March in Review

Wow, I hadn't realized it had been so long since my last post.  The last 6 weeks have just flown by-much like the last 4 months!  At the end of February, Jack turned 5 years old.  I don't even know how that happened!  Now we are discussing things like starting swim team this summer and getting him registered for Kindergarten.  He is doing well and is a happy boy, we are so blessed.

Dan has been staying busy (and in turn, keeping me busy!)  He started pool therapy twice a week in March in addition to his regular physical therapy twice a week.  The pool therapy has been a great change of pace and it provides a bit of a social outlet. There are 3 other men also re-learning to walk in the class. Dan no longer uses a wheelchair at all, getting around primarily by walker. His physical therapist is in the process of getting him to transition to just a cane, which is exciting. It still proves to be a bit of a challenge, but like everything else, will come in time and practice.

March also was the month for Dan's check-in's with his radiation oncologist and neurosurgeon.  Both were extremely happy with how well Dan has done.  The smallest of his brain tumors is completely gone now and the other one is about the 1/3 of it's original size and still inactive.  We aren't sure if it is the radiation continuing to work or if the chemo drug has broken the brain-blood barrier, but either way, it is good news!  He will have another set of scans-brain, chest, and abdomen-in June.

One big challenge Dan is still working to overcome is eating and his nausea.  He has continued to lose weight.  It had really become frustrating for both of us-Dan not being able to eat and me feeling helpless in that I couldn't fix it.  Through the recommendation of a friend, Dan decided to try acupuncture. In just the four sessions Dan has had so far, things have already improved.  His nausea is significantly lower. He is beginning to expand his food options, cautiously.  We are hopeful things will continue to get better and we can get some weight back on him!

Finally, the other exciting thing is Dan took his first business trip last week! He was able to travel to Yakima with a co-worker. Everything seemed to go well and he enjoyed being able to catch up with everyone.

Thank you to everyone who continues to check the blog and check in with us on Dan's status.  We appreciate all the prayers, positive thoughts, and uplifting messages.  I'll post again soon! 

Jen