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BOO!!!

Happy Halloween from our "Little Boo" to you!

Keith didn't feel so great today. His side was hurting pretty bad. He is wearing two pain patches, and he finally gave in and took another pain med. I think he held off on taking the other medicine until tonight because that medicine makes him really sleepy. He feels bad when he sleeps all day.

Today Lincoln and I ran to Wal-Mart. I sat him in the little seat at the front of the cart for the first time. He can't quite sit up on his own, but he really wants to. I propped him up a bit with his bag. He loved being able to look around! He is getting so big. I just can't believe how much he has grown.

Today has been declared "pajama day" at the McCord house. We have all enjoyed being home today. None of us are too eager to go anywhere after two very long days at the hospital. We have enjoyed a day of rest. We've watched a movie, taken naps, and enertained the little man.

Keith is doing well. He has rested most of the day. I'm so glad that Keith got the transfusion. It has made a big difference. He is going to get a shot from now on that should help prevent his counts from getting so low. Hopefully we can avoid further transfusions in the future.

We're HOME! Today went much better than yesterday. We didn't have to wait too long to see Keith's oncologist. We got right into a room for chemo, which is unheard of. We also got "the good room"- the one with the leather recliner. :) Lincoln and I snuggled under a nice, heated blanket and took a nap this afternoon.

We really didn't learn anything new. Keith is scheduled to get another CT scan on Nov. 14th. He is going to get a CT scan and a MRI that week. That is going to be one hard week!! At least we will know what is going on in his body.

Keith seems to be feeling better. He didn't bring his cane today. I think that is a good sign. He also wanted to stop and get food on the way home. That's another good sign.

Lincoln got more attention than ever today. I'm afraid this little boy is going to have a big head. Whenever someone remarks about how cute he is, he gives them this look like "yeah, I know." One of the nurses even found him a little friend. The little girl was the same age as Lincoln. He just grinned and grinned at the little girl.

The transfusion went well. It took forever, but it went well. Keith's coloring looks much better. He also seems to feel a bit better too. I think it is hard for him to gauge how much better he feels because he is worn out from the whole experience. We were gone for a total of 13 hours yesterday. That's a new record. We are off again today. We will meet with Keith's oncologist and then Keith will probably get chemo. Please pray that today will go smoothly.

Keith got his blood work done today, and his hematocrit level dropped again. They want him to get a blood transfusion tomorrow. We get to spend the next two days at Baylor. We did have the option of getting the transfusion done in town, but we feel more comfortable going to Baylor. I might just have to dress Lincoln in his Halloween outfit and let him do some trick or treating a little early. The receptionists always seem to have a little candy on their desks. : )

Keith has been feeling pretty bad the past few days. He has "camped out" on the couch. His biggest complaint is that he is very tired, which is due to his counts being low. He is going to get a shot tomorrow. The shot is supposed to take a while to start working, so he probably won't get much relief before he gets chemo again. He also ran a low grade fever for the past two days.

Yesterday he asked me to buy him a cane. (I have to admit that was a bit depressing. A piece of my heart broke when he asked me to get that for him.) He can walk on his own, but it does help give him a little extra support. I told him that I was expecting him to work on a little dance routine with the cane. He informed me that if he could dance, then he wouldn't need the cane. Where's his sense of humor????

Yesterday we found out that Keith's blood work looked pretty good. Then the nurse called back and said that Keith's hematocrit level was low. After hearing that I went straight to the internet to figure out what in the world that is. (For those of you who are interested, it is the percentage of red blood cells in relation to the blood volume.) Basically, Keith is anemic. He is going to get a shot on Monday. If that doesn't help, Keith may have to get a blood transfusion. It has been drama, drama, drama around here lately! At least this explains why Keith has been so tired.

Lincoln sends everyone a big, wet, sloppy kiss. This is his latest trick. (I know his Nana will be excited. She tried to teach him that when she was visiting.) Unfortulately, he tends to pull your hair while he is giving you a kiss. We'll have to work on that. : )

Lincoln had a great time
at the pumpkin patch. He
enjoyed exploring the
pumpkins. He even
"tasted" one. Yuk!





Here is Lincoln with his buddies. He had a great time with
Ella and Caleb. He and Ella got into a very deep conversation
while we were taking pictures.



Lincoln worked so hard during the photo shoot that he wore himself out. (He isn't in a new outfit because he had an accident. I had to change him because it was so hot today. Eighty degree weather in October-gotta love Texas! : )

A Hard Night

Last night was rough. Keith and I had one of our "serious conversations." From time to time we stop and talk about how we are doing with everything that is going on. Keith is really struggling right now. He is scared, and he doesn't have as much hope as he once did. He told me that he doesn't feel like God is answering his prayers. I ask that you pray for Keith. Pray that he will feel God's presence. Pray that God will reveal Himself to Keith in a visible way. Also be praying about the future scans. He will have a MRI on Nov. 17th (I think). Pray that the radiation worked, and the tumors are gone.

As for me, I am scared as well. I try not to think about it too much. I hate to see Keith suffering. I hate to see him in pain. I hate that my husband is so weak that he is worn out by taking a shower or doing a task that is so easy for the rest of us. I hate that Keith doesn't even feel comfortable carrying Lincoln at times because his medicine makes him feel light headed. I am also struggling with jealousy. When I look around, I see happy families everywhere I look. Sure they all have problems, but it is nothing in comparison to what we are dealing with right now. I just don't understand why we are going through this.

Sorry this is such a "heavy" blog. I am really trying to be honest about where we are. Lincoln and I are headed to the arboretum to take pictures at the pumpkin patch today, so maybe tomorrow there will be some cute pictures instead of depressing thoughts. : )

A Rainy Monday Morning

There are lots of benefits to staying home with Lincoln. The best benefit today is that I didn't have to get out in the rain. When I worked, I always hated getting up on a rainy morning. I always wished that I could stay home, snuggle up under a blanket, and read. This morning Lincoln and I made monkey bread. He played on the floor while I enjoyed my breakfast treat along with some coffee. We did have to take Keith to get his blood work done, but now we are back at home. I'm looking forward to sitting down with a book during Lincoln's nap this afternoon.

Keith is doing okay. He is still very tired, and he usually feels bad at some point each day. He has been able to get out a bit. He went and played games at a friend's house, and we also met up with a couple that we used to go to church with for dinner the other night. Overall, I would say that he isn't as strong as he has been, but he has been much worse. Keith will get chemo again next Wed. (Oct 25th), so hopefully he can continue to regain his strength this week.

Keith is more like himself today. It is good to have him back. It is so hard to see him sick. I wish I could just wave my magic wand and make all of this go away. Last week when we went to the doctor we asked the doctor if he could order Keith a new body. He said he would check to see if our insurance would cover that. Our insurance is good, but not that good. : )

Keith is doing a little better today. He has been sitting up some instead of laying down all the time. This morning he sat outside on the deck and listened to a sermon that a friend gave him. I know that it was good for Keith to get out and breathe some fresh, cool air.

Here's a picture of Lincoln wearing his "shades." I'm sure you noticed that he tongue is out. The boy is constantly playing with is tongue! In fact, it may be out of his mouth more than it is in his mouth lately. : )

Keith felt a little better today. Today is the fourth day after his last chemo, and he usually starts feeling better on day #5. Hopefully things will start to turn around tomorrow.

Today I called and scheduled the follow up appointment with the radiologist. We will meet with him in November. Keith and I were talking about how hard it is going to be to make ourselves go to that appointment. When we go, we will find out whether or not the radiation worked. I think the news that we get will help in determining future treatment plans. Please start praying now for the news and for us.

I've been a bit bummed out today. I guess I just got to thinking about the appointment. I can't bear the thought of hearing more bad news. I really try to stay positive about all of this, but I have found that I also must prepare myself for the worst. Someone told me the other day that they didn't know how I was making it through all of this. Some days I don't know either. It is a comfort to see God at work even in this very hard time. He has provided for us financially. He has brought people to us at the perfect time. He has blessed us with a little boy who makes us laugh and smile on even the toughest of days.

Update

Keith is doing okay right now. His pain seems to have subsided. He has been sleeping a lot, but that is fairly normal after a chemo treatment.

We did meet with the doctor on Thursday. I just haven't had time to write about it until now. We were both pretty nervous to see him. Keith was in so much pain the night before. I was afraid that I was going to have to take him to the emergency room. He was able to manage the pain with medicine. The doctor said that his pain was probably caused by the tumor in his spleen. The pain meds have taken care of the pain, so that is good.

His oncologist is concerned that Keith has not been able to take the chemo pills in quite a while. His doctor told us that we had a decision to make regarding his treatment. We could reduce the chemo dose and take the chemo pills or put off chemo completely and just take the pills. We decided to reduce the chemo dose by 25% in hopes that Keith will be able to take the pills. It is so hard to know what to do right now. Please pray that God will grant Keith's doctor and the two of us with wisdom.

Keith's parents left for home this morning. Once again, God brought us help at the perfect time. They were there to help out when Keith had to be admitted into the hospital. We are blessed to have the support of our families.

An Unexpected Stay in the Hospital

Keith had chemo yesterday. There was a bit of a complication, so he got to stay overnight. He is home now and doing fine. I guess Keith just didn't think there was enough drama going on. : ) Luckily, Keith's parents are here. His mom and dad watched Lincoln yesterday. Last night his mom came up to stay with Keith, so that I could go home and take care of Lincoln. It all worked out pretty well.

Keith is still having a tough time with all that is going on. We were talking the other day and he said that at first he really felt that we were making progress with the tumors. Then we had to stop chemo in order to do radiation. Keith has done one round of chemo since then, but he has not been able to take the chemo pills for quite a while due to his counts being low. Keith has started to experience some of the discomfort that he initially felt when the cancer was discovered, and it scares him.

Please continue to pray that God will renew his spirit. Keith has done so well through all of this. His strength has been amazing. I understand that Keith will experience times of darkness, but I also know that a person's attitude is very important at a time like this. If you get a moment, write a comment or send a card or an e-mail. I know it would be a great encouragement to him.