Halfway to 10

Thursday was the 5th visit, the halfway point in the 10 "induction" rounds that Clay has to get through before the next MRI and a break from chemo. J.D. took Clay for this visit and it was the new record for speedy -- only 3 hours. To think we would ever be thankful for "only" a 3 hour doctor appoint and "only" one chemo drug...now I know what resilient and adaptable means. With no carboplatin given during this visit, Clay had no nausea and therefore we get a break from giving him Zofran, the anti-nausea medicine.

I had a telephone consult with a Naturopath from Oregon last week, and we now have a stocked cabinet of homeopathic solutions and vitamins. There truly seems to be a connection between vitamins, diet, and cancer-activity within cells. And, these supplements should help combat the side-effects of chemotherapy and strengthen Clay's immune system. However, the challenge is clear: trying to get a 3 year old to take a mushroom and fish oil supplement is no easy task. Especially a child like Clay that likes to keep his foods very plain and can't be swayed by ice-cream or most kid favorites. For those interested, Beating Cancer with Nutrition is a great resource for information and recipes, and will inspire even the healthy to make better food choices. Thank you to Patti Kelly for giving me so many contacts in the alternative-medicine world.

Finally, thank you for a wonderful meal last night Glenda. You have been so generous in time and energy in organizing the Thursday dinners and in checking in to see how you can help.

Happy 4th of July.