Tuesday, December 6, 2016

12.6.16

The past week has been full of many ups and downs for Sammy. We hit a pretty hard time in his chemotherapy treatment where he began vomiting regularly. He also has ended up with pneumonia in his left lung. He had fevers for several days in a row and had numerous other tests done to find out what was wrong and how severe. It was quite a hard week watching Sammy struggle. He actually added 3 more times of being put under, and one more general surgery procedure to his list. It seemed like everyday was going to be something new to figure out what they can do for him. It was hard to watch him so uncomfortable and so unhappy with how he was feeling.

He is thankfully feeling a bit better in some ways. Still not great in other ways. He is still having a ton of coughing from the pneumonia, which is expected and wanted. His sinuses are still doing a ton of draining, which is adding to his overall discomfort I am sure. They will be doing more scans to track his lungs healing from the pneumonia over the next several weeks. We are not sure how this will impact starting his next round of chemotherapy at this time. As the next round is due to begin around the 14th of December.

Over the last week, we have seen a lot of answers to prayer as well. Lots of little blessings in Sammy's recovery. He has gained a bit of control of his hands/arms. He will now wave and give high fives with lots of added encouragement and praise. But he is doing it and make a huge effort. He is also starting to point, reach and touch. This is huge in helping him to communicate with us, as we can use items or pictures to help give him back control in telling us his wants. So holding up a choice of 2 dvds or showing a picture of his chair, and asking him to touch it if he wants to sit in it. It is slowly giving him back some control of his life. Which is absolutely amazing. He is also becoming more verbal, by making babbling sounds. They may not be words, yet but just like with an infant this is the start. So exactly what we want to see him doing.

Also in the last couple of days, we have seen him being more active in his movements. He has made several attempts on his own to sit up. His head control is doing so much better and he is rolling himself around in the bed. I even caught him today in a moment of agitation on his hands and knees. I have no idea how he got himself into that position, but amazing to see. Hopefully this is all baby steps in his recovery to regaining his abilities affected by the Posterior Fossa Syndrome. We are so proud of Super Sammy in everything he is doing and how far he has come.

The biggest answer to prayer happened yesterday, Monday. His catheter fell out while attempting to give him a shower. Instead of just placing it immediately, they wanted to give the opportunity for him to pee on his own. He did!! He peed on his own, and it was a full release leaving his bladder empty. He has continued to pee on his own over the last 24 hours, which means he does not need a catheter as long as he continues to pee regularly. We are hoping that this will continue and he will be able to have one less line attached to him at all times.

It has definitely been a big week for Sammy, but he continues to show us his strength and courage. We have been having some issues at night with him. We are not entirely sure what is making him or causing him to be so upset. But the last 2 nights he was up most of the night in panics. Please keep him in your prayers.



PRAISE that Sammy is going pee on his own and no longer requires a catheter. PRAISE that he is gaining motor functions and is beginning to make purposeful movements with his arms and hands. PRAISE that we have been able to get his nausea and vomiting under control. PRAISE that Sammy had some added joy this week with a couple of extra special visitors. One being Officer Damon Cole (Superman) who visited Sammy on his road trip across the country. PRAY for Officer Cole's journey and all he does to impact the lives of children like Sammy, and as he impacts the lives of those in the community where he patrols as a police officer. PRAY a blessing for this man as he has a huge heart. PRAY that Sammy's scan tomorrow shows improvement in his lung. PRAY it shows anything that needs to be seen that may be impacting his comfort level. PRAY for Sammy during the scan and is placed under anesthesia once again. PRAY that he feels safe and protected during the scan. PRAY that his body continues to recover from pneumonia. PRAY that he continues to make strides in his mobility and in his communication. PRAY for a restful night. PRAY that his body is healed from whatever trauma is causing him these episodes in his sleep. PRAY for us, that we too are both well rested as we tackle tomorrow. PRAY for continued healing in our son.

3 comments:

  1. Praising God for each little miracle step on this road bring traveled.

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  2. Praising God for each little miracle step on this road bring traveled.

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  3. It is very legit to call Sammy as Super Sammy. I wish him a strong healthy future and very successful years to come in life

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