Signs of Progress

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This week has ended a lot better than it had started. Monday/Tuesday, Josh was still dealing with a spinal headache which was brought on his Lumbar Puncture last Friday. Tuesday, he was transferred to the ER department at the Devos Children’s Hospital for a MRI. His oncologist had asked for him to go to the ER because he would be able to get in for the scan sooner.

But, the MRI came back clear, and actually confirmed that his fluids were low but not quite low enough to require a blood patch, so he was sent back to Mary Free Bed. This was a relief considering that I had prepared for the possibility that he might stay in the hospital over night.

Tuesday night, Josh was placed on an IV drip meant to restore his fluids. He slept with it in all night. The only trouble came when the machine would randomly begin beeping if Josh moved his right arm. And, the alarm had a sound that was half way between an alarm clock and telephone. We ended up being woken up at just past midnight, 1 a.m, 3 a.m., 5 a.m., etc.

Wednesday Josh began to show improvement, and continued on with his therapy sessions. This was also the day when Theresa picked up the medication for Josh’s treatments and visited for a little bit.

Around Thursday or Friday morning, I began noticing that Josh’s voice was less breathy. One morning, he didn’t talk for a few minutes, but then cleared his voice and responded to one of my questions. I noticed right away that his voice had more strength behind it.

His physical therapy team has also noted that he is making improvements in his walking. Today, he walked the entire length of the unit twice with the aid of a cane and with two therapists supporting him.

During our down time, we entertain ourselves by playing Smash Bros. on Josh’s Switch, air hockey in the nearby social room, and making occasional trips outside.

So, we are winding down our Saturday with Josh feeling much more upbeat, pain free, and still working on gaining back his mobility.

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