Things have been a whirlwind since the last post. I was still getting used to Brody needing a hearing aid, even after all of this. Brody's counts have been a little wonky, which is fitting for him. We were in the 3000 range in October and due to the guidelines of seeing if it occurs 2 months in a row, nothing changed for that visit. We came back for his November clinic and numbers were still off the charts. Brody's counts this time were 6100, and he needs to maintain between 950 and 1250. So we upped his chemo 125% AND the steroid dosage at the same time. To say it was a nightmare is an understatement. These weeks are rough and don't seem to get any easier. Sleep is next to none and attitude/emotions/hunger are horrendous. Anyone who knows Brody and his over abundance of energy would be shocked to hear that this increase in chemo meds whooped his butt this go around. Where it usually takes sleep medicine to get him to sleep, Brody was falling asleep on our laps as early as 6:15PM most nights and we also had a couple bouts of nausea, which he has not had for over a year. On top of everything, his liver numbers were elevated which his Doctor believed the chemo was metabolizing in his liver and not in the bone marrow like he needs. He received his last spinal tap of the year and now only has 4 more until the end of treatment!! Spinal taps are much easier now at Vanderbilt, due to them putting him under so that process is at least less daunting then before. 

Due to his counts still being in the 6000s, we had to have a 2 week follow up following all of the increases. So Tuesday we had a follow up and his counts were around 3000, still high but came down significantly. So he now has 2 weeks to get his numbers within range or they will be increasing the other at home chemo med until this is under control. We are down to almost 1 year left of treatment and the countdown is on!

Despite Covid and everyone's opinions, this is the first summer since diagnosis that we have fully enjoyed ourselves. Camping trips, kayaking, bike rides, lake trips, etc. and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Brody remains as healthy as possible and if you recall back in January of this year when he was on breathing treatments and had some additional hospitalizations, we believe Brody actually had it then. So to those that think cancer families need to hide behind this virus, please look elsewhere. Brody has already experienced the worst in his life (fingers crossed), as have we as a family and quite honestly we don't need another damn thing to get in our way of enjoying our lives. 🧡🎗