The Bacon Family Blog

He had his 48-hr chemo and spinal tap last week.  The spinal didn't go well.  He was ok until right up to the time and then he lost it.  He screamed and begged his dad to "get me out of this place".  They had to do it, so he had to be held down.  He alternates between letting them do it and fighting them.  Even though they had to fight him, the fluid came out easily this time, so it wasn't as painful as the last one.

He did really well on the chemo and was willing to carry the bag himself a bit more.  His appetite came back right before getting the treatment - it had been gone since the treatment 3 weeks ago.  I fully expected to start seeing side effects on Friday or Saturday. Last time he had the lip blisters, a skin rash, and wouldn't eat anything. It's now Monday, and we have seen no side effects this time.  He's still eating well and has no sores in or around his mouth.  He doesn't seem to be weak or tired.  It's been great, and I hope it continues this way.

Although he's feeling good, his counts are down.  They usually go up and then come back down a few days after chemo.  This last week, they were low even before the chemo.  He gets them checked again tomorrow, and I'm wondering if they'll be even lower.  We kept him away from crowds this weekend (no church and had to miss a birthday party), but he had fun playing with friends.

His new friend, Jesse, came over for dinner.  It's the first friend he has played with who also has leukemia.  They had fun, and Joey is already talking about when Jesse can come over again.  It was good for me to be able to talk to Jesse's mom and have someone who can relate to what we're experiencing.