It’s been a week already since Daniel was admitted to the tertiary ward. There have been a few hiccups but also some definite progress.
On Friday, Daniel aspirated food into his lungs. The doctor ordered an x-ray to confirm it, and Daniel was then put on antibiotics to prevent any pneumonia. Otherwise, he’s been generally very sleepy and weak, but still able to take a few bites of pureed food with the blends I got him being fed through the tube. It is very difficult for him to even stand at this point. Please pray for increased strength!
On the upside, Daniel continues to progress with more med tapering. What that means is the harsh, addictive pain meds he’s on continue to go lower and lower in dose as his new med dose continues to increase. In fact, Daniel has been an over-achiever and has built up his tolerance for the new med quicker than scheduled. So, not only is Daniel completely off one med (which happened a few weeks ago), he’s now down to a third of a high dose of another, and the other two pain meds he’s on are either very, very low or just for a breakthrough as needed. Seeing this progress is very encouraging.
The other interesting thing is that when I saw Daniel yesterday morning (after not seeing him for a few days), I noticed the swelling under his jaw looked less. I asked him about it and he indicated, yes, the swelling on the one side had decreased a little and so had his tongue! Now, we (the doctor and us) don’t know if that’s attributed to the new med or the antibiotics (perhaps a latent effect as it may have also helped reduce any infection that may have been in those areas). But all the same, it is great to see it going in the right direction. Please pray that the swelling would KEEP going down and that that would be an indication the cancer is being killed off.
The doctor discussed with us today the option of getting another MRI. He would feel better about it because the CT scan that was taken last week didn’t really come up with a lot of information. He wants to do the MRI so we have all the possible info we can to make informed decisions as we move forward – whether anything needs to change or keep on our current course. We’re all for more information, so we signed the paperwork. Hopefully it won’t take too long to get that done.
So, other than the prayer requests already mentioned, please also be in prayer for:
- increased alertness for Daniel when he needs it, but the ability to relax when it’s time to sleep
- continued and increased efficacy of the new med to continue to manage his pain levels and also see some solid evidence of it fighting the cancer
- protection for Daniel from any further setbacks
- wisdom for the doctors and nurses who are caring for him
- strength for me as I split my time between the hospital and home
- Josiah and Kezia, that they would continue to feel secure during this continued period of instability and missing daddy (we all went for a visit on Saturday)
- full healing and restoration of strength and energy, so Daniel can serve in the many roles which God has blessed him with.
Once again, thank you to all of you who have been so helpful with practical needs, prayer, and encouragement! This continues to be a very difficult season for us – agonizing and exhausting. Our hope continues to be in God; He is able – may His will be done and may He be glorified in us.
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