17th May 2009
Hi everyone,
What a pleasant surprise this round of chemo has been. Both Ray and I are shocked at how well Jed has reacted. We discussed our concerns with Dr Reynders at our appointment on Saturday and he explained that the first chemo is the strong one - then it is 3 weeks of a different and not so strong chemo and then the strong one again. This will continue every Saturday and will always be dependent on Jed's blood counts. His red count is 10.5 (normal is 11.00 - 14.00), under 10 is a concern so this is good news, his white cells are 2.00 (normal is 5.00 - 15.00), his platelets are 135 (normal is 200 - 450). All his counts are down (which means his immune system is down) however, we knew this and except it is part of the process. I was actually surprised that the results were this good as the chemo was extremely strong. Thank you for your prayers.
The eating is a HUGE concern Jed is now at 18.4kg (and I kept his shoes on) so he has lost a total of 600 grams in a week. The doctor has increased the Zofran (nausea medication) and Jed is now on cortisone for a couple of days. I know cortisone has all sorts of negative side effects but Jed has been so well. He is eating so much better, drinking fluids and he is full of energy. His cheeks are rosy and he looks amazing. He has had no pain since the cortisone started.... Jed is also on a daily supplement of protein, I feed this to him with a syringe and I pretend it is medicine (excellent idea I got from my sister, Shelly)
We are still very happy with Dr Reynders and the staff at Unitas; each Saturday we are amazed at how professional and caring the team are. Dr Reynders was so supportive regarding our concerns with Jed. He told us that if we are ever worried, at any time day or night, we can bring Jed to see him. He has made himself available for Jed and we feel so blessed to have such a great doctor.
After chemo Jed was so well we decided to pop into Jordi's party. His mom, Shell and dad, Wayne threw him a superhero party to celebrate the end of a very emotional and hectic radiation session. Jordi had to have a General Anesthetic daily for his radiation. The fact that this was behind them was a huge reason to celebrate. We didn't stay long but it was lovely to see all the adults in their superhero outfits and Jordi surrounded by love and support. People are wonderful and life has honestly taken on a different meaning to me. Every single day is a blessing.
Please may I ask that we continue to pray for Jed and Jordi. I have added a picture of Jed kissing his mom, I hope you like it as much as I do! .
Please add my brother to your prayers. He has (once again) been admitted for major depression which may or may not relate to his head injury from his accident in July 08. We are waiting for him to be transferred to Tara! Larry hasn't been the same since his accident, he just doesn't seem to be able to cope with reality anymore. My favorite men are in serious need of prayers. Please add my poor mom too, her heart is in a zillion pieces as her babies are all in crisis.
"Mommy you continue to amaze me; the thought of you sitting at Helen Joseph admitting your son and trying to get him into Tara breaks my heart ..and whilst you are doing all of this, you still phone to check on Jed all the time. I love you mommy and I'm so sorry that you are facing all this sadness in your life.... you are the strongest tiny person, I am honestly so proud of you mama"
Thanks to Aunty Thelma (Soccer Gwan) and Lulu (Shelly) for helping my mom today with Larry - I'm not sure what we would do without you both.
With love
Bonni x x x
What a pleasant surprise this round of chemo has been. Both Ray and I are shocked at how well Jed has reacted. We discussed our concerns with Dr Reynders at our appointment on Saturday and he explained that the first chemo is the strong one - then it is 3 weeks of a different and not so strong chemo and then the strong one again. This will continue every Saturday and will always be dependent on Jed's blood counts. His red count is 10.5 (normal is 11.00 - 14.00), under 10 is a concern so this is good news, his white cells are 2.00 (normal is 5.00 - 15.00), his platelets are 135 (normal is 200 - 450). All his counts are down (which means his immune system is down) however, we knew this and except it is part of the process. I was actually surprised that the results were this good as the chemo was extremely strong. Thank you for your prayers.
The eating is a HUGE concern Jed is now at 18.4kg (and I kept his shoes on) so he has lost a total of 600 grams in a week. The doctor has increased the Zofran (nausea medication) and Jed is now on cortisone for a couple of days. I know cortisone has all sorts of negative side effects but Jed has been so well. He is eating so much better, drinking fluids and he is full of energy. His cheeks are rosy and he looks amazing. He has had no pain since the cortisone started.... Jed is also on a daily supplement of protein, I feed this to him with a syringe and I pretend it is medicine (excellent idea I got from my sister, Shelly)
We are still very happy with Dr Reynders and the staff at Unitas; each Saturday we are amazed at how professional and caring the team are. Dr Reynders was so supportive regarding our concerns with Jed. He told us that if we are ever worried, at any time day or night, we can bring Jed to see him. He has made himself available for Jed and we feel so blessed to have such a great doctor.
After chemo Jed was so well we decided to pop into Jordi's party. His mom, Shell and dad, Wayne threw him a superhero party to celebrate the end of a very emotional and hectic radiation session. Jordi had to have a General Anesthetic daily for his radiation. The fact that this was behind them was a huge reason to celebrate. We didn't stay long but it was lovely to see all the adults in their superhero outfits and Jordi surrounded by love and support. People are wonderful and life has honestly taken on a different meaning to me. Every single day is a blessing.
Please may I ask that we continue to pray for Jed and Jordi. I have added a picture of Jed kissing his mom, I hope you like it as much as I do! .
Please add my brother to your prayers. He has (once again) been admitted for major depression which may or may not relate to his head injury from his accident in July 08. We are waiting for him to be transferred to Tara! Larry hasn't been the same since his accident, he just doesn't seem to be able to cope with reality anymore. My favorite men are in serious need of prayers. Please add my poor mom too, her heart is in a zillion pieces as her babies are all in crisis.
"Mommy you continue to amaze me; the thought of you sitting at Helen Joseph admitting your son and trying to get him into Tara breaks my heart ..and whilst you are doing all of this, you still phone to check on Jed all the time. I love you mommy and I'm so sorry that you are facing all this sadness in your life.... you are the strongest tiny person, I am honestly so proud of you mama"
Thanks to Aunty Thelma (Soccer Gwan) and Lulu (Shelly) for helping my mom today with Larry - I'm not sure what we would do without you both.
With love
Bonni x x x
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