November 29th, 2011

SD was in a lot of pain this morning, so he got some morphine and then slept more restfully. Up until this point, Stephen had been in a bit of denial - but after seeing SD get worse even with two blood transfusions and breathing treatments, it was obvious that there was no mistake in the diagnosis. He was not going to get better on his own.

SD wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight because at around 11 am, he had to be sedated to place a port put into his chest. This is a device that is like a permanent IV.

While he was under, they also did his first spinal tap. This is a procedure where doctors access his central nervous system by inserting a needle in between two vertebrates in his back. They withdrew some of his spinal fluid for testing and also injected his first dose of chemotherapy (directly into the spinal fluid).

This is the first step on a long road of chemotherapy that we are told will last about three years.

Overall, SD's procedure this morning went well. It was a lot for his little body to go through. After he was sedated, Stephen and Mandy went out in the hallway, and then we heard him cry out. We think he may have felt the tube they had to put down his throat. They ended up taking over his breathing because he was pretty congested. The doctors also suctioned out 1/4 cup of mucous from his nose and throat.

SD also had some trouble coming out of sedation. The nurses felt he needed too much oxygen, and they had to keep suctioning him by placing a tube through his nose and down into his throat. His recovery from sedation was difficult enough that he was transferred back into the ICU for a few hours so they could monitor him closely. But after a good sleep and a bit of food, he perked up more than we'd seen him in days.

The port has already made life easier for him, although he doesn't realize it. He had a couple more treatments tonight (chemo and steroids) and needed some Tylenol around 9:00 pm. We are thankful he's feeling well enough not to need more morphine.

SD had his first visitors today: Pastor and Mrs. Biggs drove all the way down from Petoskey (about 3 1/2 hours, one way)! They arrived while SD was getting his procedure done, and stayed with us while he came out of sedation and were placed back into ICU. Pastor Biggs prayed with us and SD's doctor before he left.

While they were in the waiting room, they also had an opportunity to do a bit of marital counseling - for some complete strangers. That's my Pastor - he just can't stop! :)