Tired of Being Sick

Jeremy has been able to enjoy some therapeutic sunshine and fresh air this week. The warmth of the sun is very healing even if the air is cold. It has been such a blessing to have more sunshine than usual this year. We bundle Jeremy up before going out. He will usually play for about thirty minutes to and hour, by the time he is ready to come in, he is exhausted! He will cuddle up on the couch and we will wrap his blanket around him with a heated up rice bag and he will fall asleep. I have decided that children fight being sick. After a while they are tired of being inside and want to be out running and playing. We are trying to find the balance. Jeremy will sometimes overdue it and make himself sick. A few days ago he did three somersaults across the floor and then stood by the sink. I asked him if he was alright, and he said, "I feel sick". Although Jeremy has more energy to run and play, we still have to be careful and make sure he doesn't overdue it and gets enough rest. A few days ago Jeremy made the comment, "I hate being sick".

Jeremy still does not have an appetite. The chemo makes food taste "yucky". He is also getting sensitive to smells. I was making dinner and Jeremy said "It smells like the zoo, where the monkeys live". The rest of us thought it smelled good...I have never had the aroma from my cooking described that way before! We are so thankful for formula feedings through his G-tube! He is gaining weight and his cheeks are filling in.

Jeremy has his blood drawn every Monday and Thursday. His red blood count is stabilizing, but his white blood count and ANC is dropping. We have been giving him the Neupogen shots since last Thursday and will continue to give them to him through the weekend until we see what his count is on Monday. His blood count can change very quickly in just a few days. We have to continually be careful exposing him to germs. We feel very blessed that Jeremy has not been sick (other than chemo sick) this winter.