Back to "Normal"

Whew... it has been quite a while since I posted anything on here. I have started and stopped quite a few times, and could never finish.

It is hard to know what to say.

Some days, this battle seems like a bad dream, and it never really happened. Other days, it is so fresh in my mind, that I catch my breath, and try to keep my knees from buckling while the waves of sorrow rush through my heart.

Treatment is "over", and we just go to the clinic every six weeks for a "check-up". The phlebotomists at Doerenbecher have been wonderful. Drawing blood from Alex's vein has been a smaller "issue" than I had anticipated. He is again, our brave boy.

Now, when Alex gets a fever, we can give him Tylenol, something so simple, but off-limits during treatment.

When we learn that half the kids in his kindergarten class have the flu, or strep throat, we groan, and cross our fingers he doesn't get it, but it doesn't throw us into a panic like it used to.

His immune system is just about back to normal, and he has been given the go-ahead to get caught up on his vaccinations.

He also has been given the green light to go to the dentist, another thing he couldn't do while in treatment.

Now that his Port is out, we are comfortable with him playing sports. He joined a T-Ball team this season, and is doing great!

One of the "side effects" of going off treatment, is that Alex's metabolism, two-years in restraint, has taken off, and the kid eats like he is back on steroids. He is growing so fast!

Alex's Kindergarten teacher praises his work ethic, and his enthusiasm for school. We will keep fanning those flames for knowledge, so that if he runs into any learning difficulties left over from his Chemo, he will be able to overcome them, with the confidence he shows in other aspects of his life.

He has started to see a Play Therapist to help him with some anxiety/fight or flight issues related to his treatment. We are all very confident that his resilient spirit will overcome these challenges, and allow him to drink in a very long and wonderful life.

I have so much more to say, however the words aren't flowing from my heart and head to my fingers. So, I will let them rattle around a bit longer, until they are ready to tumble out in the right order.