Josh

Josh has had some health struggles lately. I've written so many emails to family members and friends, I am just going to copy and paste. Hope you forgive me. :)

About a month and a half ago, he started to wheeze really bad. I took him in to the Dr's office, because it sounded a lot like he sounded when he had RSV (although he didn't have the cold symptoms along with it). The Dr. pricked his finger to figure out if it was a virus or an infection. It didn't show that it was a virus, and it didn't look like it was an infection either, but thank goodness they took it! That's when they noticed his hemoglobin was really low at 8.6. They gave us a nebulizer and meds to help with the wheezing, and told us to come back in a week to check his blood. During that time I gave him iron supplements hoping it would help. It didn't. When they took it again it had gone down to 7.2! (They start talking about blood transfusions anything below 7.) They also informed me that his white blood cells had spiked really high (21). And that it could mean Leukemia. (!!) They sent his labs to the hospital lab to be seen by a pathologist, who thought he/she saw peculiar looking cells, cells that looked a lot like Leukemia cells look. You can imagine how I felt driving home from what was supposed to be a check up. I didn't know how I could possibly tell Daniel. It was awful!

The next morning our Dr. called us and told us we probably needed to get further attention from a children's oncologist. We went to the Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis to be seen by a Hematology/Oncology Specialist. After a lot of testing they informed us that he does not have Leukemia (thank goodness!), and that they don't know what on earth he does have. We went back a week later to check his blood levels again. They had gotten a little higher (out of the danger range) and looked like his body was making more at a rapid rate. We went back in last Friday his blood levels are back up to normal! We are so grateful! We are thankful that God has heard our prayers.

So, there you have it. It has been and emotionally and physically draining month! However, we are happy to be home and living life relatively normally.  It's no fun not knowing what is going on inside that little body! This experience has made me really appreciate being here with Dr's who noticed something wasn't quite right and took blood when they normally wouldn't have (at least to my knowledge). As well as a very good children's hospital not too far away.  It has also really made me appreciate the strength and great sorrow of mothers and fathers whose children do have cancer or other potentially terminal diseases. I also wonder if we were blessed with a great miracle! Whether he has/had something or not, I know it's a miracle that it wasn't something more serious. God has blessed us so much!

Thanks for all your prayers and support!