My Diary
 
 
 
Well, what did you wish for Jacob?.......... Jacob remains well with just the occasional bout of nausea and vomiting to contend with. His blood counts are recovering well, so hopefully no more transfusions for now. Getting Jacob to eat and take on sufficient fluids remains a major challenge though and consumes much of our time. The fact is, without constant encouragement and prompting, Jacob simply would not eat. We are still therefore very much reliant on giving him an overnight feed via his nasal gastric tube, as this means the difference between Jacob maintaining or loosing weight. Jacob attended Clatterbridge Hospital yesterday. He underwent a CT scan and general preparations prior to the commencement of his forthcoming radiotherapy. Treatment will begin on the 27th May and be administered daily for three weeks. This treatment is given to kill off any remaining cancer cells at the site of his of his primary tumour following its removal. We have been told of the possible risks of toxicity to Jacob’s lungs and that he is likely to loose some of his lung capacity permanently. He will also experience some reduction in his growth as a result of the radiotherapy having to target part of his spine. A worthwhile compromise nevertheless. Next week will see Jacob undergo a further MIBG scan and bone marrow biopsies to determine the success of his recent high dose chemotherapy. There is nothing I can say about scans and the subsequent period waiting for the results, that I haven’t said already. Put simply, it is a form of torture! However, we (and Jacob’s medical team) are extremely positive and believe that things will only get better for Jacob. So, you can guess what we are wishing for right now! On another positive note, I (Jacob’s Daddy) have begun to think about returning to work. We now crave a sense of normality in our life and after lengthy discussions, think that the time is right. Perhaps we are being naive to think of normality again, but cancer destroys all notions of a ‘normal’ life and will take away so much if you let it. In any event, I need to provide financially as although we have been generously supported by Nicky’s work, this support has to end in the near future and Nicky will continue to devote her time to Jacob and Ben with the support of our respective families. Please pray for Jacob during his next treatment and for his forthcoming results. Bye for now.
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Looking Forward!