Past Journal

05/04/05

Joshua went to the clinic today. This will be his last blood draw from his central line. He is having his port removed on May 17th, 2005. He is doing very well. His blood counts were good. WBC 4.5 RBC 4.93 Hemoglobin 11.1(low) Hemartocrit 35.6 and Platelets 358. Joshua is really looking forward to some warmer weather. He loves the outdoors.

04/22/05

Joshua's fever finally broke last night. This morning he is feeling much better. He was able to have his teacher Kris come to the house. I sure hope whatever kind of bug he had is gone for good. I told Josh that he needs to stay in the house for a few days, with the weather being cold and rainy.

04/20/225

Joshua continues to have a high fever it was 103.2 at 2:45pm this afternoon. I feel so bad for him, I wish there something I could do for him. I'm praying that whatever this is leaves just as fast as it came. Good news on the blood cultures that were drawn yesterday, nothing ever grew from them. If he still has a fever tomorrow we will be going back to children's to get another CBC and cultures done.

7:00am- Joshua still has a temperature this morning of 102. He did manage to sleep most of the night. Lets pray this fever breaks soon. Today it is raining and it is cooler out than the past couple of days, so it will be a good day for Joshua to relax and not be worried about playing outside.

04/19/05

Today Joshua is not doing very well. He had a temperature of 102.2 this morning and said his legs were hurting and his head. So off to Children's hospital we go to have a CBC (complete blood count) and blood cultures drawn. Josh also had a strep test done because his throat looked a little red. The strep came back negative and his blood counts were good. It takes 48 hours for the blood cultures to come back. We at home keeping an eye on his fever and pain. His WBC (white blood count) is 4.3 his RBC (red blood count) is 4.24 his Hemoglobin is 9.8 (LOW), Hematocrit 31.3(LOW) and his platelets were 192. His ANC (absolute neutrophils) is 2494. It is 7:00pm right now and Joshua has spiked another fever of 103.1, I just gave him tylenol to help bring it down and make him a little more comfortable. I hope my little guy can get some rest tonight.

04/08/05

Joshua is enrolled in the South Milwaukee schools district for Kindergarten and currently has a tutor come to his home due to his immune system. Joshua's brother Shawn is also currently enrolled in the same district and has gone there for 6 years, his sister has also graduated from South Milwaukee High school. We recently had to move from South Milwaukee to Milwaukee due to my mother's passing. I filled out open enrollment forms in February for my children to be able to attend the same school district, I felt that they didn't need anymore disruption in there life at this time. With my mother's passing and this move along with Joshua's illness it has been very hard for these little boy's. Shawn's open enrollment application to attend South Milwaukee has been approved but Joshua's has been denied. I feel this is very unfair and believe they are denying him because of his illness. If there is anyone that can help me with this problem please email me at B9StoME To put Joshua in a different school 12 miles away from his brother is crazy.

04/06/05

Joshua had his clinic visit today. His WBC (white blood count) is 4.9, RBC (red blood count) 4.19, Platelets 272, Segs 44 so ANC is 2156 which is good. Josh has gained some weight over this past month he now weighs 54 pounds. The weather has been warm here the past few days and Joshua loves it. This is Joshua's last central line blood draw.

03/02/05

I'm sorry it has been a long time since I have updated. My Mother pasted away on February 3rd, 2005. She was so young only 61 years old. Way to young to die. She past away with me at her home. We talked a lot about quality of life and I know her passing at home meant everything in the world to her and I know that is where she wanted to be. This past month has been very hard on me and my family. All we can do now is take one day at at a time. I plan to light a candle on days that were special to me and my Mother. I miss her so much.

Joshua had his clinic visit today and his blood counts were a little low we think it's due to his cold. Joshua had his last chemotherphy on February 23rd, 2005. He has started to eat a little more than usual. He will continue to take bactrim for 6 moths to help prevent pneumonia. Joshua has had it with winter he wants summer. He doesn't want to wear a coat and hat anymore. I think we are all ready for some warmer weather I know I am.

01/28/05

Joshua had his monthly check on January 26th. His immune system is very very low. His ANC is only 90. Joshua has a bad cold with a very bad cough. Please pray that this does not turn to pneumonia. He is off all medications until we recheck his blood counts again next week. Joshua grandmother was admitted to the hospital again on the 26th. She has declined very rapidly. She will be coming home on Hospice. I'm meeting with then today. I am just beside myself right now, I can't believe this is happing to my family. I spend all of my time in a hospital either at Children's with my son or St. Lukes with my Mother. Please pray for my family things are very hard for me right now. We have also moved to my Mother's home so I can take care of her.

12/31/04

Joshua is doing GREAT. He is starting to eat a little more each day. He has a little cold with a runny nose right now. Joshua sees his Dr on January 26th, 2005 for a check up and some blood work. Joshua and Shawn had a wonderful Christmas, Thank You to all who sent gifts. Joshua's Grandmother is very weak and has poor concentration. She is going to have a procedure done called

Portacaval shunts Portacaval shunts may lower blood pressure in the portal vein by diverting the flow of blood from the portal vein to the large vein that returns blood to the heart (vena cava).

Complications of shunt surgery may include changes in mental function (encephalopathy). People who have large-diameter portacaval shunts have a 20% to 50% rate of encephalopathy.¹
Please pray for my Mother and for my son in this New Year.

12/21/04

Joshua is really looking forward to Christmas. He is counting the days down. He is very excited. Joshua will be going to my Mother's house on Christmas eve. He knows that Santa Claus comes there too. Joshua is still on steroids, but this time he is eating hot dogs. Joshua has not had a hot dog in 2 years. I was shocked when he said he wanted one. His moods have been up and down a lot this week. One more day to go on the steroids. I hope he counties to feel OK for Christmas. He has been laying around the house doing nothing today. I have been taking his temperature all day. Thank God he hasn't had one. I want us all to be home for Christmas. Thank you to everyone who has signed his guestbook, he loves when mommy reads the messages to him. We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

12/16/04

Joshua had his last spinal tap yesterday. Everything went OK. His WBC (white blood count) was 2.8 and his ANC (immune system) was 1469. Joshua will be on Dexamethasone (a steroid) for the next 7 days. Joshua gets very upset and crying one minute and then he gets very angry the next. Steroid week is never any fun. He also had Vincristine (chemo) which makes his feet and legs hurt pretty bad. As for his health insurance any donations can be sent in care of Joshua A at P O box 85 South Milwaukee, WI 53172-0085. This has been a very bad holiday season for our family. My Mother (Joshua's grandmother) is doing Ok right now. She is very tired all the time, she can't go up and down stairs right now or walk very much. She has a a lot of fluid in her body. Today I'm taking her to see one of her doctors, maybe he can give her some other kind of diuretic to help with all of the fluid. Please pray for Joshua and his grandmother.

12/01/04

Joshua continues to do well. His eating habits are not very good. He hardly eats anything. Joshua will be having his last LP (spinal tap) with injected MTX (Methotrexate chemotherapy) on December15th. Please pray that all goes well. Joshua was so happy yesterday that it was snowing here is Wisconsin. He just loves to play in the snow. Josh is very excited about his Birthday, he is counting the days down. He knows that as soon as his Birthday gets here Christmas is next. Joshua's grandmother was released from the hospital on November 30th, she is so happy to be back in her own surroundings. She is still very tired and has a lot of fluid in her legs and abdomen, she has gained 20 pounds in one day from the fluid. It is very hard for her to get around. I'll try to update as much as I can, but there are so many doctor's appointments coming up with Josh and his grandmother. We have labs on the 10th of December for my Mother for a CBC, CMP,and Ammonia, then Joshua has his Lp on the 15 of December, then his grandmother sees her doctor on the 16th and the 23rd of December. I'm only 41 years old and there are so many things happing in my life some days I'm not sure I'll get through them. Every night I pray to God for the strength to get through another day. Ok I've said enough and it probably doesn't make much since I'm very tired. Thank you to all of Joshua's angels for the cards and gifts. Thank you to all who have signed his guestbook, he just loves when he meets new friends..

11/27/04

Joshua is doing great, he isn't eating much right now because he is back on his chemotherapy medications but he still drinks a lot of chocolate milk so at least he is getting lots of calories. Today has been a very sad day for us all here. I had to call an ambulance for Joshua's grandmother (my Mother) on 11/26/04. She was admitted to the hospital and has needed 3 units of blood so far. She also has Cirrhosis of the liver and her ammonia levels were very high which causes confusion of the brain. I was told today that she has 6 months to a year to live. I have not told her this as of yet. I think she is too weak right know to be able to understand. I know I have to tell her maybe tomorrow if she isn't to confused. I'm asking that all of Joshua's online friends please say pray for my Mother.

11/24/04

Joshua's counts today were wonderful. His WBC (white blood count) is 8.7 which is high for him, but it means that his bone marrow has recovered. He is back on all of his medications as of tonight. He won't start his Bactrim until Friday. His immune system right now is 6612 meaning he can fight off infection on his own. As of today they will not need to do a bone marrow aspiration (Thank God). I'm so glad he is doing better, with Thanksgiving being tomorrow and knowing we will be at home with our family is the best news ever. I couldn't ask for anything else. Joshua's next doctor's appointment will be on December 15th for a LP (spinal tap with IT methotreaxate (injected into spinal fluid) and 7 days of dexamethasone which are steroids and vinchristine injected into his port. Thanks for checking on Joshua. We want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of our online friends.

11/07/04

Today was a very long day at Children's Hospital we didn't get home until 3:00pm. It did not turn out the way I was praying for. Joshua's immune system is 510 (ANC). He is still Neutropenic. His counts are just not recovering. So Joshua will start taking his 6MP ( mercaptopurine) and his MTX (methotrexate ) tonight, because his ANC is above 500 both are chemo drugs. The doctor is concerned about Joshua being off his chemotherapy for 3 weeks. She is also concerned that his immune system is not recovering like it should, I'm very worried myself. They want to due a bone marrow aspiration too see what is going on please say some extra prayers for Joshua. I will let everyone know when they will be doing the aspiration. Joshua is still off his Bactrim medication which is not good because that helps prevent pneumonia. We are going to recheck his counts again on November 24th. We expect Joshua's counts to drop again due to the chemo drugs that he is back on. So if Josh would get a fever now even with his ANC above 500 they would admit him to the hospital. Next week we also have to make a decision about Joshua's bactrim, if he can restart it or have to switch to another medication. They told me at the hospital last year that things would get easier, but I think things are getting harder. Please say a prayer for Joshua Grandmother she was diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the Liver and is also having surgery on the 23rd of November for a hernia.

11/11/04

Joshua is going to the American Cancer Society Fantasy House tomorrow. He loves to go and see the trains and all of the beautiful Christmas decorations. He is so excited about Christmas. If Joshua had things his way we would have our tree up now.

11/10/04

Joshua's (absolute neutrophil count) is only 300 so he is Neutropenic , it went down from last week. This will be three weeks off medications. I'm starting to worry. His WBC (white blood count) is up from last week it is 3.2 When Joshua's (absolute neutrophil count) is below 500, if he gets a fever above 38.5 he will be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics and blood cultures. Please continue to pray for Joshua's health. I'm praying that on his next clinic visit his counts will have recovered. His next appointment is November 17th.

11/03/04

Joshua had his CBC (complete blood count) rechecked today. His counts still have not recovered from the pneumonia . His WBC (white blood count ) is 1.8 RBC (red blood count) 3.66 Hemoglobin 10.6. His platelets have recovered they are 238. So his ANC (immune system) is still low at 432. So as for now Josh is still off all medications. We will recheck counts again on November 10th. Joshua received his new winter coat today (Thank You so much Angela) it is perfect. I will post a picture of Josh wearing his new coat later tonight.

10/31/04

Joshua is home from the hospital HURRY! He is feeling a lot better. The pneumonia is just about gone. His immune system is very low right now. His ANC (immune system) is only 396 and his platelets are only 75. He has been taken off all medications until his counts recover. We will recheck his counts on November 3rd. Josh is on a nubulizer 4 times a day to help with his breathing. Today I decided to let him go trick or treating. I'm very nervous about letting him go because it is so cold outside. I'm scared that his pneumonia will come back. Joshua was so excited to wear the pumpkin costume I made for him. Thank you to all who sent balloons, cards and gifts to Joshua while at Children's Hospital it really made him happy.

10/11/04

Joshua was admitted to Children's Hospital today due to pneumonia. This day did not go very well at all for us. Right away this morning I called the clinic to tell them about Joshua. I said that Joshua has had a cold with a very bad cough for about 7 days and that I felt things were not getting any better. I was told to call our pediatrician because Josh did not have a fever. So I called the pediatrician and he was seen at 10:00am. She listened to Josh's chest and felt that he should go to Children's for a x-ray. She also checked his oxygen level and that was low, so we went right to Children's from her office. Once at Children's they looked at the x-ray and said Joshua has pneumonia. His counts were good. White blood count was 6.8 his RBC 3.79 Hemoglobin 11.3 ANC (immune system) 5848.

08/13/04

Joshua had his monthly check up and CBC today. His ANC (immune system) is only 288. He has been taken off all medications until his ANC recovers. Joshua still counties not to eat. It's very sad to see everyone sitting at the dinner table without Josh, even though there is a place set for him. School will be starting soon. Joshua will be home schooled this year for kindergarten. I'm hoping the school district will send a teacher out to our home. Joshua should qualify under the OHI (otherwise health impaired). There is an IEP meeting set for the 19th of October. Joshua has only two more spinal taps left one on the 16th of September and one on December 9th. WAY TO GO JOSHUA!

07/18/04

Joshua has been having a wonderful summer so far. We went up north to Sarona, Wisconsin. We stayed with my Father in a cabin right on Long Lake. Josh and his brother Shawn went fishing and boat riding everyday. Shawn got up at 5:00am every morning to go fishing with Grandpa while Josh slept. The boys loved cooking marshmallows over the open fire pit. Grandpa took the boys to the beach, the only way to get there is by boat. The kids really thought that was cool. This was the first time Joshua went swimming in a lake. The boys are looking forward to going again next year. Josh had his LP and spinal tap done on the 25th of June all went well. He lost a little bit of weight 0.2 pounds so his medication did not change. Joshua was on those wonderful steroids for 7 days, the best part of that was he really ate a lot. Hopefully he has gained some weight that will stay with him for a while. Two days after stopping the steroids he was back to his same old eating habits which is eating hardly anything. Joshua does still drink a lot of chocolate milk, about 1 gallon a day.

06/25/04

Joshua had his spinal tap done today 06/25/04, everything went OK. His ANC was 1100 or right around there. Computers were down today at CHW. I will post his lab results as soon as I get them. Joshua is still not eating much. On Monday the 28th Joshua will be having his picture taken by a company called HeartWorks Photography he is looking forward to having this done. Joshua has not had his picture taken professionally since just before his was diagnosed with ALL. So this will be a very special day for us since June 29th will be 2 years since Josh's dx date. As soon as I get the pictures I will post them on the web. We have set up our swimming pool, but it has been raining so much Josh has not been able to use it and the water is very cold.

06/27/04

Lab results from June 25th. WBC (white blood count) 2.1 RBC (red blood count) 4.04 ANC (immune system) 1134

06/04/04

Joshua is doing really good with all his medications. He still does not eat much, maybe a candy bar a day. Some days maybe a few bites of cereal. Yesterday I got him to eat 5 Mc Donald land cookies. Joshua still drinks a lot of chocolate milk. Josh has been having a lot of fun playing outside, when the sun is shinning. It has been raining here everyday for the past couple of weeks. Soon Josh's brother and nephew will be out of school for the summer and Josh can't wait so they can play together. Joshua has a clinic appointment June 25th for his (LP) spinal tap and CBC. Shawn's Dr. found a very small lymph node on the CT scan results. He said he doesn't think it is cancer because of it's size. He wants to do a another CT on September 7th.. I sure hope all turns out OK.

05/08/04

Joshua went to clinic yesterday. It was a very long day for us at the hospital. Joshua's doctor's appointment was at 9:00am and then Shawn's at 11:00, but Shawn's CT scan wasn't until 3:00pm. We never got home until 6:30pm. Josh's ANC was 2048 which is a little high. The doctor wants his ANC to be 1500 or less. Josh has gained more weight so that could be why his ANC is up. Dr. Browning wants to wait until the next clinic visit before she ups his medications due to the weight gain, because at the last clinic visit his ANC was 805 and not high enough to increase anything. It seems every two months or so Joshua's ANC is up. Our next clinic visit will be on June 25th that is also a LP (SPINAL TAP DAY). Josh's brother Shawn also had his ENT visit for his Lymph Node that is in the back of his throat. The doctor didn't say much, he did order a CT Scan for Shawn. Now we wait out the weekend to here the results.

05/02/04

Sorry about the long delay in updating. My computer crashed and had to be sent out of town to fix. Joshua is doing fine with all his medications. He still does not eat much. It has been two days now and he has eaten nothing. Josh will see a nutritionist on May 7th. Please say a prayer for Joshua's older brother Shawn, he will be going to the doctor on May 7th also. Shawn has a swollen lymph node in the back of his throat. We are planning to do a CT scan that day. And now for our terrible time in Florida. I wish I would have never chose Disney World for Joshua he hates Disney and never wants to go back. His older brother Shawn says the same thing and he is 10. Joshua went to Disney World on March 8th. He didn't have a very good time. Right from the start he was sick. On the morning of 8th Josh was sick to his stomach when the plane landed. Later in the day he felt a little better and walked around Give Kids The World Village (a very beautiful place). On the 2nd day we went to Magic Kingdom and that was a terrible day for Josh and the whole family. The park was so crowed you could not even move. People got knocked down and trampled on, some even got seriously hurt. We tried so hard to get out of the park but it was impossible. I cried and cried, I just wanted to get my little boy back to the car. Even the Disney workers could not get us out. It took 2 1/2 hours to walk from the castle to the tram, then there was a 1 1/2 wait to get on the tram. I didn't think that nightmare was ever going to be over. On day 3 Joshua was so sick he only got out of bed twice the whole day and that was by me or his father carrying him. He had no fever, but he couldn't walk he just said his legs felt like they were sleeping. We didn't leave the villa at all that day. We finally got him a stroller from the Make A Wish Foundation so we could take him out. And me not thinking I should have got a wheelchair because the stroller was very small, but we made the best of it. I thought maybe he would feel better if he got outside in the fresh air. Finally it was time to go home. Joshua felt a little better. Then it all started again. We get to the airport to find out they have no seats on the plane for us. After about 10 minutes they said they found some seats but there were none together. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told them there was no way my little boy was going to sit alone on this plane. I asked for a different flight even the next day, and I was told they didn't have anything available. The plane was supposed to leave at 6:36pm and it was now 6:50pm. They finally came up with two seats together and the rest were single seats. I felt so bad for my 10 year old sitting all by himself 10 rows away from me. The plane finally took off at about 7:05pm. Then I find out when we got home that my 10 year old was sitting in an exit row seat and that is against the law, you have to be 16 years old or older. I would have thought Make A Wish would have planed a little better than what they did. It is unexcitable to me that this even happened. Those plane tickets were bought in January two months ahead of time.

02/20/04

Joshua is having problems with pooping, he has not had one in a week. He is taking Miralax daily but as of today nothing yet. He also has a bit of a runny nose this week. He is very excited about going to Disney World. Only 17 more days until we leave. I sure hope the weather is nice and not raining.

02/10/04

Today we are resting a little more peacefully all things considered. Joshua's spinal fluid and bone marrow tests came back clear (THANK GOD). His next spinal tap is in 8 weeks. Joshua is looking forward to Disney, we leave March 8th and we are staying at Give Kids The World. Joshua has a speech teacher come out to the house twice a week to work with him. He has been working very hard. Please say a prayer for Katia she had her bone marrow transplant on February 5th.

02/09/04

02/02/04

Joshua is feeling really good. He has had no more fevers (THANK GOD). He has been eating a little bit more than normal which is a very good thing. I'm just beside myself with fear and the wait just makes it worse. I wish it was Friday. I pray all day and night that everything will turn out OK for my precious little Joshua.

01/21/04

Joshua is still not feeling very well today. He woke up again at 3:00am this morning. Earlier in the afternoon Josh had a temp of 103.8 so off we went to Children's Hospital for Blood Cultures and a CBC (complete blood count). They also took an X-Ray of Josh's chest to make sure there were no signs of pneumonia. They found no signs of pneumonia. His counts were good WBC 1.9 RBC 3.71 Hemoglobin 12.0 Platelets 251. ANC = 1007

01/20/04

Joshua woke up this morning at 3:00am not feeling well. He was sick to his stomach. His temp was 100.7, he also has a very bad cough due to his cold. This is his first cold of the season. I sure hope this doesn't turn in to anything really bad. My sweet little boy has been through so much all ready.

01/19/04

Today Joshua's doctor called and told me she found some abnormal cells in Josh's spinal fluid. I have always hated the days Joshua has a spinal tap (which is every 12 weeks). Now my worst nightmare has come true they have found abnormal cells. All I can do now is wait. They are going to do a spinal tap and a bone marrow aspiration on February 6th. Every night I ask God why my little boy. Please keep Joshua in your prayers. Josh has a little bit of a cold today and is very tired. Yesterday he said that his legs felt like Jell-O. Please pray for my Joshua.

01/09/04

Today was a very long day. It was a Lp and spinal tap day. We left for the hospital at 11:40am and did not return home until 8:00pm. Joshua's spinal was at 12:00pm and clinic was at 11:00am. I got things confused, I thought the spinal was at 1:00pm. Dr. Browning called me at 11:30am and asked me why we were not there yet. I told her I thought it was at 1:00pm, so I said we would leave right now and we should be there in about 20 minutes or so. We arrived at 12:15pm just to find out that day surgery held our spot until 12:10pm and that now we would have to wait until there is an opening. Well that didn't happen until 4:30pm. Joshua was so tired when we got home that he went right to bed.

01/03/04

Joshua has one week left in his Intensive Continuation Phase of treatment. I can't believe that 47 weeks have gone by already. It will be really nice to start the next phase of treatment, because I will not have to wake Joshua in the middle of the night to take his medication. Josh's counts were good yesterday. His WBC was 3.9 his RBC 3.87 and his Platelets were 252. His ANC is 1911. On January 9th Josh will have a spinal tap, please say a prayer for him. So far so good this cold and flu season, Joshua has not been sick even with everyone else in the house having the flu (THANK GOD). Josh is looking forward to building a snowman this winter. I sure hope it snows soon. As of today we have none. We are expecting a few inches on Sunday.

12/25/03

Joshua had a wonderful Christmas. I wnat to thank everyone who sent gifts and cards to Joshua and my family. Josh is doing pretty good with his chemotherapy right now.. He is taking 31 pills a day he is my HERO! He is having a lot of trouble with eating nothing taste good to him. We are lucky if we can get him to eat 1/4 of a bowl of cereal a day. Josh gets very constipated and his legs hurt a lot he has a lot of trouble walking. He will just stay in bed or sit on the couch most of the day. Please pray this improves for him .

12/19/03

Joshua had his labs done tonight. His WBC (white blood count) 2.7 RBC (red blood count) 3.87 Platelets 193 Segs 47 Bands 1 His ANC (immune system) is 1296. Josh goes in for his chemo tomorrow. I'm so happy his counts are good, they have been low for the past 4 weeks. Keep up the good work Joshua Mommy loves you.

12/16/03

Well it's one week later and Joshua is doing great (Thank God). I'm still very worried about this cold and flu season. Shawn Josh's older brother is in elementary school and it seems that half the kids there are home with the flu. Josh will have labs drawn on the 18th then see Dr. Browning on the 19th. Thank you all who sent gifts and cards to Joshua on his birthday. Getting cards really put a smile on his face. He had a wonderful birthday.

12/09/03

So far so good. Josh is doing fine. I pray he continues to stay healthy during this cold and flu season. Last night I took 2 of my grandchildren to the ER, they both have a double ear infection and very high fevers. Today my other grandson went to see our pediatrician for a very bad cough, to find out he has pneumonia. Please say some extra prayers for Josh and his family.

12/06/03

Joshua has a runny nose today. He had labs done on the 4th of December. His WBC was 2.4 his RBC 3.81 Platelets 245 & Segs 23. ANC (Immune system) is 552. I hope it doesn't get any lower. He will being staying in as much as possible until his ANC is higher. Joshua can't wait for it to snow, he loves to make snowmen and snow angles.

11/01/03

Today Dan and Wendy from the Make A Wish Foundation came out to meet Joshua. He was very excited about them coming. All Josh has been talking about is going to Disney World. He is doing fine with his chemo and other medications there still isn't much Joshua likes to eat. We try our best to find something he will eat. He needs to get his energy level up.

10/31/03

Joshua went Trick Or Treating on the 26th, he went as a monster from the movie scream. He was supposed to be a pumpkin but changed his mind (maybe next year). Why he wanted to go as that I'll never understand (he does not like scary things). Josh didn't wear the scary mask, he wore sun glasses instead. He was out for about an hour. The last house Joshua went to he told the woman that answered the door he was going home because being at home is more fun then Trick Or Treating (LOL). I think being out that hour was just to much for him. He was very very tired when he got home.

10/19/03

Joshua's counts were a little high today. His WBC 8.2 and his ANC 7216. He was on steroids last week for 7 days and that will make his WBC (whit blood count) go up. Dr. Browning has increased all of his medications due to his height and weight increase. Josh is looking forward to Halloween and going trick or treating this year , last year he was hospitalized. I sure hope we have nice weather, but who knows this is Wisconsin one day it's 70 and the next it's 30.

10/12/03

Joshua's counts were good today. WBC (white blood count) 3.7, RBC 3.97, Segs 40 and his ANC (immune system) 1480. He will be having a spinal tap done tomorrow. This will also be a steroid pulse week for Josh. I sure hope he will want to eat more.

09/16/03

Joshua is doing really well with his chemo. He is still having a very hard time finding something that he likes to eat. There are days when he only will eat chicken nuggets from MC Donald's, and that would be the only thing he eats that day (and maybe three of the nuggets only). Josh still drinks his chocolate milk and a lot of it (Thank God). His eating habitats sure have changed over this last year. I know it's from all of the medications he takes. Hang in there Joshua things will get better. We love you Josh.

09/08/03

Joshua went for his monthly checkup today and all is good. He has his 3rd spinal tap coming up in October. Only one more in this part of his treatment. WOO HOO Way to go Punky. We all love you. You are mommy's little HERO!

09/01/03

Joshua had a fever today of 103. All turned out OK. We went to blood cultures and a CBC done at children's hospital. His WBC was 5.4 , RBC 3.77, Hemoglobin 12.0, Hematocrit 34.4, Platelets 235 and his ANC 4482. They gave him a dose of antibiotics and sent us home. Nothing ever grew from the cultures (Thank God).

08/10/03

Joshua has been enjoying his summer so far. We bought him a swimming pool and a swing set for our backyard. It's just to hard to take him to the public playground or public pool with all of the other kids around. I guess I'm overly protective. I say better safe than sorry. Josh's grandmother gave him a sandbox also. He loves to play in the sand (sometimes times I think the sand is playing with him). Josh loves to play outside. Last year Joshua really didn't do to much playing outside or for that matter not even in the house. Joshua's counts are good WBC 2.7, RBC 3.83, Hemoglobin 12.22, Hematocrit 35.9, Platelets 300, ANC 1107. Josh has two more spinal taps to go in this part of the Intensive Continuation Phase.

07/21/03

I'm sorry I have not updated this page in awhile, but we have moved into a new house and I hate moving (way to much work packing and unpacking). Joshua had his spinal tap done today, everything went OK. His counts were good. His ANC through the auto differential was 900. Hopefully Joshua will adjust Ok to our new house.

07/13/03

Joshua hurt his left foot today. He can't walk at all. We took him to Children's Hospital's ER to have some X-rays taken, the ER doctor thought he had fractured the top of his foot. We went to see an orthopedic doctor on the 14th and he couldn't find anything wrong with Josh's foot. His foot was 3 times the size of the right foot. The doctor put a brace called a WEE WALKER on to give his foot support. The brace is to stay on 4 weeks. Joshua was given a wheelchair to get around. Josh also had counts done today WBC 8.9, RBC 3.94, Platelets 227, Segs 71, ANC 6319. Please pray Joshua's foot heals soon.

06/02/03

Joshua is doing great. He had labs done today and his ANC was 1875. His WBC 3.4, RBC 3.52, Platelets 183. Joshua has started to eat a few more things besides pizza, he seems to like peanut butter and jelly now. I sure hope he continues to eat more and more things more often. He is getting his divided dose of MTX today, and that seems to effect his eating.

05/19/03

Josh had his labs done on Sunday 5/18/03 his WBC was 3.8, Platelets were 294, Segs 46 and his ANC is 1748. We are doing divided dose MTX today. Joshua has really started eating, he is eating little ceasers pizza (a local pizza place here in Milwaukee). Right now we are buying him two cheese pizzas a day. I only wish he would start eating some vegetables and other things that are good for him. But Right now all I want is for him to eat no matter what is is that makes me happy to see him eating.

05/09/03

Josh has started to eat again, I so happy. I sure hope it continues. He is eating Mc Donald's hamburgers (only the bun with ketchup). He also ate 3 pieces of pizza this morning. Joshua seems to feel a lot better today, a lot more energy. I hope this is the start of a new eating habitat for him.

05/04/03

Josh had labs done today. His WBC 4.5, RBC 3.58, and his ANC is 3240. Josh will start his DD MTX tomorrow. Today will be the last day of steroids and he still is not eating much. Joshua had only 4 doughnut holes in the past 4 days. He has been very depressed this week crying for no reason, it must be the steroids. I really feel bad when he is on them. Thank God this is the last day. The last time he was taking steroids he had a very bad attitude, I don't know which is better.

05/01/03

Joshua has been on dexamethasone for 4 days now and his eating has not improved. Josh has no appetite what so ever, I hate seeing him like this. He use to eat everything before his diagnoses. I would always tease him about the way he ate at dinner, he would take all of his food from his plate and stuff his little checks (LOL). He looked just like a little chipmunk.

04/30/03

Joshua is still not eating anything at this time. I really thought he would have started eating after he took the steroids for a few days. He does drink a lot of chocolate milk and that's all he has. I feel really bad when he don't eat, I wish there was something I could do for him. He is my little HERO I'm so proud of him. Josh has been having some leg pain due to the vincristine, hope his pain does not last too long.

04/28/03

Joshua had his first spinal tap in this phase of his treatment. Everything went fine, his counts were good ANC 1092. He has gained some weight despite that he really doesn't eat anything. He is on dexamethasone this week. He also had vincristne today. I sure am hoping he starts eating more. He has only had 2 waffles in the past 5 days.

04/20/03

Joshua had very good counts today, so he can start his MTX on Monday. His WBC was 2.6, RBC 3.45, Platelets 205, Segs 41 and ANC 1006.

04/14/03

Joshua's counts are very low today, he can not have his MTX. His ANC is only 274. Joshua has been taken off bactrim for the next two weeks. He needs to make up the MTX that he missed before he can have his spinal tap. We will try again next week. Josh's next labs are on Easter.

04/07/03

Joshua was to have MTX today but his counts are too low again, his ANC is 456 it needs to be 500 or above. WE will try again next week. Now he is behind two doses of MTX.

03/24/03

Joshua started his MTX today. There was a mix up at the doctor's office two weeks ago. I was told that Josh didn't have to make up the doses of MTX that he had missed, but he needs to make them up. It is later on in his protocol that if he misses a dose of MTX he won't have to make it up then. I sure hope things get easier as time passes.

03/17/03

Josh's counts were back up today. His WBC was 3.3, RBC 3.60, Platelets 276. His absolut neutrophils auto differential was 2.1. Joshua is eating chocolate pudding again, he still drinks a lot of chocolate milk. I'm so glad he found something to drink that has a lot of calories in it.

03/13/03

Josh had his CBC (complete blood count) done and his WBC is 1.3, Segs 19 so his ANC is only 247. Josh still has a very hard time eating, in the last 5 days he has had about 1 tablespoon of jelly and a little bit of the meat from a chimichanga.

03/08/03

Joshua had a fever of 102.8 today and yesterday. We went to the ER at Children's Hospital and had a complete blood count done. His ANC is 324, he was admitted to the Hot Unit (5th floor) for more blood cultures and antibiotics for 48 hours. Any time his ANC is below 500 and he has a fever he will be admitted.

03/07/03

Joshua has a fever of 102.7 today so off to Children's Hospital we went for blood cultures and a CBC. Once we got there Josh was feeling a lot better he was riding his bike all over the hospital. When the nurse took his temperature it was 103.1. I was shocked he didn't even feel hot to the touch or show any other signs of a fever that high. The nurse waited awhile and took his temperature again just to be sure, but it still was 103.0. His WBC was 1.1, RBC, 3.45, Platelets 98, Segs 50, Bands 12 that made his ANC 682. They also did a NP which is a nose culture. We were sent home because Joshua's ANC was above 500. Now we wait to see if anything grows from the cultures. Please pray that nothing grows.

02/09/03

Josh had good counts today. His WBC 5.1, RBC 3.94 Hematocrit 36.94, Hemoglobin 12.5 Platelets 206. Joshua is having a lot of trouble eating right now nothing taste good to him at all. He is not eating anything at this time. He tries to eat, but when he does it just makes him sick to his stomach. He has a slight cold with a runny nose that might have something to do with him not wanting to eat. He still drinks a lot of chocolate milk (Thank You God for chocolate milk).

01/27/03

Joshua is doing great for the first time since his diagnoses he had normal blood counts. He had a WBC of 4.2 which is in the normal range. His RBC was 3.73, just a little below normal. His Hemoglobin was 35.7 and his Platelet count was 356. It is still very hard to find something Josh likes to eat. Everything just taste so bad from all of the medications that he takes. Joshua always loved to eat and it didn't matter what it was. The only thing Josh will eat right now is glazed doughnuts, chocolate pudding and mashed potato's with only ketchup on them. I guess this is better than eating nothing.