Day +8: The Beard is Back!

You won't believe me but Jason is actually trying to smile for this picture.

Today is Wednesday, Day +8. Everything is right on track according to the doctors. Let’s talk about how Jason is currently feeling.

Due to the chemotherapy, Jason’s white cell count is down to .1. This means Jason is completely susceptible to any sickness. Like a newborn baby, he could contract any sickness or sniffle. We will not have any guests for a little while for this reason and for others. So far, Jason has done well and has no infection! Woo Hoo!

Jason’s headache hasn’t left in a few days and it keeps him in bed most of the time. It turns out that his Tacrolimus level, despite being lowered, is still too high. As we discussed previously, Tacroliumus is a drug Jason receives but it can make him shake or cause severe headaches if the dosage is too high. They are giving him an entire day off of the drug and then lowering the medication again. Hopefully this will get rid of this obnoxious headache! The past few days he has had very little shaking but he has required more Magnesium. Magnesium levels can decrease when Tacrolimus.

Also, Jason’s mouth has become very raw. Fortunately, the headache pain relievers have been able to numb most of the pain in his mouth. It looks terrible but there are no active bleeds. He is being transfused with 2 units of washed platelets twice per day. His platelet count is still low but we are hoping that the platelets they give him will prevent any bleeding. This hasn’t been perfect and he needs to be careful not to eat sharp, dry foods. He has been slowly eating some French toast in the morning, and then enjoying chocolate shakes as the day continues.

Despite another day of feeling unwell, doctors say he is about a week or less away from beginning to climb out of this pit. I am looking forward to him feeling better, acquiring some white blood cells, and producing platelets. Continue to pray for this. We are so thankful for your prayers and we know God is helping us.

Some fun news: The gift I bought for Jason arrived today. It was a little emotional for him to watch his beard hairs fall onto his bed, and to get his head shaved again. His hair is becoming less and less so I ordered him… a bearded hat! Jason loved it the second he opened it and he has been wearing the hat ever since. The one nurse who has seen him has been laughing about it. Jason says it actually does make him feel better. Today we will go on a walk in the hallway so he can show it off.

Sleeping in his new hat. Jason says it makes him feel so much better.