He's OK

Too long between posts! I guess two weeks was too long, because the phone calls have begun. Thank you to everyone for your love and concern, and please accept my apologies for not having posted sooner. Although I still haven't been sleeping much, my nights have been spent comforting Iain. In the past month, he has been sick three times - an ear infection, the flu, and a stomach virus. All featured high fevers and a very whiny little guy. For the past two nights, he has actually slept quite well, so I finally feel comfortable venturing into blogging territory.

To bring everyone quickly up-to-date, Dalton is still undergoing daily radiation and chemotherapy. Everyone has finally given up on the idea of controlling or even mitigating the nausea and vomitting. We've tried everything (and for those who are about to recommend "alternative" therapies, I do mean everything). Nothing helps.

On the positive side, the docs were so confounded by his ongoing vomitting that they ordered another EGD (a long tube that looks at the esophagus and stomach) "just in case we missed something." While the scope didn't reveal any particualr cause of the nausea, it did give us a bit of a progress report that we wouldn't have otherwise received. It appears that the tumor is responding to the treatment and has shrunk enough that Dalton is able to eat some regular food. A friend of ours was visiting from North Carolina when we got the news, and he exitedly prepared a fabulous meatloaf, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, and tapioca pudding. Plus, he was able to prepare it in our own kitchen. Yes, the countertops, sink, dishwasher, stove, and hood have all been installed. All that remains are a few cosmetic touches and a couple days worth of painting.

Currently, our walls are about 6 different colors in patches of various sizes and shapes. While I have all the supplies and paint necessary to finish the job, I simply haven't had the time. Our patio is littered with empty boxes and miscellaneous trash left by the contractors and I hope to finish one job before starting the next. If anyone knows of some folks that like to clear out boxes and paint walls, send them my way!

When we last saw Dr. Iqbal, she mentioned that she would be ordering the telltale scans at our next visit, Friday the 16th. I suspect that means that D will have another PET and CT the week of the 19th. Here's hoping for scans that show no active disease! At the least, here's hoping for scans that show no diesase outside the esophageal area. This would make the cancer operable and give us a much better hope for cure.

Finally, I just want to say thanks to everyone who has offered any kind of help - material, practical, social, or spiritual. Thanks to friends visiting from out of town, cooks, drivers, babysitters, comedians, and prayer warriors. Thanks to everyone who has offered to help and hasn't been tapped as well as those who have been tapped out. I don't how how we'd do this without you.