMT process... I'm still praying! We only completed 1 of 3 tests and haven't heard any new info yet- will let you know if there is something more!

<3chels