A Welcome Postponement

      As planned, we went to our weekly clinic visit this morning. We went through the increasingly familiar motions of Ethen's check-up: weight and height measurements, vital signs, dressing change, Hickman line cap changes, and blood work. We are thankful to report that Ethen's weight has gone up. His neutrophil levels, however, were too low to commence treatment this week. His neutrophil count is hovering around .6 and he needs to be .75 or higher to administer chemo, so they told us no dice. We were a bit reticent to postpone treatment because we don't want to give the cancer any relief (keep pounding, right?)! After expressing our concern, the nurse practitioner in clinic assured us that it is common for cancer patients to have to postpone treatment from time to time, and that to postpone treatment for a week shouldn't have much effect, if any, on the cancer's virility. With that, we strode back to our car and hit the road.
     We are thankful for the postponement for various reasons. The week off will give Ethen a chance to gain strength and put on some weight. It also means that the nasogastric (feeding) tube is on hold for at least a week. The way the nurse spoke today, the tube is a pretty sure bet for next Monday. We'd prefer to not put Ethen through intubation, especially since he'll also need a catheter for this round of treatment to prevent extreme diaper rash. Pray Ethen's appetite continues and that he can gain strength and weight during this week off!