But I don't like pokes!

"Loving" on Trent

Grant wrapped up his steroids on Friday. We tried a new technique this week to help lessen the extremity of Grant's mood swings. I actually think it worked. We tried to cut all sugar from his diet. That meant no apple juice slushes among many other things. He was such a great sport. I explained what we were doing at the beginning of the week and why. He got on board and, not only was he cooperative, he was proactive. One day my mom suggested a fruit bar (Nutrigrain bar) for a snack. He told her, "No, I can't have that because I have leukemia and it has 12 grams of sugar in it!" He had heard me telling Rudy that when I was talking about how hard it is to completely eliminate sugar. All in all, I would say it was successful and will try to continue doing this when he has to take steroids. He can be very emotional ranging from lots of hugs to crying at the drop of a hat. But, we did not seem to lose him in fits of anger this week. Although he was trying to understand, he will need some more education as we go through this process. We were looking for a snack for him at a concession stand and he said, "oooo, Skittles, I don't think those have sugar mom!"

Grant's clinic visit on Monday went very well. He knew a couple of days prior that it was scheduled for Monday. But, Monday morning when we were getting ready to go he asked, "Mom, do I have to get a poke at the clinic today?" When I told him yes, he said, "Oh Mom, I don't really like pokes." So I began to search for an approach to this month's poke. First, I tried reverse psychology (which usually works like a charm). I bet you can't get your poke without crying....? He said, "No, I can't b/c it hurts." Hmm, that didn't work. So we talked about the fact that it does hurt and that's okay. Sometimes things hurt but we still have to be a big boy. So, I told him that it was okay to cry when it hurt, but it was not okay for him to throw a big fit and wiggle around making it difficult for the nurse and Mommy. It worked! When it was time to get his poke, he sat perfectly still on my lap and cried. It was awful! Usually I am so mad and frustrated trying to accomplish the task that I'm not too worried about how he is feeling. This time, he was completely cooperative and just had tears running down his face. It was so much harder b/c it was heartbreaking to watch him choose to endure the pain like a big boy. I was so proud and crushed all at the same time. Then, when it was time to take his bandage off to go home, he didn't even cry. What an amazing kid!!!
He also has asked me when does he not have to go to the clinic anymore. I told him he will have to be 6. So he is counting down.

He got a great report from Dr. Heym. He always comments on how good Grant looks. His counts were all okay. His ANC is actually too high. Can that be? This month his was around 4100 and they want it between 750-1500. This is the second month in a row that it has been too high. Dr. Heym believes this may be because Grant is growing or his body is metabolizing the chemo more easily. What does this mean? Most likely, if it is still up at the next visit, Dr. Heym will increase the dosages on his medication. Bummer! But, we want to do what is best for Grant. They want his bone marrow suppressed but not bottomed out like it was in earlier treatment. We will continue to follow Dr's orders on how best to care for Grant and God will take care of the rest.

Thank you for continuing to follow our journey and especially for the prayers. We really appreciate all of the amazing acts of kindness from friends and strangers alike. God is good!

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Col. 3:17