3-16-01
Just wanted to send a quick note to everyone and let you know that we had
Dalton's last MRI at the beginning of March, and it came back clean, as expected. We've been working on getting him eating again, and getting him
off of his TPN (the i.v. feeding). He's lost a little weight, but I'm sure
his appetite will pick back up soon, especially without the TPN running. He
hasn't eaten anything substantial since November, and his stomach is probably the size of a walnut - but that's something that'll get better over
time. The one thing he WILL eat (oddly enough) is pizza... but it's got to
be Papa John's. Six or seven bites and he's done, but that's better than nothing. It's all about calories right now - we make sure he gets plenty of
Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, too...
Overall he's doing really well. He's still sleeping a lot, but when he's awake, he's constantly busy. So, from here on out it's just "wait and see".
If his tumor comes back, it's most likely to do so in the next six months.
He'll continue to get MRIs every 3 months for the next three years or so as
well. Once we're done with that we can pretty much wash our hands of this
whole mess. His broviac catheter (the tube he has going into his chest that
they use to connect i.v.'s to - used so they don't have to stick him every
time they want blood or to give him medication) will come out in about six
months, and his internal shunt (that drains spinal fluid from his brain down
to his abdomen), is really still up on the air as to whether or not it'll ever come out. I'm thinking that if we go 5 years with no recurrence, I'm
having it removed. There's a lot of reasons for and against having it in,
and without getting into all of that, both Jennifer and I think it needs to
come out asap.
ALSO... the other big news is that Rhythms (my employer) is letting us move
back to Tampa to be closer to family and friends. They gave me the OK last
Friday, and Jennifer is going down next week to try to find a house. As soon as we secure somewhere to live, we'll be packing up and moving down. I
don't think it'll be more than 45 days or so, but it really depends on Jennifer's luck with house hunting. Since Dalton's crisis is fading,
Jennifer needed something new to go crazy over...
Other news is that Jack just turned 3 - he's held up really well himself considering all the attention he's had to forfeit in the past months... he's
still hilarious and very fun to play with. He's really been both mine and
Jennifer's saving grace throughout all of this. Also attached is a pic of
him and Jennifer at his birthday party...
I'll keep you all posted on the move to Tampa and any other happenings with
Dalton or the rest of the family. For once, no news will be good news...
Joe, Jennifer, Jack, and Dalton