Praise God, Jeremy’s experienced less belly aches the last two days.  He ate well and was fever free, too.

And it’s happened.  Jeremy’s neutrophil count is almost zero today, making him officially neutropenic.  An anxious time, as mentioned, and we pray often lifting it all up to the Lord.

Yesterday was bingo day, which usually happens around or after the start of Jeremy’s nap time.  We usually get him to nap first and play on his behalf so that his prize is waiting for him when he wakes up.  But, we ended up relaxing the nap schedule a bit so he could play himself.  We paid for it later that evening, though.  Everything got pushed an hour and he ended up having a later bedtime and less sleep, which isn’t good for him.  We want to relax the routine a bit, but it’s always hard to find that balance in the hospital.

Jeremy got a small cut on his finger yesterday while he was playing with his toys.  It did bleed a bit, but stopped shortly after it had started.  In the past, I would have washed it off, put a bandage on it, and that’d be the end of it.  Being in the hospital, with his compromised immune system, I reacted more than I normally would.  I’d go as far as to say that I freaked out a little bit.  Any skin break is an opportunity for germs and I was concerned about infection.  I went out to the nurses station for a bandage and asked an available nurse about the cut, infection risk, etc.  I’m almost certain I saw her roll her eyes (in a friendly manner) before she suggested I clean it with a sterile saline wipe and bandage it.  Clearly, I overreacted.

Praise God, today was largely uneventful.  Jeremy’s hemoglobin and platelets are low, but haven’t quite hit that threshold for transfusion.  It’ll be room isolation for him for the rest of this round, an estimated 30 days.  We try to do things to get him on his feet so he can stay slightly more active.  Bubbles, some water play, but we also have to keep a closer eye on him because his platelets are low and he will bruise and/or bleed easily.  Jeremy doesn’t know this, though, and often takes risks by jumping around on the bed, usually right before his afternoon nap and nighttime sleep.  Alice almost always has a contraction as a result of it.  Speaking of, contractions were more frequent last night, but not frequent enough to be labor.  We’re close.

“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Every situation, even small cuts.

Praise God:

  • for Him, His comfort and peace
  • that Jeremy ate well today
  • that Jeremy remains fever free
  • that Jeremy’s belly aches have reduced in frequency
  • for His protection on Jeremy as he hops and jumps around
  • that Alice and I continue to be in good health to care for our family

Please continue to pray (new/updated items in bold):

  • that God would continue to use this situation for His glory
  • that we would be obedient to God’s plans for this situation
  • that we would continue to cast our worries and fears on the Lord, that we would fix our eyes on Him
  • that we would continue to be reminded of God’s greatness and provision, that we would wait on Him, and that we would not allow fear to creep in
  • that we would rejoice in the moments that God gives us
  • that God would provide full and complete healing and total health for Jeremy
  • that God would provide with the whole process of finding a bone marrow match, the risks of transplant, and the anxiety of it achieving long-term remission for Jeremy
  • that word would continue to get out about the need for a perfect bone marrow match and that one would be found for Jeremy
  • that Jeremy’s little brother would be a match and that there would be a sufficient volume of cells in the cord blood to qualify for a good transplant
  • that everyone who needs to be involved in the cord blood collection would be diligent and the collection and processing would go smoothly
  • that the cord collection would be sterile and free of contaminants
  • that Jeremy would not experience any more stomach pain
  • that Jeremy will not encounter any life threatening side effects during this round of chemo
  • that Jeremy would not have any brain, liver, lung, kidney, pancreatic, heart, or any other type of organ damage as a result of the chemo
  • that God would continue to protect Jeremy’s heart from the lasting effects of the medication (mitoxantrone) from the last round
  • that God would protect Jeremy from any bacterial, yeast, fungal, or viral infections
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any infections so that he can remain unhooked from the IV pole for the duration of this round
  • that there wouldn’t be any more line infections and that we wouldn’t need to replace it at any point during Jeremy’s treatments
  • that God would protect Jeremy’s kidneys and liver from the medications he will receive during this block of treatment
  • that God would continue to protect Jeremy’s central line and there would be no additional infections as a result of it
  • that Jeremy would sleep well during this round of treatment
  • that Jeremy would continue to eat well during this round of treatment
  • that Alice and I would not get sick in order to care for our family
  • that God would protect Alice and baby brother from all the emotional stress
  • for adjustment for all of us when we welcome baby brother into the family
  • that baby brother’s birth would be free of complications and that it would be quick and easy
  • that Alice would recover quickly from baby brother’s birth
  • that baby brother would nurse easily and sleep well
  • for our neighbors who are also enduring trials of their own
  • for our parents – that they would have rest and place their trust in Jesus
  • that God would give us wisdom in teaching Jeremy in the hospital environment
  • that we would be witnesses of God’s love and grace to our neighbors and the medical staff