It Must Be a Good Day Somewhere

I borrowed that from a friend's post today.

Actually, it's a good day right here.

Sun shining? Check.

Jacob eating? Check.

No more pain meds? Check.

I have my voice back? Check.

I know that Jake is feeling better when I have to fight him to do his physical therapy exercises. Whenever an 11-year-old has the energy to roll his eyes, he's feeling okay :)

He's also back above 90 pounds, sleeping well, and making it outside with his friends in the daylight. Such normal, happy things.

So now that he's finished with radiation, what's next? Well, the weekly chemo continues until October. He had a half dose of Vincristine in clinic Monday while we watch the neuropathy in his hands and feet. He has chemo in clinic next Monday and then we'll meet with Dr. Million, the radiation oncologist, on Tuesday so she can see how the side effects are resolving. His next chemo admission will be March 31. And sometime in April he'll have his first set of scans since treatment began.

That will be an exciting/nerve-wracking week as we wait to see how well the tumor has responded to what we've thrown at it. I keep reminding myself of a statistical fact I've learned--that the amount of tumor shrinkage in the first three months is not indicative of cure rate. But it sure couldn't hurt our morale any!

Hope this is a happy Easter week for all. We're looking forward to family, food, Easter baskets, and church. Everything is a little sweeter this year.